Snowy Morning Solutions

When it comes to the winter and getting the kids ready for the snowy outdoors, I’m reminded of the scene in my husband’s all-time favourite movie, A Christmas Story, where Ralphie’s little brother is so bundled up in snow gear, he can barely walk. What they don’t show is the immense struggle it is to actually get the kids dressed for winter weather in the first place. Or the chaos that can occur when hunting for lost mittens or realizing you’re dressing them in still-too-wet clothing (never mind about when you’ve finally got them dressed and they’re calling out for the potty!).
So in order to keep our sanity this month, we did a little poll at the office and asked everyone to contribute a tip on how they handled the frosty morning routine. My tip: create a designated ‘drying zone’ such as a laundry rack in the back hall, on top of a rad (my solution, one of the benefits of living in a 100 year-old house), hooks in the laundry room etc. for winter clothes. Make sure everything gets placed there at the end of the day to avoid soggy heaps of clothing which are still damp the next morning.

Here are some more savvy tips from the Savvy team:

• Keep an extra set of mittens and a hat in the car. That way, you won’t have to panic if you’re in the house and you’re missing one, because you know you’ve got that extra set ready and you can search for the wayward mitt later. – Robyn, Assistant Editor
• Put the school bags and gear in the car before getting the kids ready to go. My husband does drop off, so it’s easier for him if I load up the car. That way, he only has to worry about getting the girls bundled up and into the car without having to remember their backpacks and any extra supplies before heading to daycare. – Leslie, Sales Coordinator
• Create and post a helpful teaching tool by the door (or wherever your child gets dressed) to help foster independence and avoid some of the insanity when getting little ones dressed to head outdoors. Using a large piece of Bristol board, or a large piece of butcher paper, make a list of chronological steps for getting dressed (i.e. 1. Snow pants, 2. Boots, 3. Coat 4. Hat 5. Mittens). Use a different coloured marker for each step to help non-readers associate colour with the picture. If you think you will reuse the chart next year, take it into your local Staples store and have it laminated. – Denise, Client Services Manager (and former kindergarten teacher)
• Before you go to bed, leave out the snow pants, jackets, hats and mitts in the front hall (or wherever they get dressed) so the kids can see everything that they need in the morning and you know they have all the pieces necessary before the morning rush. Start getting dressed in snowsuits 15 minutes before you have to leave, especially at the beginning of the winter. It takes that long to get used to the routine. – Minnow, Managing Editor

What do you do to make the winter morning routine more manageable?