New York in December - clothing

[ifiwasabutterfly]

Just after some thoughts on clothing for a December NY trip. I know it will be cold and don't want anyone moaning so want to go best prepared.

Teen dd lives in leggings, cropped t shirts and trainers and thinks she'll be fine 

What about footwear for pre teen boys? He literally only wears trainers too but am worried they won't be warm enough. He at least wears coats!

Do we need thermals? It's easy to layer up the top half, but am more concerned by our legs and feet.

If you know it’s cold, and they know it’s cold, get them to dress accordingly. Uggs and duvet coats! Hats, gloves and scarves. Trainers ok but if he gets cold legs, add thermals. If they are stupidly dressed so be it.

We were in NY last December and it was bitterly cold.

I would look into buying boots that are big enough to wear thick socks underneath. If your DD wears leggings, buy fleece lined tights to go underneath (I did this, with a t shirt underneath a dress under a coat)!

Hats and gloves. Scarves too - the wind was so cold it took my breath away quite often and I put my scarf in front of my mouth.

If they aren't used to that kind of cold, it's going to be a shock tbh. Make sure they have the kind of coat that will stop the wind going through, ideally one long enough that it ends beneath the bum and a hood.

Trainers will be fine. Lots of layers. Hats and your warmest gloves. Style is very casual. We went over New Year and had 4 quite mild days and 4 freezing days.

In all honesty, you just don’t know. It could be mild-ish or you could have a foot of snow and below freezing temperatures. Do you have decent coats? Down is great or ski jackets if you have them already. For your DD I’d reccomend uniqlo heat-tech leggings or jeggings. Definitely pack hats, scarves, warm socks and decent gloves. For shoes you could play it by ear and if necessary go to T.J. Maxx once you’re there for boots but as long as there isn’t a lot of snow then trainers with warm socks should suffice.

I went to New York in mid November once and what I remember as well as the piercing cold was how warm it was in shops. I had a cold bug, or maybe even flu when i was there and I found the differences in heat contributed to making me nearly faint. So the ability to unzip a coat, take off a hat, etc is really important.

We're living in Boston at the moment so similar to New York. Some shops are pretty much sold out of winter coats at the moment because it was cold last week and everyone panicked. People here take the cold seriously, duck boots and down coats are universal it seems. A coat rather than a jacket will keep the top of your legs warm as well. It is hot inside buildings and malls so I think a big coat that you can unzip or take off is easier than many layers. DD was trying on winter coats and felt in danger of fainting when zipped inside them in the shop. She has the Uniqlo thermal leggings and loves them Uniqlo is cheaper here, I think, so you could get them if you need them. All their heat tech stuff is really cosy. Even she, a 17 year old girl, admits she will be wearing a woolly hat and warm boots (she has waterproof Uggs with walking boot soles).
Trainers will be fine if it isn't wet but could potentially be miserable in cold rain or slush, both of which are possible. I don't know about New York but when it rains in Boston it really rains. Lots of women wear short wellies here with good socks that would be OK. For a teenage boy I would think a walking boot style would be best?
At the moment the weather is all over the place here, warm then cold ad wet, a bit like home in the UK really.

Sorry about the punctuation. I don't know why Mumsnet makes my punctuation so awful.

Be aware that jeans alone are useless in biting cold. Thick tights at least underneath, or better still thermals.

Otherwise what everybody else has said

I don't know about New York but when it rains in Boston it really rains.

I'm a New Yorker. We can get those same pouring torrential rains too, but not every time.

I agree with doing longer coats/parkas instead of a short jacket. Lands End is brilliant for winter clothing suitable to our winters if you have trouble finding it in the shops.

Lands End UK Jacket and Coat Finder

Their winter gloves are fab too.

Lovely thank you everybody - what trousers would you suggest for 11yr old ds? He only owns skinnny jeans or tracksuit bottoms at the moment.

We went in November - the days weren't too bad and we were fine in layers but when the sun goes down, this wind just appears and it is bitingly cold. It was so cold we went to go out one evening and lasted about 45 seconds!!

Lots of layers are best, and a thick warm coat that covers your bum!! I had thermal tights with socks over the top and thick leggings, with a thermal camisole, long sleeved top and jumper. And coat, hat and gloves.

what trousers would you suggest for 11yr old ds?

