Dear McKenna asked a question that of course got my advice juices flowing.
Dear Auntie Leila,
I'm hoping you can offer some wisdom on prepping the home (both house and people) for the winter months.
I've recently relocated to upstate New York from Austin Texas. My husband and I grew up in Michigan so we kind of know what we've gotten ourselves into, weather-wise. Anyway I'll take cold over 114 degrees and rattle snakes any day. The problem is I've never experienced a winter while running a household or with children. My boys are 8 and 1. My parents run a very efficient household but have trouble articulating exactly what it is they do and why.
Adding to my confusion is the fact that our new home is older (1940s). It is heated with steam radiators and has all the original windows. I was able to use some of your “keeping a home cool in the summer” tips and am hoping you may have similar tips for winter.
We have steam radiators, and I hadn't planned to install radiator covers. I'm sure we will have a few burned fingers in the beginning but am hoping the little one learns quickly. However a neighbor mentioned that steam radiators get quite a bit hotter than water ones. Should I be concerned?
When is a good time to transition window screens to storm windows? I'd like to do a thorough cleaning while I'm switching them, but what if the weather turns warm again and I miss the screens? I'm thinking late October.
I've heard that large coats aren't supposed to be worn if a child is in a car seat. Assuming a little one can not yet take his coat off unassisted, do I put the coat on, walk out the door, get into the car, take his coat off, buckle him up and repeat in reverse order when getting out? Should I invest in a good quality fleece for quick trips from the house to car and only use the coat when he's actually outside?
Finally, I'm trying to slowly acquire the outerwear we will need this year. Any tips on brands or items that are a good investment?
Thank you!
McKenna
What we try to do here at Like Mother, Like Daughter is gently help you know how to “live differently” — for instance, living on one income, knowing that perhaps you, like us, do not have the bucks to spend on luxuries like cranking up the heat.
I'm well aware that readers live in different parts of the country, of course.
When I wrote about dressing properly for the cold weather, the comments had me musing on how different things can be for different people. By “cold weather” I don't really mean in the 40s. And I don't really mean “for the 10 seconds your child has to run through the 30-degree air.” I mean living where it's pretty dang cold (and damp to boot, often) and I'm assuming that your children will not be climate controlled at all times, but will want to play outside pretty much regardless.
A lot depends on your circumstances. There's no question, for instance, that schools are overheated, so it really is folly to send a child all bundled up.
Yet, it's also folly to think that even as we collectively feel pretty guilty for using up the world's resources this way, we seem incapable of just turning down the heat in a public building and relying on people to know how to dress.
Do you want to know how to dress? How to keep your house warm in a thrifty way?
This is the thrust of my suggestions in this post: I'm assuming that you want to know how people cope with things when the optimal conditions do not obtain.
Dear McKenna,
Here is what you need to know.
You should install the storm windows now, while the weather is nice during the day. That way, it's not a problem for you to get them out, clean them, and make the necessary repairs. It's still warm enough for you to caulk around frames, which will really help keep things warm.
If your house is like the Chief's parents' house (built in the 20s), you also have screens to put away, and you want to be sure you do that in an orderly way, saving yourself grief in the spring.
The days are still not so short that you would have to rush when you are cleaning windows, and the leaves haven't started blowing around, making things hard to clean.
You will probably find that the storm windows have a mechanism so that you can prop them open. Thus, if the weather is nice during the day, you can just do that — open them up at the bottom, pushing them out. You don't have to really worry about screens since the bugs are gone. (You can always get a few of those little adjustable half-window screens, but a stray wasp isn't really that big of a deal — they are too drowsy to be a problem.) Even if they don't have this feature, you can leave off one or two on the sunny side of the house, and pop them on when things really get cold.
This way, you can set your heat at a reasonable level and enjoy having it on in the chilly nights but still open a few windows during the warm days. It can get cold! Our heat has already come on once or twice, but I have replacement windows so it didn't take long to close them up. (By the way, the old-fashioned windows work just as well with those storms, so don't worry — just keep them in good repair.)
The radiators probably will need covers. My MIL did have them (we have hot water heat, so no covers). You can see how it goes. Maybe our readers have tips about this form of heat, as I'm not as familiar with it.
Now, you want to notice this year how the heat flow works in your house. This is the year for figuring it out. Do you have zones? If so, you want to set your upstairs to a lower temperature than the downstairs.
The bedrooms really don't need to be as warm as the living areas. When you have good bedding — flannel sheets, down comforters, duvet covers, wool blankets for in between the layers — you find it's preferable to sleep in air that is not too stuffy. When the heat is high, everyone wakes up with stuffed noses and headaches, and the rooms get very dusty.
The children should wear flannel pjs with undershirts underneath.
Here is the purpose of the undershirt my dear readers: It's so that you have a layer which you do not remove, keeping your body heat close. A child can put his undershirt in the wash before the bath. After the bath, keep it on, tucked into the underpants. The pjs get put away and the clothes go on, but never is the poor bare skin exposed to that lower temperature in the bedrooms.
That's the old-fashioned way. Maybe today people just pay no attention to that sort of thing — I know I had to figure it out — but it's good to remember it in case for some reason it's much colder than you expected — for instance, when the power goes out and you aren't able to simply check into a hotel for the duration.
Anyway, back to the house. Even if you only have one zone, you can keep the different areas warm if you have doors to shut. Your challenge is going to be keeping the warm air downstairs — of course, being warm, it wants to rise. Yes, you can go on heating the first level all day, or you can keep the heated air in place.
You may notice that there is one area where the heat really escapes and there isn't a door. You can install a heavy curtain there. Just use a strong rod (or conduit bar) and nice matelessé quilts.
Just as in the summer you kept the strong sun out of your rooms, in the winter you want to let that sun in. A really good house is designed to take advantage of the sun's angles in the different seasons. Mine is not, alas. I have little southern exposure. But if you have some south-facing windows, be sure to open up the curtains during the day.
Then you want to close them in the evening to keep the heat in. Investing in wooden blinds, Roman shades, and heavy curtains really helps with what are basically holes in your shelter.
That ceiling fan that cools you off in the summer can really help move the warm air down from the top of the room — you simply reverse the direction by means of the little switch on the base.
If you have a fireplace, you can see how well it works this winter. Usually fireplaces, unless they are of the Rumford design, aren't efficient at all. (Readers interested in learning more should check out this little book: The Forgotten Art of Building A Good Fireplace.)
Depending on how it goes this year, you might want to install an efficient wood-burning stove in the fireplace. Combined with a ceiling fan and depending on how big and open your house is, you might find that you can use your heat just to keep your pipes in the basement warm, using the stove as your main source. In any case, it will definitely be an important part of just feeling warm to have a source for the heat around which you can gather — having the warm air radiate makes you feel much warmer, as long as it's not whooshing past you, bringing cooler air in its wake. I know that my wood-burning stove in the kitchen keeps me from just falling down frozen in the middle of my day.
As to the children's outerwear, let's please all use some common sense. If it's the middle of winter and in the single digits, you just can't be removing a child's coat to get in the car! Neither is a really poofy coat going to be practical for a tot. Just get a warm one that he can move around in and make sure that the straps of the carseat are secure.
Kids tend to get extremely overheated in the car, so you have to be smart. You can keep the heat lower; or if it's on high, then yes, take the jacket off.
The one thing you really can't do is let all the body heat escape as you are getting out, and then spend a long time outside.
Everyone needs a jacket that goes below the waist to the hips, a hat, a scarf, and mittens. Put the scarf on under the jacket, around the neck. It does no good outside the coat! That way, if the jacket has to come off, at least the chest is still warm. The jacket should have knit wrist cuffs to keep the air from going up the sleeves and to keep the mittens on securely.
One like this is perfect. And this one for a toddler.
I have two whole posts on what kids need for cold weather.
The most important thing to remember is that little kids don't need bulky sweaters. They usually hate them, won't wear them, and get overheated in them.
No, they need layers that trap their own heat without confining them: an undershirt, a regular flannel or thick knit shirt, and if anything, a light vest or fleece pullover. Even a thin shirt if the child runs warm will work as long as there is an underwear shirt long enough to tuck in underneath. You will spare yourself the grouchy, seemingly odd breakdown parts of the day if you follow this advice, because getting your body heat back up makes you cranky!
Girls need real pants, not leggings, or corduroy skirts with good sturdy tights. Leggings are not warm enough as the only layer on the legs! And most of all, do not let their little middles be exposed to the air. Tuck that t-shirt in!
Enjoy your winter, dear McKenna! Thank you for writing!
Tara says
We spent some years in Colorado and then upstate NY. I always made sure the kids wore a hat. When they were out of the infant carrier but still very small, I wrapped them in a warm but kid size blanket with the hat, carried them to the car and tucked the blanket around them in the car seat (ever behind them or under straps). A drying rack is very handy if you have 1 who likes to play outside in the snow. Those things will be drippy and wet when they come in. This is also a good reason to have a 2nd pair of gloves/mittens and hat so one is always dry!
Amy says
I am not sure where you are in Upstate NY. I am in Northwestern PA.
A couple of additions: I put storm windows on the kitchen windows last. I am usually still canning into October and need to open the windows to regulate temperature. These 2 windows can be covered in less than an hour. I have done that late at night before the cold blew in. I do any cleaning to them with the rest of the windows. FYI. My husband hates this but hates the canning overheating the house more.
As for outer clothing one thing we seem to forget is that we are usually warming the car up before everyone gets in. That also makes the layering as opposed to a bulky jacket make sense. Plus I have a couple of wool blankets thrown in the back for emergencies that get used by my 105 lb. teenage daughter to keep warm.
Tia says
Wish I had this info when I moved from Austin, TX to Seattle! Seattle isn’t so very cold, but it is just..so… damp. I spent 5 years shivering in a a dank, chilly, old house with poor insulation, and aside from weather-proofing windows with plastic wrap, we really didn’t do much to boost the temperature.
One tip that I found lifesaving (maybe a novice one): woolen socks. Nothing like cold, damp feet to make you feel chilled no matter how many layers you’ve got on. In general, it was a revelation to me that cotton is a bad option for cold weather. Such is living in Texas!
Also, i found this article to be quite helpful: How to keep your home warm in winter
Amy A. says
This is a very timely post for me, as I am trying to figure out how to dress my twins for the upcoming Minnesota winter. They were born in July but they were 6 weeks early and weighed only 5 lbs each. Now here it is almost October and they are 7.5 lbs each . . . so I am dressing three month olds that are the size of some newborns. This post suggests layers and I will be sure to have those, but what about a snowsuit? I don’t think they’ll be spending much time outside actually IN the snow, so should I invest in these? Does anyone have recommendations for brands? Also, should I buy something that they can grow into in an attempt to make them last the winter and avoid buying four snowsuits instead of two, or is this something that should fit more snugly for the sake of carseat safety? I would appreciate any advice!!
Lindsey G says
Depending on how much time you see them actually being outside, as opposed to needing to transport them warmly in car seats, winter car seat covers could be a good option. We did this for our babies (in PEI, Canada, and also all over Canada), and it worked well. We still dressed the babies in warm clothes with hats and booties, but the cover zips up around the baby like a snowsuit for the seat, so all the heat stays inside.. Our portable seats clipped into a stationary base, so we would put the baby in the car seat in the house, zip them up, then take them out to the car. Usually they went straight from the car seat out into another warm house or building. But even if you’re not always carrying them in seats, you can wrap them in a blanket on the way to the car, then zip them in. (We usually warmed the car up first if we were putting them into a cold seat.)
Lindsey G says
I’m not sure we even used snowsuits our first winter! It depends how much you plan on them being outside. We used the car seat, or bundled them in warm blankets (on top of warm clothes and hat, etc.), or I wore them in a wrap type carrier inside my own coat. I found the snowsuits themselves were really only useful once they themselves wanted to get down and play in the snow.
Carolyn says
I live in upstate NY and also use the car seat covers that fit over the carrier car seat. I tucked a fleece baby blanket around the baby and used the car seat cover to keep the wind out. I also have my babies wear onsies under their outfits all winter long. If the outfit covers their feet, that’s great. Otherwise the baby wears socks or Robees moccasins during the day.
Erin says
I had a baby last October in MN and I never owned a snowsuit or winter jacket for him. We had the eddie bauer reversible carrier cover from Target and it worked great! It doesn’t go under the straps so you don’t need to worry about car seat safety and it has a flap that you can open in the car, but leave closed in the blustery wind.
The few times we had him outside for any length of time we made sure he had a good hat, put warm socks on his hands and put him in the ergo or sling and either wrapped him up in blankets or zipped up my coat around him.
Now he is 1 and I just picked up a winter jacket at a consignment store and I can’t figure out exactly how this is going to work with his convertible car seat! Good luck to you!
Maryanne says
Amy- I have twins that were born in May and were similar size to yours. For their 1st winter, I kept the carseats in the house until we were ready to leave. They both had good warm hats (that covered their ears), mittens and thick socks! They both had a car seat cover and inside the cover I would fold a thick blanket over them, but tuck it under their armpits so it couldn’t make its way over their mouth. They were always warm when we arrived to our destination. We live in the Phila. suburbs so it can get cold. We used a snap and go for our stroller and this system worked for walks as well. I liked that I could peel back some of the layers if I needed to, without having to take a whole coat on or off.
I had a bunting, thick fleece (maybe Carter’s) for each, but I barely used them. They were too small that 1st winter to be outdoors too long anyway.
Good luck!
Katherine says
I had one of the zip up, fuzzy car seat thingys for my November premie. I also got a car seat cover- sort of a tent over the seat. She was warm under the fleecy car seat “blanket” and the car seat cover kept her shielded from the wind. And that’s just for Virginia!
Amy A. says
As expected, the LMLD community comes through with flying colors 🙂 I had a gut feeling that a snow suit was not the answer to my question, and all these ideas have confirmed it. I had completely forgotten about car seat covers; someone gave us a hand-me-down one, but since I haven’t had to use it yet it never occurred to me to make it part of our winter “layers.” I also like the idea of a fleece blanket/coverall to go with it. Thank you everyone for your suggestions!
Erin says
Yes, and on really cold days when we would be in and out of the car I would fold up a fleece and put it inside the car seat cover and that kept him really warm. I did that once on a longer car trip though and the poor kid was all hot and sweaty by the time we got there. 🙂
Dixie says
I doubt you’ll use snowsuits, as Lindsey says. But you can get fleece coveralls, and those are really nice (like a snowsuit, but made of fleece and much more flexible, more comfortable, more breathable, and thinner). Onesie + socks + footie PJs + hat + fleece suit (with feet and hood) + blanket. That’ll get them to and from the car without bulking them up. We did this in Northern Indiana with our newborn a few years back and it worked well. Also, with these thin layers, it’s easy to adjust things without going from overheated to freezing.
Buy a size up so it’ll still fit in March…you can always roll up the sleeves at the beginning, and since they’re not walking yet, the extra length won’t matter.
Sarah says
My main goal in dressing my son is to keep his body at a consistent, comfortable temperature. I like him to be comfortably cozy, not cold, not hot. I didn’t like him to be chilly or sweaty (which quickly turns to chilly when it hits cold air).
I used similar layers for my son, here on the NY/Ontario border. I kept a fleece cover-all with a hood for as long as I could buy one that fit him! Once he was walking, but still small, it was still great for cold fall/spring days at the playground or running errands during winter. Hanna Anderson sells them in larger sizes than other brands do and calls them ‘fleece bunting’.
So at a year, he’d wear a snowsuit, hat, mitts and heavy boots when he was outside in the winter for play, a walk in the stroller, a pull in the sled. If we were running errands by car in the winter or at the playground on a cold fall or spring day, he’d have on a sturdy leather boot or shoe (warm but not insulated…his feet were prone to sweating), his fleece bunting, hat, mitts; blankets available to use as needed. Once it got chilly, I’d dress him in a onesie, socks, fleece pants and fleece top (Carters sells sets). It’s alot of clothing to have on hand, but at this stage kids don’t wear these things out, so hand-me-downs and second-hand items are pretty abundant in cold climes. I kept him in onesies as long as I possibly could, and now buy ribbed undershirts in what seem like ridiculously large sizes, in order for them to be tucked in.
