Winter clothes

[Dulcealegria]

The cold is hear, please tell me how do you dress your dc in this cold weather and give me some names of brands that I can buy for my ds.

Thanks,
The mother in a new weather condition ;)

[Plaid Leopard]

Hi-

Tights!
We have learned how to layer, because it is freezing outside but it is always overheated inside. They turn the heaters on fullblast in all the stores, restaurants, library and it's really uncomfortable.

So generally, the kids have on:

Tights or long underwear
undershirt
long sleeve shirt
sweater
warm pants- the lined ones are nice
coat
hat
gloves
lined boots (Elefanten is a good brand, but pricey)

Once we get inside the outerwear, and even the pants come off. Its good to have slippers or at least the thick non-slip socks to put on your child's feet when inside.

For little ones, a full snowsuit is good, because it pretty much covers head to toe. You can just dressed your child normally underneath and then take off the snowsuit when you get inside somewhere.

I can't think of any specific brands but if you have any secondhand stores near you then check there. I have always been able to find good quality winter clothes for not too much money.
Also stores like Plus and LIdl and Aldi always carry inexpensive winter things.

[Dulcealegria]

Thanks for your reply Plaid Leopard,

What do you think about this:

First layer- Wool Strumphose or is it better cotton so it wont be so hot inside for ds.

Second layer- Fleece or wool.

Third one- the ski suit in 2 parts.

I am a little afraid because we live near the ake and we play a lot there and it is really really windy.

But as you say what about when we are inside a restaurant or a house from someone????

Your experience will help me a lot.

Thanks

[Plaid Leopard]

I usually opt for cotton but I guess it depends on how cold it is or what your plans are...

My 2yo has decided that he does not like wearing a coat. Or a hat. Or gloves. Looks like we are in for a fun winter!

[Hollycrand]

I try to pack my DD in several easy to remove layers. Stores, restaurants and other indoor places (especially here in SW Germany...we had our first snowfall today) tend to be very overheated. DD peels off her coat the second we walk inside somewhere.
I second the vote for cotton. Unless you plan to be spending the night out of doors, either DC is moving or sitting in a pram with a warm cover over his/her legs.

Secondhand shops are great places to find things, or (as PL mentioned) Aldi, Lidl, Plus, Norma...Tchibo?
You could also look in some of the Kinderbazaars (used clothing sales hosted by churches or kindergartens) for good quality for a small price (and you can bargain too!). Of course, maybe Kinderbazaars are only a Swäbisch thing?


For your info, Elefanten has gone out of business. Naturino or Richter are also good name brands for water tight shoes that last.

My 2yo has decided that he does not like wearing a coat. Or a hat. Or gloves

Plaid leopard, I thought MY daughter was the only one!

[Plaid Leopard]

Oh Holly- snow already? It's cold and rainy here. It was so nice just last weekend. Then suddenly - YUCK!

I was wondering why I kept seing Elefanten shoes on sale for really good prices. Of course, I keep trying to get 2yo to try on the shoes because he needs a new pair of winter boots, but apparently he doesn't like to do that anymore either. Nor does he like to have a cover over his legs when he is in the stroller. I'm just waiting for all the stares and comments to start.

Here there are FLohmarkts - pretty much the same as Kinderbazaars I imagine.

[newbelly2006]

Definately tights--for both boys and girls. It's completely accepted and expected. H&M usually has a decent selection. I tend to find cotton holds up just fine (this will be our third winter) for the area--Hamburg/Berlin has similar temps, I think.

Because I grew up in the cold (new Hampshire/Maine), I'm pretty particular about the outer layer. A good outerwear brand is Globetrotter (www.globetrotter.de) which, I think, is based in Hamburg. They have the entire range of prices from high end (Jack Wolfskin) to their inhouse brand (Four Seasons). I find the 4 seasons stuff to be reasonably priced and hold up well. They also have a decent selection of kids boots.

If your little one is still in a stroller, definately buy a "schlafsack." It's basically a sleeping bag intended to come up to about waist/chest height. The best are made of lambswool but the entire range from high end to low is available.

If your babe goes to a kita/kinderladen, be sure to dress in layers that can be removed. They keep them WARM during the winter.

Also, with some of the better lined boots (naturino, richter, etc), the lining is made to keep the feet warm and absorb the mositure. Hence, do NOT have your son/daughter wear 100% wool or cotton socks which will trap the moisture. Much Better to go with a blend. I was warned multiple times about that from numerous shoe stores. Also, with the cheaper house brands (Lidl, Deichmann, Aldi etc) be sure to check both the flexibilitiy of the boot and most importantly the sole. Despite the extreme ridges, if the sole is smooth plastic, your child will look like he/she is on ice. Trust me.

I'm a bit lucky in that Dante is a clothes horse. He adores hats, mittens etc. Thinks they're the coolest thing ever. It makes for far fewer winter battles! I have a feeling that when the twins are here next winter, I will not be so lucky a second (and third!) time!

Stay warm all!

