What to Wear for Outdoor Play in Fall and Spring

I personally find the transitional seasons of fall and spring the trickiest for dressing both myself and my children. How do I dress myself or my child for 9 degrees with wind and probably sunshine, but maybe rain? Will they be too cold or too warm?  

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Here are some strategies I use to stay warm without getting overheated.

Add a layer!

  • Long johns or thin stretchy pants under normal pants – these give you an extra layer of warmth without wearing snowpants before there is snow.

  • A tank top or thin exercise top under my normal long sleeved shirt/sweater

Block the wind.

  • Windproof outer layers – think rainpains and a raincoat/windbreaker.

Keep feet, hands, and head warm.

  • Wool or fleece socks and typically rainboots– even if you wear running shoes on a soggy day your feet will stay reasonably warm with good socks.

  • Toque – if you keep your head warm you can stay warm

  • Thin mitts or gloves – on very chilly or wet days it may even be worth pulling out the waterproof snow mittens.

Finally err on the side of one layer too many and a small backpack to carry anything you take off. It is much easier to remove a layer than to make up for a missing layer.

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Written by Tandy Morton, WILD CHILD Program Facilitator

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