As he outgrew the buntings, wind breaker pants and jacket (again, with sturdy shoes/ uninsulated boots, hat, mits) provide another good option for outerwear in cooler weather that helped his whole body stay at a consistent, comfortable temperature. One piece snow suits are fantastic for outdoor play, don’t turn one down if someone wants to give you one! But not practical for errands, car rides, etc.
Carrie says
Great advice!
We love the Lands End Parkas around here….my kids are always toasty and the coats last forever! http://www.landsend.com/products/boys-squall-parka/id_289981?sku_0=::VXL
As for car seats, we discovered car seat ponchos this last year, and it worked out really well for our little one and those quick trips from house to warmed up car to grocery store. I made one off of a Pinterest tutorial but they look like this…https://www.etsy.com/listing/183742196/car-seat-poncho-made-to-order?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=shopping_us_b-clothing-boys_clothing-other&utm_custom1=5fc84d6a-dd37-6f29-fa91-00007a863256&kpid=183742196&gclid=CjwKEAjw7aiwBRCPgdu70arX70wSJADK6iDDZT2wEd73AiJH8zXAqbtBNHCPXZfyzX_8KIWSxnCAqRoCxi3w_wcB
Best of luck in your new house!
Carrie
KellyD says
I second the suggestion for Lands End coats! Purchase them used on ebay. They wash up like new and Lands End will honor the warranty if the zipper or anything else busts. My babies are almost 17 and 15 years old and that’s STILL how we buy our coats!!
Dixie says
Carrie and KellyD, do these work in carseats? Are they bulky?
Anne says
I have lived with babies and small children and steam heat radiators in every room for 7 years. In that time we’ve only had one burned hand. The furnace guy (who is super intense about his job) told me that this was because the pressure release valve thingy on the side is shot. Apparently these should be changed every so often and can be purchased at your local hardware store for around $15. The old one screws out and the new one screws in. Easy peasy. Or should be. The only reason I have considered covers is for aesthetics. The radiators get so dusty and are hard to paint…
Claire Rebecca says
I can say that my schools were not in any way overheated – a jacket or sweater was a must, even in late summer/early fall/late spring, and I often wore my grandmother’s nursing sweaters from the Korean War during the winter. However, my middle school wouldn’t let us wear or carry coats during the day for fear that we might hide guns or other weapons.
Wood burning stoves are great and toasty. So are knee-length coats. I’m allergic to down, so I can’t speak to down coats, but I’ve heard others say they’re great. Fleece leggings/tights under jeans or skirts are really great for spending a long time outside (like the March for Life). I stood outside for a few hours every afternoon all through the year, including winter, as a track manager and I preferred tights because they didn’t leave a cold strip of skin between my socks and my leggings. But tights under leggings under a skirt (doesn’t really work with pants) is nice and toasty on a cold day, as are nice thick socks.
Mama A says
Two sets of mittens, hats, etc per kid, yes! We store them in a shoe organizer that hangs off the back of the coat closet: each person has their own row.
We have the same kind of radiators, and we have covers on all of them. Yes, the kids can burn their little fingers. What was more aggravating though is the number of shoes, plastic Little People, and the like that they’d put on top of the radiators or under them, and leave them to melt! Ack, the smell!
If you have radiator heat, I would also recommend a good humidifier and pots of water on the radiators that the baby cannot reach 🙂
Auntie Leila – I actually ordered the LL bean coat you recommended about two weeks ago. They have high quality stuff that lasts! Right now is a great time of year to get the coats ready. Coats are one of the few things we spend good money on since our kids can usually wear them two years in a row (daily – they love to play outside and they walk to school) and we can pass them down the line to younger siblings. There’s nothing worse than a child complaining they are cold. I’ve also had good luck with Lands End hand-me-downs from a cousin. Those coats are ten years old, have been through at least three kids two years a piece, and still work great. No broken zippers, etc.
Mama A says
I forgot to mention – we also like rice socks. You take an old sock, fill it with rice, sew it shut really really well. They have tutorials and cuter ones online, but a sock works just fine. You can microwave it to heat it up, and then put it in the bed and pull the covers up about 30 minutes before bedtime. It makes the beds nice and warm!
Kelsey says
Yes! When I was a recent college graduate living on my own for the first time in a very drafty, poorly-insulated old house, I would use about four rice socks in bed each night – and wake up in the middle of the night to re-heat them!
I actually don’t use a microwave for food prep, but keep an old one in the basement just for this very purpose 🙂
Woman of the House says
Yes to rice socks! I just posted about this below. I didn’t see your mention of them till now. I don’t even sew mine. I just tie the tops closed. Not pretty but effective. 🙂
Christine says
We keep our heat turned pretty low in the winter to save money, and our 100-year-old house gets pretty cold. During the day, everyone is in long underwear under their clothes plus socks and slippers – slippers are HUGE for keeping you warm! I only wear skirts, so I always have thick tights and/or leggings underneath. And a scarf on if the neckline on my shirt exposes too much skin to stay warm. At night, the kids (who are all still young) wear footie pajamas with undershirts and sometimes socks underneath. And we all have many blankets on the beds! It’s not always fun, but it’s effective 🙂 I find that taking a warm bath (myself) right before bed helps too.