[Hollycrand]

Plaid leopard,

Would going to a shop and letting your son pick out his hat/gloves etc. himself make a difference? My dd HAS to pick her own clothes out (which is why most of our shopping these days is in second hand shops - so my wallet doesn't have a huge hole) and I find it has worked in motivating her to wear warm clothes outside. In fact, she likes them so much she wants to wear her snowsuit INSIDE the house as well. With only a body and no shoes or socks. She also likes her little bandana scarf so much she SLEEPS with it on.

I'm sending you a PM about next weekend...

[Plaid Leopard]

We have so many hats and gloves and scarves and coats here. He likes to wear them around the house, but as soon as it is time to go somewear he refuses to put any of them on.

[Dulcealegria]

Great great ladies!!!!! Bravo

That is the typir of message I really needed.
I will check today Globertrotter.

What did you mean by a mix of material from the socks??? I was planning wool, but which ones I should buy.

We do not really use the kinderwagen, I carry him in the tragetuch, so any ideas? I think it will be enough with his clothing or I am wrong??

Hhmmmm is really cold for me, greetings form Hamburg

[Plaid Leopard]

If he is in the Tragetuch, just make sure his legs are well-covered. Should be enough with tights and a snowsuit, but you can also cut the toes of a pair of your warm socks and put them on your ds as leg-warmers. that way if the legs of the pants or snow suit ride up, his legs will still be covered.

[behr]

I have a few things to add which I learned during the last few years.
I did always get good quality shoes and outwear, at least one set, this makes a big difference I think.
I did buy on ebay out of season and got most everything else at 'Basar'. Those should be Germany-wide since my mom goes to the ones in Mainz. They are held seasonally in spring and fall and are organized by Kindergartens. They are advertised in papers and those weekly free papers that you should receive in your mailbox, usually Wednesday or Thursday. They are under a section called 'Kinderbasare'. They are a wonderful thing if you can stand the shoving around. Go early! You can even sell your stuff through Basare, it's just so cool, really.

One thing I splurged on are woolen undershirts. My daughter wears them day and night during winter. They are sold by Allnatura or other brands, are a bit pricey, but have saved us from many a cold. I keep it cool in my house to avoid respiratory problems due to dry air, so we're dressed for the cold all the time. During visits it's perfectly OK for the kids to run around in tights. I always bring thick socks for warm feet too. The ones with the latex or silicone bottoms so they are not slippery. They are called 'Stoppersocken'. I also like the boiled wool house shoes. Those ar sometimes sold cheaply by Aldi.

The bags you put in the strollers are called 'Fusssack' as in foot bag (this IS spelled correctly - I seriously feel for people having to learn this language!) The ones made of real sheepskin are wonderful and can best be bought at Basar.
I also like those hat/scarf combinations, one less thing to loose, and you can just slip off the hat part in stores.
My dds never liked gloves so I put on oversized jackets or sweaters and let the arms hang out over most of their hands to keep them a bit warmer. On longer trips I fill up the SIGG bottles with some hot beverage and keep them in wooly socks. The kids can then warm their fingers on those as they drink.

Good luck keeping warm, and enjoy the nice Chrismas season!

[Plaid Leopard]

Oooh good ideas Behr!

I was just at ALdi today and they had the boiled wool house shoes and I didn't buy them because they were cheaper at Lidl, so we went all the way to Lidl and of course they were sold out. Back to ALdi I go!

It's supposed to snow here tonight!

[behr]

The Aldi shoes are the better choice. They are the original ones while Lidl sells the imitaion ones. At least that was the case last year. I boughjt plenty to last last winter, and love the frog ones particularly.
I was going to add that I like the thick kind of tights above all. They are terry cloth inside and are a great insulator for both feet and legs. They work under dresses!

[Plaid Leopard]

Never seen those kind of tights! Where do you get them?
No snow yet.

[behr]

The tights are called 'Frottee Strumpfhosen'. I bought mine at Jaco-o.de although I'm not superfond of that place. If you google the key words you will get some at ebay and at Hess Natur in biological cotton. They also had htem at Aldi in October. I can only find the small sizes though. I can look more if you need bigger sizes. One place I ordered nice biostuff from was Waschbaer, though I haven't looked if they have those tights.
Some of the tights have the latex thingies attached already, those are sometimes called 'ABS' socks or tights.

Just found an ebay seller called beatea who sells them in bigger sizes as well.


Btw the people who sublet our appartment in Konstanz wrote that they had snow right on the eve of the start of their Kehrwoche...

[Dulcealegria]

Thanks a lot for the good tips Behr, that is really what I need.

I am starting to discover Aldi and co. products.

As all of you can see I am a really begginer in Germany and in cold weather. Last week after posting hear, I decided to go and buy what I need and my surprise is many things are already sold....I felt so silly and sad, not to have the right clothes to go out, now I am trying to get everything in internet, which is not my favorite place since I do not know what to really buy.
Also, the shoes, last week we went to different places and "ausverkauft" , finally my dh believe that I did not found many things.