Good blue jeans will be okay for most days. Can you get him some tights to wear underneath them for the really cold or windy days?

Definitely coats that cover the thighs.

Prepare for rain as well - when we went we were well equipped for cold weather but could have done with a thin waterproof coat to wear over our winter coat to help keep ourselves dry and also to help keep our main coats dry as thick coats can take aes to dry properly - layers are key!!

NYC weather in December can run the gamut from mild/practically balmy to bitter cold. I would check the weather a few days before you come.

Uggs/fleece lined shoes are always a good choice. Thermals or tights underneath pants. Gloves and a hat are a must.

We went 2 years ago. Layers - vests, tops, jumpers, coats. DD (8 then) wore tights under leggings, i wore tights under jeans. Scarf, gloves, hat/ear muffs. Puffy/down coats. 2 pairs of socks inside boots.

I can't remember how cold it was, but the wind was bitter. We drank a lot of hot chocolate that week!

We did the Big Bus one day when it rained and they gave out those clear plastic macs. We kept those, but it didn't rain again.

Here's the best 10 day weather forecast for NYC:

New York 10 Day Forecast

We had freakishly warm weather in December 2015. It was mid 20s and I had to buy short sleeved t-shirts. It was very strange. And I was most disappointed.

The other times it's been bitterly cold with a biting wind. Thinner Layers are always good rather than one heavy/thick layer. I hate hats but earmuffs were a must as were gloves.

I ended up with tights under jeans, vest, T-shirt, zip top and a jacket. Easy to remove some layers in shops/attractions. Comfy boots/shoes/trainers are definitely needed too.

We will check forecast before we go but am going to buy stuff assuming for cold. I am most concerned about ds11 - I can't see him agreeing to wear tights under his jeans and although I am happy to buy him some warm footwear opposed to his usual trainers as yet I haven't managed to suggest anything to him that he will agree to wear, I don't mind what I buy as long as he will wear it.

Will look at uniqlo tonight as that's a shop I've never heard of.

New York is a city to Walk.
COMFORTABLE shoes
A warm waterproof coat that covers the bum
trousers WITHOUT holes in them

Enjoy
Its a big city, not the arctic

I live in NY and have teenagers. They wear similar to your kids but just with a big coat over the top. They always wear hats and gloves because, when it’s cold, it’s too cold not to. Unless it’s snowing, they’ll be fine in sneakers. Get some thermal socks. My kids really like their Timberlands, if you’re looking for an alternative, and they work as snow boots too.

The main problem with NYC is that the avenue system means the wind howls down them, making it feel even colder.

@ifiwasabutterfly when you say your DS normally wears trackies if not in jeans, do you mean sweatshirt fabric or woven ones?

Sweatshirt type would probably be warm enough, nylon-lined fabric ones also not bad, and if you’re lucky & don’t hit a really cold snap he’d get by with those.

However if he insists on the skinny jeans instead & it does get cold you might find he’ll admit he needs something more. If he won’t wear tights or thermals underneath, maybe some waterproof overtrousers would be acceptable? (My adult DS has just started driving a scooter, & has found out the hard way how cold jeans are, but the waterproof pants we got for rain are also proving comfortable against windchill )

We went last December and it was really cold. However I wouldn't bundle up like it's the arctic or you'll be very uncomfortable when you go inside and will end up carrying tons of clothing as you strip off! I wore a thick padded coat (waterproof) then just a normal jumper, tshirt and jeans underneath with ugg type boots. The DC wore similar but DS had some trainers from next that had a fleece lining. Then hats and gloves but didn't bother with scarves as the coats covered the bottoms of our faces when it was windy.

"I can't see him agreeing to wear tights under his jeans"

Take him to Decathlon and he can look at the boy's section of ski wear. He will see that it is acceptable for male skiers to wear thermal leggings under their snow suits. He could wear them under his jeans.

Unless you are planning on hiking for hours, dont worry too much about warm trousers. You can always pop into a shop and warm up for a bit. I would suggest making sure your shoes have grippy soles and are warm. Not necessarily insulated, just not thin soled. Then an insulated coat that is windproofand waterproof, gloves and hat. If you are more bundled than that, everytime you go inside you will roast. You need a really good outerlayer that you can strip off and still be normal looking underneath and the right temperature for being inside.