Mary Eileen says
My father has a minor obsession with heating/cooling, boilers, furnaces, and installing radiators and pipes. He insists radiator covers are a good idea because they help efficiently circulate the heat by kicking it out towards the room and away from walls and windows. The front of the cover is generally a grate while the back is solid and reflective.
But most importantly, in my view, you can sit on them! Hours and hours of my youth were spent with blankets reading on top of radiators. Those were hot water though, which are much larger than steam radiators. Still, you could.
NY Mom says
More winter-readiness tips: Start good hand washing hygiene now with kids. They pick up germs EVerywhere and being cooped up indoors means illness spreads fast in a family. The first thing they should do when returning home from anywhere is wash their hands with soap. Change out the hand towel daily, if you can.
Pick up extra pairs of mittens and hats inexpensively at the Dollar store or wherever. Extra sets make life so much easier when things don’t have time to dry properly overnight. I second the wool sock suggestion as well; they’re indispensable for keeping feet dry and warm. Fleecy slippers are good, too, but get good ones with slip-resistant soles.
Consider wooden drying racks for drying laundry. They cut down on your electric bill, but more advantageously add humidity to your home – important if you’re using a wood stove daily.
Keep an extra blanket or two in your car trunk for emergencies and to keep little legs warm. Also stock up on bottled water, canned food and other emergency supplies in case you lose power. My kids usually found it exciting but I for one was glad to have a way to feed them when an ice or snow storm made driving dangerous.
Besides seasonal illness like colds and flu, the other hard thing about winter can be sheer boredom, especially after Christmas is over. Make plans to explore hanging bird feeders, get some binoculars, and enjoy the view outside! Stock up on board games and books, things that can stretch you until spring comes. This is a topic unto itself, but it’s good to start thinking…
Tara says
One of my kids’ favorite things was colored ice balls. Carefully fill small balloons with a bit of food coloring and water indoors. Tie them off and Place outside to freeze then cut the balloons off. They are so pretty in the snow. We also enjoyed filling spray bottles with water and food coloring and spraying the snow.
Kelsey says
Such great advice! I am going to take you up on brainstorming NOW to fend off winter boredom, rather than waiting till I’m completely bogged down with SADS myself…
NY Mom says
One last tip- if you can’t stand sliding into cold sheets at night, try an old-fashioned hot water bottle. You can find them at CVS or other drugstores and they’re only a few bucks. Yes, you’ll feel like grandma but they are WONderful.
Mrs. B. says
Cozy topic! I second and follow a lot of the advice that has been given: a car seat cover is a great idea, especially since warming up the car can take quite a long time (keep it in the garage if at all possible! That will also make cleaning snow a much faster job…)
I also agree that undershirts, warm slippers and flannel for clothes and sheets are a must in cold weather.
Although I grew up enveloped in adorable wool, I’ve come to accept that for young kids fleece is better: cheaper, lightweight, and you toss it in the washing machine and dryer without a thought. Corduroy is also excellent advice (even better if it is lined), though a lot of it is very thin, and you have to be picky about it.
As for the house, I will only add that frequent baking can keep the downstairs toasty 🙂
Megan says
Happy Michaelmas and it is snowing here in Alaska. Great tips! We keep emergency duffel bags in the vehicles with MRE’s, blankets, flares, little shovels, etc. I always keep extra socks, mittens, hats in the van (it adds up for almost 6 kids).
We also keep emergency tubs of food and water in the garage just in case there is a blizzard or the power goes out.
Yes, on the wooden stove and make sure your house is zoned for heating. Sadly, our wood burning stove is upstairs so all the kids’ bedrooms downstairs would freeze if we did not have a different thermostat and heating zone for that area.
We keep the house at 60 during the day (it goes to 65 for a few hours in the morning and slowly goes back down) and 55 at night. Love flannel sheets.
We do not wear coats in car seats because of being too puffy. Warming the vehicle is necesssary (I actually have to plug in my engine because it get so cold) and I wish I had an automatic car starter.
Warm boots are a must too. Kids play outside until -10.
Sarah Chepkirui says
What a lovely post! I grew up in an older house in Pennsylvania, and although we had an oil furnace, my parents heated the house with two wood stoves almost exclusively — in order to save money. My childhood memories include many hours spent carrying wood, the dire importance of keeping the wood dry — and many household discussions about how to keep the fires going, not to forget to feed the fires, etc. Most of all, I remember my mother waking up early to start the fires, and my father staying up late on cold days, keeping the house warm by keeping the fires going. He took care of us in such a concrete way. On the coldest nights, he would come into my bedroom late at night, and put his heavy wool army coat over me. The half-awake feeling of warmth and heaviness is such an important memory! And, yes: cool bedrooms with lots of blankets. You can even wear a hat to bed if it’s really cold.
Elizabeth says
This might be more for you than for your kids, but silk long underwear is amazing for keeping warm. It’s thin, so can be worn easily under pants or tights, and keeps your body warm without overheating. Definitely worth a splurge! If it’s cold enough to warrant three layers or more on my top half, I usually want two on the bottom, especially when I’m going to be outside for any length of time.
