To recommend you buy your DC thermals now?

[Benjispruce2]

Schools will be keeping windows and doors open throughout autumn and winter as per gov guidelines re Covid-19.
Today primary aged children complained it was cold. It’s still September so this is your ‘heads up!’

The hygiene plan for our school says: regular, thorough airing. Not keep everything open and running the heating. Which would be bad - environmentally and financially.

This would've been perfect for me. Distinct memories of feeling sweltering in school in winter. I run hotter than the Sahara

16 year old in school - It's too cold to do anything.
Same 16 year old that night - I am not putting on a coat.

cologne4711 there's some truth in that - you can tell the non German child in the playground on a 20 degree April day because they are the one not wearing a wooly hat.

But it's not the full story - my children know full well that you don't get a cold by being cold (but at the same time being very cold does reduce your body's immune responses, meaning that If you do breath a virus in you may well be less likely to fight it off without even knowing, and more likely to therefore actually develop the cold/ illness than if you we're properly dressed - most cultural beliefs have a root in observed experience and therefore sometimes a grain of truth mixed in) and dress appropriately - a big thing is there's no stigma about dressing sensibly, no rules about exactly which coat is allowed, and no idiotic, funtionally useless blazer to juggle!

The other aspect is German children are brought up to believe there's no bad weather just bad clothing, and do Go outside in all weather, especially at Kindergarten when children in many parts of the UK are kept inside at infant school playtime If it's raining, German children still go outside in their rainsuits/ waterproof trousers, and the idea of not keeping a set of rainwear at Kindergarten is an odd one. So yes - it's cultural, but not just in the believing old wives tales sense.

My almost 15 yr old ds wears thermals when the weather turns due to having raynauds but already since school opening the 13yr old ds has asked for some this year because school has stressed how outside and fresh air is very important- theirs is also a school that insists on outdoor coats be removed at school gates so the walk across school grounds is done in just a blazer no matter the weather

My kids have dug out their bid thick winter coats to wear in class today.

M&S heatgen stuff is all out of stock.

Thank you OP for flagging this up, I didn't realise about the windows being open all day - I asked the DC last night and they said it's the same at their school, and they were cold yesterday as I'd sent them in in shorts and short sleeved shirt as they're usually roasting in school! Wearing jumpers today, and I'm off to stock up on vests for the winter.

And is it the policy that the kids would be sitting shivering not allowed their outdoor coats inside whilst the teachers are layered with coats, gloves etc? Or was it a different policy in your school.

Thats what my secondary school kid complained about last year I guess this year may be even worse with the windows open.

The university have warned students that the heating won't be on for labs as it runs through the air con system. Dd has asked me to send her ski underwear and lace up snow boots. Mountain warehouse have good unisex undershirts and leggings including child sizes

I can see those big thick knitted headbands making an appearance too.

Every year there are threads on MN of people competing in the race of who has the heating on latest and lowest and what to do to keep warm.

Perhaps people could go there for inspiration - though school unifrom regulations might need to be navigated around.

This will be a good chance for Dd to use her ski base layers this winter.
Keep an eye out for Aldi and Lidl ski sales stuff, kid and adult sizes, and it's lasted her through a few ski trips and doesn't cost a bomb

Thank you - just ordered some white thermal t-shirts for DS to wear under his uniform, as they are currently not allowed to wear their coats in class and I hadn't thought ahead to the really cold weather. Next have them in stock.

What a timely thread! I was just looking at M&S heatgen for DDs a couple of days ago but smallest size is a 6 which might be too big on my girls. Uniqlo appear to be sold out in most kids sizes. Any other recommendations please?

I mean this is draconian. What is the world coming to? Being consistently cold lowers your immune system. In December/January it can regularly be below freezing and wet and windy. Makes me feel like we're in the dark ages. Poor kids.

@Tootsey11

I think this thread shows how many children are that used to over centrally heated houses and cannot tolerate a bit of freshness. How do you all think outdoor workers cope during the winter. Your children will not die with the windows open.

Working outdoors - presumably manual work, is quite different to sitting at a desk & not moving around.

For kids, the Muddy Puddles thermal stuff is excellent. Does multiple children, as it wears so well. But it is brightly coloured, so if your school is fussy about seeing a flash of colour at the neck or wrists, it may not work. Luckily our school is very sensible and relaxed about that sort of thing. And the colours are very good for not getting it muddled with someone else’s stuff at Cub camp.

My teen took a blanket to school today.

It’s not just windows open in my year 1 child’s class it’s the door also that leads outside. I feel for them as the temperature drops

It'll toughen the little snowflakes up. Nothing worse than sitting in a stuffy over heated classroom with no ventilation. Most windows only open a tiny gap, with the heating on it will hardly make a jot of difference.

I've spoken to a number of teachers already about this and they all agree with it. Common sense prevails at last.

DS actually took the bus today!

I drove him to the bus stop, his 6 minute walk home from bus will leave him soaked (legs down). Very stormy, constant rain, 9 degrees here in Eastern England. Secondary HT tweeted thank you to all the kids who patiently ate lunch in their home rooms & couldn't get outside at all today.

What is a 'cool' blanket for a preteen to take to school? I thought this or DeadPool, maybe.

I’ve always thought that short sleeved polo tops should only be for summer. Why don’t retailers sell long sleeved ones for winter? I’m sure they must do in mainland Europe. We allow children to wear base layers anyway. We had one boy who came from Australia and he could believe the hardy locals were wearing shorts all year! We had a classroom of leaves today with all the wind. What fun. Cheers Boris!

*couldn't

My DDs school isn't doing this