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?
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.
Written by Tandy Morton, WILD CHILD Program Facilitator