Rebekka says
We use merino wool/silk underthings, even the kids. They each have about four sets, and since they are not as sweaty as adults it’s enough to just air it between wears – it’s also superwash <3. I only buy new sets for the oldest and the rest is handmedown. It's so warm and soft and lightweight, and totally itch-free. My oldest girl won't even wear denim leggings because they itch, but she never complains about the wool/silk.
Susanna says
What brand for merino silk long underwear? Or any for that matter (for kids). I’m a transplanted southerner and I want to make sure my kids are warm this Wisconsin winter.
Rebekka says
I live in Denmark, but you must be able to get something over there. It’s America after all!!! 😉
We have mostly iobio, but other brands available here are for example Engel and Living Crafts. The best thing to do is to buy it on sale in the spring – not much help now of course – or used. It’s not cheap but you don’t need many sets like you do with cotton, and it wears really well. Here we use it from September to May, day and night, and also during the summer if there’s a cold spell. And still good enough to hand down or resell.
Lisa G. says
Cuddl Duds are also very warm and very thin.
FarmAndAway says
And they are cheap! I think I spent $14 for a set in black last year.
Logan says
I love silk long underwear!
Salome Ellen says
My daughter who lives in Minnesota has found coats specifically designed to be safe in car seats.
Lisa G. says
My mother always left the screens in the windows – all year. I don’t know exactly why, but it’s what I’ve been used to, and I continue it even now. Yes, in winter you are looking through a screen at the top of the window – I don’t really think about it. It’s nice to always have that option to open during a thaw, although Leila says not to worry about things flying in.
Maybe we didn’t have a satisfactory place to keep the screens, I don’t know. But it is a possibility.
Leila says
Lisa, I too leave my screens on — if they fit in the window then of course. I was thinking that if she has the removable storms, she may also have removable screens, a la the Chief’s parents — you couldn’t leave them on!
What a production, every spring — on with the screens, off with the storms. Every fall, off with the screens on with the storms! A cumbersome process.
He did it well into his late 80s I think…
Emily says
I grew up in CT and we did a lot of these things, especially since the heat was kept really low. Sleeping with a hat on can help keep you warm. It helps to keep the garage door closed as much as posible if it’s attached to the house. A bonus to living where it’s cold it that you can expand your refridgerator and freezer by leaving big pots of soup and such in the gargage, on the back porch. Makes it nice when you have more people visting around the holidays and the house is bursting with food.
Jen says
on coats in carseats and efficiency of homes…
the only thing i would do differently is have a thick fleece coat for the car…yes, they are quite intense these days about carseats and an inch or more of padding is considered too much for the compression that happens in a car accident. so many many many moms i know here in wisconsin, which is frigid in winter, put fleeces on their children with coats overtop, get in the car, strap them in with the fleeces and rest the winter coat over them until their destination. if they are not going to be outside long, then just fleeces and coats in the car in case you will be outside for longer than the minutes it takes to get in and out of buildings. this is a pain. i have three children five and under and I consider it slightly insane but many of my friends do this. I was given hand me down columbia jackets and they seemed thin enough to me and not at all puffy, so i did not always do this, but just a thought.
Also Auntie Leila…let us talk split levels/trilevels. I lived in an old 1930s house with lots of doors or a place to hang a curtain and now this 1970s trilevel is driving me batty! bedrooms over the garage are freezing in winter and hot in summer! no doors anywhere so the heat doesn’t seem to stay anywhere! the lower ground level has no basement under it, only concrete, and is frigid with a large patio door and a fireplace that looks questionable! sigh. I am grateful for our shelter, but i wish homes came with manuals and someone could please explain what they were thinking…
Leila says
Dear Jen,
Sounds like your new house could use some actual insulating. I’m sure the expense would be recovered in heating costs.
If you go to Marshalls you can find the matelesse quilts for fairly cheap, and I bet you can find some at thrift stores anyway. Use them over the sliders and even on a wall that seems cold to you.
Put thick rugs on the floor of the room above the garage. You can roll them up in the summer.
You can put a curtain rod across an opening and hang a curtain (actually quilt) where there should be a door. Or reverse a ceiling fan to keep the air coming back down to where you are.
Can you put a wood stove in the fireplace? Again, the cost will be recouped. Tri-levels tend to be a bit damp too, so having the stove can really help with that and save you mold issues.
I know that this is a challenge — keep thinking! I’m sure you will find a way! xoxo
Mary Lou says
I’m inspired to think about winter before it is winter! After canning pear sauce today in the bright beautiful sunshine, it’s too easy to forget it’s just around the corner! Most of our children are grown now, but years ago I began giving them all their own ‘corn’ bag for Christmas. Whole corn is $6.25 for a 50 lb. bag here right now (make sure it is clean corn, not dusty as it sometimes comes from an elevator). It’s fun to find nice wools and flannel fabric and can get two bags out of a fat quarter, I think! Just sew up three sides of a rectangle 12″ x 10″ or thereabouts. Fill it with approx. 2.5 – 3 pounds of corn and fold in the open end and seam up. Put in the microwave for 3 minutes. If you have sons, they will put them on 4 minutes and burn the corn faster just because they do things like that. Anyway, this truly has been a wonderful way the kids all get tucked in, cozy and warm and I think sleep better too. Just a simple little thing, but all the kids wanted a new one every year and there was a line in front of the microwave before bedtime!
Ciara says
Hi from Ireland!
This corn bag is an intriguing prospect . .and not to be funny – are hot water bottles only an Irish thing? I haven’t heard them mentioned at all here in this post. They saved our little toes from dropping off during the damp, cold Irish winters (ie about 8 months of the year!)
