Can we talk winter hats and gloves/mittens?
It's already getting cold here! =(
What kinds of gloves/mittens are the easiest for your younger DC to get on themselves?
How do you help your DC be responsible for these belongings? I see myself buying lots of extras this year (I already can't find any matching gloves, ugh!). I tell my kids to put their gloves in their pockets and hats in their coat sleeves or book bags, but I can envision DS getting on the school bus and promptly losing something b/c his coat is still on.
I'm considering sewing his mittens to a string that is threaded through his jacket this year b/c he needs to have gloves at all times. They send kids out down to 0 degrees in the winter. I usually send an extra hat and pair of magic gloves in his bag too, just in case.
Re: Can we talk winter hats and gloves/mittens?
UGH! We went to see YoGabbaGabba last month adn I bought each of the kids a toboggan (sp) with the characters on it. I wrote Ls FULL name and teachers name on it. Sent him to school with it the first day we got back and never saw it again. That thing was $18! I know...I shouldnt have allowed him to wear it. Still...1st time and he lost it on the bus.
For school Im buying the cheap $1 deals at walmart so when he loses them Im not out much. The girls wear theirs but for preschool they watch out for their stuff better. They too will be wearing $1 items once I get them to lower the risk of losing their YGG hats.
L is in K if that makes a difference.
I stock up on mittens when stores start to clearance them out. I think maybe my oldest DD eats mittens because she'll go through 5-6 pairs a year (I've learned to be zen about it, she's just that kind of kid). My middle DD still has the same pair of mittens she wore in preschool. My youngest goes through 3 pair a year. This time of year they just wear those cheapy stretch gloves (for the 6 and 9 y/o) and mittens (for the 4 y/o). Once it snows I send them in those thick water proof mittens.
I try to buy a few pairs of the same ones so if they only lose one glove, it is easier to mix and match.
For just going to school I get them cotton gloves from Target. I stocked up on about 10 pairs last month (they're only $1). I get all the same pattern so when they lose one we have extras. I've tried telling them they are responsible for their mittens but it never works (they're almost 6 and 8). This way I at least have some more when they lose them.
For playing in the snow I buy more expensive LLBean or Lands End type gloves. I rarely send them to school in these since I don't want them to lose them.
Mittens are a zillion times easier for small kids to handle solo than gloves. I'm still going to get my kindergartner mittens this year for school. By first grade, most kids can handle gloves.
I find that coat pockets are too small/shallow to reliably hold onto my kids' hats and and gloves/mittens. What I do is teach my kids to take off their hats, put the mittens in the hat and stuff the whole ball into a coat sleeve. That actually holds things in one place better when they have to hang their gear in a crowded coat closet or cubby area.
My oldest is really forgetful about stuff like this, but she has generally managed to hold onto hats and mittens with this method. She usually winds up leaving her gear at school two or three times a year. I just keep spares on hand for the next day.
I think magic gloves will tide us over for a bit here, but in the winter they're outside every day down to 0 degrees (with snow). How do your kids get the 2nd mitten on? That seems to be our issue, the 1st one isn't a problem, but the 2nd ... I was thinking those gloves with cut off fingers and the mitten that goes over the top might help with this. Or, I might just end up losing another expensive pair of gloves/mittens. :sigh: