You will want to dress your child in 3 layers. First, dress your child in a base layer. Ideally something made of silk or polyester long underwear and thick polyester, silk, or wool socks. The second layer is an insulating layer that is ideally made of wool, polyester or fleece. The outer layer should be weatherproof and consist of a one-piece snow suit, rain gear, or winter coat and snow pants. A tricky situation comes into play when it is cold, but above freezing. Under these circumstances, you want to have rain gear as the outer layer, not snow gear. If the weather is very cold, it can be helpful to have multiple insulating layers under the weatherproof layer. Again, cotton is not an appropriate fabric for cold weather and this includes socks. Having warm boots are an essential component in feeling comfortable in cold weather. Winter boots must be well-insulated. Neoprene boots that are marketed for winter are needed when it is above about 30 degrees and wet out (from rain or melting snow). Some children have feet that stay extra warm and these may be warm enough for them on even the coldest days. However, most children will need another pair of boots that are extra warm. These extra warm boots are not usually waterproof and are marketed as snow boots typically. A helpful thing you can do to ensure getting the most mileage out of the boots is to buy them a size up, and you can outfit your child with an extra pair of socks the first year. Footwear brands we recommend: Kamik out of Canada (www.kamik.com), Sorel (www.sorel.com), Muck Boots (www.muckbootcompany.com), Bogs (bogsfootwear.com) , and L.L. Bean (www.llbean.com.) You can find some of these locally.
Now let’s discuss mittens and hats. Mittens need to be insulated and waterproof. Mittens tend to be much warmer than gloves. We ask that you leave a second pair with us for their bin in case the first pair gets wet (which happens frequently). It can be really helpful to bring mittens that are easy to put on. Also, a hat that keeps you warm is another essential piece in keeping warm in the colder weather. We recommend wool or fleece hats for such purposes. A neck gaiter, scarf, or balaclava is important in very cold or windy weather to cover the face and neck.
For their bin they need to have a full change of base layers. This means that they to bring extra underwear, socks, long underwear (top and bottom), an insulating layer (such as fleece top and bottom), mittens and a hat. Having an extra pair of warm boots is needed in case the other pair gets wet and/or gets snow in them.
For their backpack the children need to bring a calorically dense snack and lunch. Extra calories during this time will help keep them warm and provide extra energy. They will also want to bring an empty hot cup for wild tea or hot cocoa that we make over a fire. A water bottle is also an everyday essential.