Also, my mother used to warm our pyjamas on the fireguard at night, and our school uniforms on the Aga before we got up – it always made me feel loved! If she forgot, we could always just take the uniform into bed with us for a few minutes before braving the cold. Crumpled uniforms were better than cold ones, in our minds!
Thanks, as always, Auntie Leila, for your advice. I’m not married yet, but am storing up the pearls of wisdom for later.
Lindsey G says
I love my hot water bottle in winter! (I used them as a child in Canada, and still do.) I usually sleep “colder” than my husband, so it helps to have my own personal foot warming device. 🙂 That and flannel sheets. The upstairs of our 100 year old house is a lot colder than the main floor, so I like to have my slippers and robe or sweater ready to put on as soon as I get out of bed in the morning. The kids often bring their clothes downstairs when it’s time to get dressed.
Caitlin says
I am so grateful for this post! My husband and I are in the middle of plotting a move to a cooler climate. I grew up in Texas, we met and married in southern Virginia, and we now living In a horrible little armpit of North Carolina. We dream about snow. We get absurdly happy when there is a chilly, overcast day. But I am the sort of person who wouldn’t have known about the undershirts! And I don’t even understand what storm windows are. Don’t blame me. I’ve never lived anywhere where it freezes regularly! Our main weather problems involved high school football players dropping dead on the practice field of heat stroke!
By the way, my husband is from Russia (his grandmothers village is in the arctic circle. Literally. He loved it there. He is my polar bear.) and he says the same thing about the layers… Many thin layers are better than a few thick ones. He also said the thing about the ceiling fans changing directions, and I didn’t believe him.
Jana says
Wool and Down. Standard issue at our house is a superthin Merino wool undershirt, long enough to tuck in and “very snug” a la John Doormouse. Babies get a wool bonnet on it, a merino onesie to wear under all and a wool cardi over. I also still have the gorgeous sweaters made of wool that my Norse Aunts and Grandmother spun, dyed, knitted and embellished by hand these many years ago, still bright, smooth and soft, with nary a pill to be found. Also standard issue are merino wool socks. (Smartwool baby socks are the dearest baby gift – so very cute and they stay on!) But for the toddlers who will not keep things on their feet, I put them in tights under their pants. Even the toddler-boy wears them in khaki or army green, and no one has to know. For outdoors, everyone gets a wool “turtleneck/cowl/dickey,” made by washing a thrifted large extrafine merino sweater and cutting off the neck and shoulders. They wear these as scarves that require no wrapping or tying, never come undone, and can be easily pulled up over nose and mouth. Then down coats with a must-have down hood. I have documented a three-fold increase in out-of-door time with this arrangement. (With six under eight, the rule is to stay outside for at least as long as it took to get ready to go outside.) Down coats are also great in the car – for though puffy, they compress right…down? Everybody has a sleep sweater, too, of thrifted cashmere (the pilled ones go for a song) and a down comforter for every bed. For the house, we close our storms and fortify the curtains in sleeping rooms but no plastic or caulk – leave the house drafty for healthy air and just keep the heat way way WAY down. (We crank it to 60 when comp’ny comes.) Morning tea for all or hot water with a pinch of sea salt and a spoon of coconut oil makes a great warm start on chilly days. Sorry for the nattering, but I *love* this topic, and always think of the Proverbs woman in winter – her children doubly clothed.
Janice says
I love your advice! May I ask where to buy merino undershirts?
Jana says
Hi, Janice – You could do a search for merino wool kids base layer (the internet is too embarrassed to say “long underwear”) and then revive yourself with smelling salts at the cost, or you could hit the jackpot on Craigslist with a full family’s worth of hocosa(tm) “base layers” for the cost of just one set, and then not end up getting it because spam folder, (drat!) *or* you could do what I did, and use the rest of those thrifted adult-size merino turtlenecks that you cut up to make the neck covers/balaclavas or whatever they’re called, to make a kid’s undershirt out of the remaining arms and torso. ( Just be sure they are long enough to tuck in as per Leila, and that the arms go all the way to the wrists. If you keep your heat in the 50’s, cold wrists is cold everything.) I’ve also had great luck at thrift stores finding small shrinky-dink sized women’s superfine merino sweaters that fit the 5-8 kid size range, or just wash and gently dry a bigger one. (Again, these are pilled and sometimes moth-eaten so they go for a song. ) The baby onesies I made out of an old pair of wool tights, the legs of which were stretchy enough to make a snug torso for a newborn. It kept the babies’ hands warm even while strolling in cold weather. The children love wearing wool base layers for day and night, they rarely get dirty, and as long as they are angora-free, they never cry itchy. That said, if I had it to do all over again, I would have opened the smelling salts, (and a line of credit,) and invested in one hocosa onesie or shirt of each size from infant to about 5! I hear that Target(tm) carries smartwool knock-offs if you want to surrender to the dark side. Costco carries merino now, too, for clubbing types. But I’m too invested in used wool now, so we wear the thrifted hack jobs and dream of a retail future.
NY Mom says
One more tip for McKenna – is there a St. Greg’s Pocket where you’ll be in New York? Join up and see if the members can link you to a local homeschool group that might have a list of resources for used outerwear or other needed items. Usually they maintain email groups that offer everything from events news to prayer requests. Just reach out and I promise the help will be there.
