Kids in unsuitable clothes

[buzzkills]

It's getting pretty cold now that we are getting into autumn and I keep noticing young kids (babies, toddlers) not dressed for the weather. The parents are usually dressed for the weather, but the kids are wearing leggings, joggers (the wind goes right through them), open Mary-Jane style shoes, unsuitable jackets (eg not warm or not waterproof), young toddlers with wet legs due to no puddle suit or waterproof trousers.

I can never understand this as the kids must be freezing 🥶. These families are well off so it isn't a money thing.

Anyone else notice this and feel really sorry for the kids?

I have owned puddle suits in the past and always found them a bit impractical to be honest! Fine if you’re just going for a walk, but I found if we were driving anywhere (we have NT membership so tend to explore different ones) it was hard to wrangle a toddler in/out of a puddlesuit when getting them in/out of the car.

Leggings or trackies pretty standard for us because DC don't want anything more bulky. We do bring changes of clothing for these sorts of moments though but really, I think if the child is playing happily in a pile of leaves you can assume the child is not feeling cold and unhappy....

Also an expression my DH’s uncle (a paediatrician) often uses is ‘cold babies cry, hot babies die’. I’m very conscious of not overheating mine! My best friend’s DH is from a Southern European country and their children are always crazily wrapped up. Yesterday it was around 14 degrees here in the afternoon and her baby was in long sleeved vest, t-shirt, jumper, tights, leggings, a snow suit and under the foomuff in the pushchair (I know this as we had a discussion about what babies should be wearing in this weather!). She was fast asleep in the pushchair and had a very red face. It makes me anxious!

I work in a nursery and we've had to have a diplomatic word with a few parents about this recently. sending their kids with a fleece instead of a warm waterproof coat, and canvas trainers instead of waterproof shoes or wellies. They don't seem to care if their child is going to get cold and soaked! To be honest it really restricts what we can let their kids do at nursery.

Also an expression my DH’s uncle (a paediatrician) often uses is ‘cold babies cry, hot babies die’.

Absolutely.

cold babies cry, hot babies die yep always had this in my head when mine were little babies too. People wrap babies up far too much IMO, it's bloody dangerous.

I'm quite a warm person and I'm always getting too hot in the winter and stripping layers off. I always make sure my kids have options of layers and my 4yo will tell me if she's hot or cold and the 18mo makes it perfectly clear as well. To me leggings and joggers are autumn/winter clothes and puddle suits look like an uncomfortable faf. And I've never bought a snowsuit for either of them. In wet weather they wear wellies and raincoats and I always take a change of clothes for them both with me.

Also OP it's bloody October! It's not even cold yet, a bit chilly maybe but certainly not cold. Stop being so judgy.

Actually puddlesuits are a brilliant idea. We use them in nursery for Forest school and I had one for my own ds. They can roll around in puddles and mud to their hearts content, oh and rolling down hills is a popular one! You can put their warm coats under or over if it's a particularly cold day. And of course they are perfect for snow!

Mine are currently vests, long sleeved top & bottoms or dress and tights, cardigan. Waterproof jacket it's raining lightly, waterproof dungarees if it's torrential. Wellies of course.
The baby is also wearing a hat and has a warm blanket in pushchair.

Hats, gloves and coats will come when it's colder. They'd be too hot if I wrapped them any warmer.

Dd2 went to her violin lesson after school yesterday in a summer dress and flip flops. She gets hot and at 8 was adamant that's what she wanted to wear. I was in a woollen dress and tights. Judge all you like but we were in a warm car, then a house with heating. Some battles aren't worth having although I regularly carry dcs coats around so judgmental people can be calmed... not that dc will wear them

I bought DS lots of cords/leggings with feet (M&S) when he was a baby to stop the sock problem as I used the sling mostly.

He's 3.5 now and although he'll happily wear a coat/hat etc in winter, he still doesn't wear socks indoors. Fair enough, he's big enough to put them back on if he's cold or tell me.

I can't get worked up about the whole waterproof trousers thing. DS has a puddle suit but it's a faff to get on and off so unless we're planning a serious outdoor session I tend to just put him in his normal clothes plus coat, then if his trousers etc get wet, just change them as soon as we get back to the car or house. If it was depths of winter then it's a bit different, but as a pp said it's only October...

