"Denise Anderson" writes:
| We're moving to the Chicago area in the middle of winter this year. DDs 1
| and 2 will be in a school district that requires uniforms, so that's one
| less thing I have to worry about. But we're moving from the Pacific
| northwest where it gets cold but not *cold*, kwim? I'm getting ready to put
| some clothes on layaway at the Navy exchange for all the girls for school
| here, but I'm debating whether or not to put anything like sweaters and
| jackets and such because I have no idea what they'll actually need up there.
| Does anyone have any suggestions on what kind of cold weather clothing I
| should invest in before the move for DDs ages 6, 4, 3 and under 6 mo?

It's already been said, I'm just echoing it: put aside the money to
buy the clothes once you get to Chicago, if at all possible. The
selection will be better there.

As to what you need, that depends on how much time the kids will be
spending outside. Where I live, kids are outside every day at school
and daycare/preschool; it takes really severe weather before the
teachers keep them inside, particularly once they're in school. So
they need to bundle up. For that situation, at a minimum, the kids need:

- a snowsuit
- a winter jacket
- good boots
- a hat
- two pairs of mittens or gloves
- a scarf or substitute
- a warm sweater
- a set of long (woolen) underwear

A child who doesn't play outside in bad winter weather will need less
- the long woolies, for instance, only come out when it's REALLY cold.

I like a separate snowsuit and jacket, rather than a two-piece
snowsuit (jacket and pants), for two reasons. First, the opening in
the middle of a two-piece snowsuit can let cold air, even snow, in.
Second, this means the child can have a good warm snowsuit for playing
outdoors, but a thinner jacket, maybe Polarfleece, to wear in the car,
so the seatbelt fits better.

Boots are important. If the boots leak, the child's socks get soaked,
her feet will quickly get cold, and cold wet feet in the wintertime
are just miserable. I said two pairs of mittens because if just one
thing gets lost all winter, I can almost guarantee you it's going to
be a mitten. Also, mittens are the first things to get wet and it's
good to have a dry pair handy. Scarves on younger kids tend to come
unwrapped or get caught, in fact my younger son's preschool asks that
parents not use scarves because of the possibility of the tails
getting caught in something and hurting the child. I don't remember
what they're called in English, but if you can find the separate
"turtle necks" that can be pulled over a child's head, those are a
much more practical substitute.

And one bit of advice from someone who has seen this from the point of
view of both parent and (substitute) teacher: label all this stuff!
It's going to end up in a pile on the floor at school together with
the hats and mittens of all the other kids in the class. If your
child's name isn't written in there somewhere, you may never see your
child's favorite hat alive again. At least, not until after spring
break.

Good luck with your move!

- Cindy Kandolf, mamma to Kenneth (10) and Robert (4)
****** Bærum, Norway
Bilingual Families Web Page:
http://www.nethelp.no/cindy/biling-fam.html