Some Tips for Keeping Kids Safe This Winter

Winter is when many put away their RVs into storage, but there are many who keep their RVs to enjoy the beauty winter offers from the comfort of their home away from home. Regardless of the size of your RV, you’re likely to spend more time outside during your trips. The Valley RV Supercenter offers valuable advice for keeping your kids warm and safe during the winter months, which can be applied to both RVing and staying at home with active kids who want to go out.

Layering is the Key

Instead of just buying a very warm winter coat, warm your kids through layering. This achieves a couple of cold-weather goals. The spaces of air between the layers trap heat, providing better heat retention for the overall weight of the clothing. Second, it allows your kids to regulate their warmth. Just as we have on-and-off switches and thermostats for heating in our homes or cars, we want flexibility when it comes to our kids’ winter comfort. Being too warm can also be an issue. Having too many layers can cause sweating, which then makes kids more vulnerable to the cold and wind in their wet clothing.

Layering Basics

The basics of layering generally involve a base layer, such as a t-shirt, followed by a long-sleeved shirt. This could be topped with a sweater, hoodie, or other warm but flexible layer, and always paired with a waterproof outer layer. For the lower body, consider long underwear if it’s very cold. However, the primary focus should be on wearing waterproof snow pants over regular pants to prevent wet, cold clothing from coming into contact with the legs and midsection.

Kids are active outside, so the initial stinging cold they feel when they first go out quickly turns into a warm feeling during a vigorous snowball fight, pulling a sled up a hill, or any other winter activity kids come up with. Especially if there’s snow, advise your kids that if they get too warm, they should remove the layer under the waterproof outer shell, put the outer layer back on, and store the discarded layer.

Avoid Cotton

Possibly the hardest step in layering is avoiding cotton. Jeans, T-shirts, and button-up shirts are made of cotton and can easily comprise most of our active wear. However, if you’re very active during winter (and, of course, staying active keeps you warmer than sitting still), cotton traps moisture, sweat, and more. When it gets wet, it becomes cold. Better options include fleece, polyester, or wool.

Keep Heads, Necks, and Hands Covered

You can lose a lot of heat through your head, and hair can trap moisture, so wearing hats is highly recommended. Necks are another area often overlooked in layering. Scarves are commonly used for neck warmth, but keep in mind that the long ends of scarves can get caught on objects, putting strain directly on the neck. Tuck the ends inside the outer layer or consider using neck gaiters or snoods as alternatives.

Other Recommendations for Keeping Kids Safe

Winter can bring concerns beyond just keeping the body warm. Here are a few other areas to consider when it comes to kids and winter.

Sunscreen

Cold air doesn’t block the sun’s ultraviolet rays, and snow can reflect much of it back at you, giving you a double dose. After a long day outside, while your face may feel like it’s stinging from the cold, it could simply be sunburned.

Extra Care around Vehicles

We all know that driving in snow can be challenging, but children are often less aware of this. Encourage them to play away from the street and to pay extra attention to moving vehicles when they are nearby.

Remain Hydrated

Like protection from the sun, the need to drink fluids may seem less evident in the winter, but winter air is often drier, and it is easy to lose hydration without being aware of it.

Helmets for Fast Activities

Sleds, toboggans, and ice skates all offer kids exciting ways to enjoy high speeds, but this also brings the risk of head injuries. You may have safely participated in these activities without injury in the past; however, there is always a risk of injury, and it’s better to be cautious.

The Valley RV Supercenter hopes you and your family can enjoy your RV for as much of the year as possible. As always, we wish you warmth and safety.