I hate waterproof trousers, and never wear them myself. I'd rather just have wet trousers.

Where are you where it is 3 degrees? It's 10 degrees in Yorkshire.

Ah, the wonderful world of the mum of a small toddler. Who gives evils to parents of older children and sneers at any child over the age of 5 that has the temerity to play.

Wtf is a puddle suit? My dc are 12 and 8 and have never even owned waterproof trousers. I must be a terrible parent!

Op you are coming across as unbelievably judgemental.

Surely it’s common sense that if your baby pulls their socks off in winter you put on a onesie? Some people are just thick and toddlers who also pull socks and shoes off constantly? Should they be walking around in babygrows?

My 11 month old (one next week) only wears babygrows to bed, I think he’d look a little silly walking around in a babygrow at this age- he is big for his age but regardless. I think once they’re mobile, babygrows are for bed only otherwise it looks a little daft.

I don’t actually have a solution for keeping his hat on. I have also tried hoods instead but he rags at them until they’re down too... I guess I’ll just have to either keep battling with him to keep it on or deal with judgemental pricks thinking I’m ‘well thick init’.

It is ten degrees here today but has been 13/14 this week during the day so hardly arctic weather. I’ve seen babies bundled up in snowsuits and I thought that was a little OTT, overheating babies is dangerous.

I was definitely a thick parent. Mine wore onsies to bed. We did manage tights until dd1 got to the age of three then refused them.

No puddle suit, no waterproof trousers. Tsk.

I used to judge people who tortured their kids with insistence that a coat was put on - the kid would be complaining about being too hot but oh no the adult insisted they knew best. I carried a coat and allowed my dcs to decide how hot or cold they were.

My kids don't wear vests, ever. They overheat and get miserable. I remember always being bundled up in lots of layers from about September when I was their age as keeping warm was seen as important.

I noticed at school pick up yesterday most the kids came out without jackets including one of my ds despite it being fairly chilly here (Scotland) but the school is always far too hot so in the short distance they'd be walking home or to the car they are fine. My other ds has to put everything on that is in his school bag so will come out wearing a stray glove or hat in the summer . As long as the kids are not unhappy then I think the layers and layers at the this time of year is too much.

We will do waterproof trousers if it's a stinking day and they are out walking for a longish distance or if I know they will be going to an exceptional muddy/wet place as both my ds will roll around in the mud /wet grass but not really as a matter of course in the winter.

My child refuses coats unless it's very very cold or raining.
Autistic children will often only wear what they want to wear. Don't be so judgemental

YABU

Also, we go everywhere in the car so I'm not going to battle with trying to get my child to wear a coat between car and shop door?

@Nos123 I’ve seen a couple walking around Tesco in big puffy coats while their baby (approx 4 months) was sat slumped over in the metal child seat of the trolley in only a vest and visibly shaking/shivering.

PLEASE tell me you did/said something? Shoved your cardigan over the baby ignoring their response or at least spoke to staff there who could get security to approach them and gently suggest they cover him/her up? (Less likely time explode coming from security staff) Personally in a situation like that, I wouldn't give two hoots about who has a 'right' to interfere. A child in danger is EVERYONE's business

When I said up thread that DS wore snow suits, that was because i used a carrier for him when we were out, rather than a buggy, if I was going on the bus. If he was in the buggy, he had an anorak and a foot muff. To me, a foot muff was ideal, it kept the buggy clean and could be zipped up or down dependent on temperature. It also stopped DS from chucking his shoes and socks out at every opportunity, he was a bugger for that!

The only time I have ever snapped at a stranger was in Tescos when an older lady said her must be freezing’ to me of DS1 (about 6 months) and I retorted ‘he is wearing five layers, I check his temperature regularly, I’m sure he’s fine’. He wasn’t in a snow suit and she had just assumed he was therefore cold! Argh!

Funny you should mention this. I've just got in from work and just after I got home, DH and DD2 (7) came in from the park. DD2 broke up for half term yesterday and was asleep when I left this morning so I had no input in her clothes choice today. She's wearing a very short summer play suit, sandals and a unicorn hair band. DH brought her coat with him but she refused to wear it because she said she was boiling. So older than the age group you mention but lack of coats etc is not always for the want of trying.