A good thread will be, to write good shooping in Aldi and co. so the ones that are new (like me) get their things there....any ideas?


Greetings from cloudy cold Hamburg

[behr]

Hi Dulcealegria! My brother and aunt live in Hamburg. Not the warmest place on earth, keep bundled up!!

I just can't believe all winter things are gone. There is probably a C&A, they tend to have good kids cloth. A lot of the shoe stores should have boots on sale now just keep checking. As long as the soles are flexible and there's some kind of liner they should do. I've gone through winters with a pair of regular shoes and wool socks and a pair of those thickly lined rubber boots. I read you're carrying your ds in a sling. But if you use a stroller once in a while and manage to get a Fusssack, you can add hot water bottles to the foot and butt areas to keep baby snuggly.

I have used my bike trailer at all temperatures last winter and the hot water bottles saved dd from freezing.

Aldi and many other similar stores sell only a selection of 'nonfood items' (we laughed so hard when we heard that the first time) each week. Some of these are so popular that you have to go on the first day of the sale. You can sign up for a newsletter on their website to get the flyer. Then you can scramble in the wire containers first thing Monday morning - welcome to a true German shopping experience!!
Tschibo, the coffee store, often has decent kid's stuff as well, they have a website and you can check their stuff in the stores while sipping a latte. Nice toys too.
Jaco-o and BAby Walz are the most popular online stores they have good quality stuff but it's not necessarily bio if that might be your thing.

I strongly suggest Basare once again. They are by far the cheapest and best way to get cloth and gear, especially if baby is still small. They will start up around March again.

Hey, it took me years to figure all this out, and now I'm starting all over here in the States. I just love helping out with answers!!

[Plaid Leopard]

Hi-
KArstadt and Galeria Kaufhauf usually always have winter things in stock. You will pay more than ALdi of course.

Maria - Have you found any second-hand stores? What are you still needing? I might have some things that I could send to you. GIve me a list and I'll check in the boxes of stuff I packed away.

[Dulcealegria]

Thanks a lot Plaid Leopard

I almost got everything I need this weekend. I am only missing winter boots, since my ds is starting to walk.
I think last 2 weeks I got pretty scared about the snow, and I was not ready to find what I wanted. With all the post I got the idea of what I really need it, plus a friend that gave me some presents. I am also missing gloves, but I will try to find them tomorrow.

By the way should he wear thick socks or normal ones when he is wearing the boots??

It is really cold.

Greetings

[Hollycrand]

With thick socks combined with water proof boots (and which are very warm), your child's feet can sweat. Then they'll be wet and uncomfortable.

A cotton blend sock absorbs (or so I've understood) better, and the feet won't perspire as much.

A shoe store sales clerk can probably explain it better than I can....or maybe some of the other MDC mamas in Germany

[newbelly2006]

Yup, Holly got it right! Cotton/wool blend both warms and asorbs the moisture as it draws away from the foot. A straight wool will merely make the foot sweat, and then as it cools might chill the foot. Most lined boots are made for a blend sock. But again, ask the store clerk as I may well be mixing my messages. Did Globetrotter work out for you at all?

I certainly hope all the winter stuff isn't gone yet! I still need to pick up a couple of pairs of tights and a pair of boots. Life has been so busy of late that it hasn't happened.

Also, to the poster who posted about the woolen undershirts. Are they scratchy? My DS adores his undershirts (all cotton so far) but those would really help keep him warm so long as they're comfortable. Where could I find those?

[behr]

Hi Newbelly,

the undershirts I got are the ones from Allnatura. There should be a store by that name in Berlin. I bought mine at a natural clothing store. The wool is really soft, not scratchy at all. You need to follow the washing instructions carefully to keep them that way. No need to wash often though. I bought the wool detergent from the same store and it worked well. I think the undershirts (T-shirt style with half arms) keep a very even body temp, and I haven't had complaints ever. My dd has been wearing them for 3 winters now.
For socks I use wool blends as they seem to work best especially at night when my dds never seem to be able to stay under the covers for long.
During the day they usually wear tights which are cotton/elastan blends mostly. I've had no problems with wet feet in boots ever unless they wear tight fitting rain boots.

[newbelly2006]

Thanks so much, behr! I haven't seen an Allnatura store, but I'm sure either the "geburtshaus laden" or the "natur kaufhaus"--both which carry that brand--should have them. Good excuse to stop by.

thanks also for the correction to "fussack." I said fussack in my head but typed schlafsack without thinking. Pregnancy brain with two languages, eek, what fun!

Paula

[Dulcealegria]

No w I understand what did you mean by blend socks. Any idea where can I found them? I always have seen only cottoon or wool.

Hurry up for the boots, Yesterday I finally got my ds boots. Quite expensive and only the last ones, so I did not have so much choice.

Globertrotter.- I got the catalogs and I really find the four seasons very good and with a good price.

ds wake up
bye

[Plaid Leopard]

Most socks are actually blend. If you look at the tag it will say something like 80% cotton, 20% polyacryl or something like that.

[newbelly2006]

Exactly!