Between Elsa icing up the path and Jack frost dancing on the lawn each morning, this winter has been a long one. I’m a cold-blooded creature and cannot stand winter weather. Since I became a mum, my worry-meter has jumped from mildly bothered to crazy when it comes to keeping my little one warm. We live in an old house and old means cold- so, I've had to get creative!
The things we do for some piece of mind can seem silly in hindsight- but necessary at the time. Here are five mad things I’ve done to keep my little one snug this past winter.
Tights under everything
Yes, everything. Wearing leggings? Tights first! Dungarees? Stick those tights on! Wearing a dress? Tights under the tights! I know this was not necessary every day from November to present. But the thought of those chubby legs getting caught by a blistering breeze was enough to make me invest in some plain tights to go under everything. Paranoid? Maybe, but its part of being a mum.
Double Vests
Does anyone else think those kid’s vests are too thin? Particularly the girl’s ones with the tiny frills and the little bow at the neck instead of a proper neckline. We get the boy’s ones now as they feel thicker. I double them at night because she is a regular blanket-kicker. I also layer during the day if it's below 5 degrees- I’m taking no chances.
Long Johns
I thank my lucky stars they still make these. The thermal ones are the best. Since the days became shorter, I’ve insisted on her wearing them under her onesie each night. I’ll take them off when spring has sprung!
A ski suit when there's no snow
Okay so it wasn’t a ski suit, but it certainly looked like one. A number of by-passers commented on it. A full suit from top to toe, she looked like she was embarking on an Arctic wilderness expedition. She wasn’t. We were just going to the post office for stamps.
Plastic-bag socks
Don’t judge- this was during a single snow day back in December. We got one full day of Winter Wonderland, and boy did we take advantage. The two of us got kitted out and trudged through the freshly fallen snow to play. We made a Frosty and a baby Frosty. Well, I did. She made snow angles and ate as much of the stuff as she could when my back was turned. When we went in to get warm I discovered the snow had gotten into her wellies and her socks were soaked. She hadn’t even noticed.
After that, I took two small plastic bags and put one on each little foot. I fastened a loose hair-tie around them to keep them in place and put her dry wellies back on. With each step and stumble, you could hear the crackle of the bags- hilarious.