B says
http://thecarseatlady.com/warmandsafe/ has a lot on the different safe and unsafe options for different ages for winter car seat use. I love my fingerless gloves with flip over mitten tops for being able to do car seat straps without having to bare my hands completely – I got mine online from Winter Silks.
Silk long johns, wool socks with liners, and a knit head scarf are great extra layers – especially if you are stuck waiting outside for the bus. I tried last year to find flannel lined jeans but didn’t have good luck, and am still looking for adult snow pants to shovel in – I may get one of the full body sets for refrigerated warehouse workers if I can’t find them again this year.
Mrs. B. says
B, LL Bean makes flannel lined blue jeans (and I think fleece lined as well) – you can buy them new from them, or used on ebay.
Anitra says
I bought adult snow pants from Lands End 2 years ago. I don’t regret it! I never wanted to stay outside with my children before: I’d bundle up with extra layers to go shovel the driveway, then come back in and take forever to warm up. Good quality snow pants were about $100, and they will last me for YEARS.
I can wear my regular coat (I prefer a wool pea-coat, since it looks nice while still being warm), since I got the “bib” kind, so I don’t need to worry about my middle getting exposed.
Waterproof/snowproof boots are also a must.
Jennifer says
Wow. This post reminds me how much I love living in the South. Y’all stay warm up there!
B says
Another option if you are sitting a lot on a cold day is wearable blankets – they are out there for both adults and children. My parents used to be able to drop the thermostat several degrees during the day by using these. There are many more sleep sacks for under 2s without foot openings, so you do have to hunt for larger sizes.
We’ve gone back and forth on blankets – wool army blankets or fluffy comforters are warm but hard to clean, while layers of cotton/knit blankets are less warm but far more washable.
Amelia says
Another tip for nighttime is heated mattress pads. ALDI sells them once a year in king & queen sizes for only $60 as of last year. They keep you toasty all night long with much less heat loss than an electric blanket.
Annalisa says
Where does one find thick wool tights for women or children? So often all I see are too thin, poor quality, or made of undesirable materials.
Rebekka says
For children: Try searching for Hirsch or Living Crafts. Those are thick and warm (but must be hand washed or they will felt). Disana makes knitted wool leggings that are genius – actually I have only ever been pleased with everything I’ve ever had from Disana. Other wool brands that I have good experiences with are Engel and Selana. But the quality costs!
Katie says
I don’t have wool tights, but use fleece lined tights which are sooooo much warmer than the regular kind. I only started this last year and bought some at Target for $10 and Marshall’s for $5.
Anitra says
I’ve mostly given up on finding good tights. I buy fleece-lined leggings instead, for both me and my 7-year-old daughter.
Sherrylynne says
A delightful way to warm up the kitchen area is to simmer a pan of water. Simmer some apple juice and cinnamon sticks. Warm a bath room the same way. After a bath, I will leave the bath water til it is cold and let it humidify the house. During homeschool hours, I will run a humidifier. Slippers required for everyone. When the feet are warm, it goes a long way to feeling cozy. From Minnesota!
Woman of the House says
I made this carseat blanket for my granddaughter last year: http://www.imperfecthomemaking.com/2012/01/tutorial-hooded-car-seat-blankies.html It was easy, and my daughter said it worked well and kept baby nice and warm. I offer it as another possibility. If you can sew even a little, you can make this.
Emily says
I am in northern Indiana, and our house was built in 1902. The windows are all original. It would cost a fortune to heat the house to a comfortable level, so we do the following things, some of which are mentioned above but worth repeating:
1) Merino wool/silk long underwear. I am not without it from November thru March. Engel, Living Crafts, and Disana, available thru a few websites in the USA. I have used flowering child.com and littlespruceorganics.com. Yes, pricey, but if you take care of them, they last many children. They are actually low-maintenance, often refreshed by simply being aired out rather than washing. I buy short or sleeveless tops for the kids, only because I find many layers on the arms to be annoying, and it’s really the core we want to keep warm.
2) I am a knitter, so my kids and I all have vests, or I sometimes wear a shawl. Again, keeps the arms free but warms the core. They do not seem to mind or overheat in a vest. There are many machine washable yarns, but I prefer regular old wool as it rarely needs washing, especially because I take them off for eating. Cuts down on stains.
3) Old-fashioned hot water bottles. We each have our own in different colors. It is such a treat to prepare one at bath time, slip it under the covers, and have a warm bed awaiting you when you get in! (Also useful with cold water in the summer to cool one down!)
4) Flannel sheets, down comforters.
5) Sleep sacks for babies and toddlers who won’t stay under the covers. Again, pricey merino sacks are excellent. Buy a gender-neutral one and pass it along.
6) EBay is an excellent source for gently used kids winter coats, boots, snow suits.
Woman of the House says
We also warm our beds before getting in by heating a rice sock in the microwave. Just use an old sock (with no holes!), fill it with 1.5-2 cups of cheap, dry, white rice, and tie the end of the sock closed. Before bed, heat it in the microwave for about a minute and a half (adjust as necessary) and then slip into bed. It is so cozy and will probably last the entire winter. In spring, I just throw it out and make a new one the next fall. I used to shiver and take forever to get warm in bed, but not any more. It feels so luxurious to climb into a warm bed!
BridgetAnn says
“Tuck that t-shirt in!” … Why I *love* onesies (for little people, of course 🙂
Jennifer Gregory Miller says
I love that lace knitted blanket. Your handiwork? Do you have a pattern?