My non verbal child won’t wear a winter coat

[Hellbelle]

Hi I’m just looking for some advice on how I can get my 3 year old non verbal child to wear a winter coat ? My daughter will only wear a yellow Peppa pig rain coat and with winter coming in with temperatures dropping would like her to wear something heavier . She has loads of new coats and refuses to wear any of them . Any advice would be appreciated . Thanks in advance .

Honestly I wouldn't stress about it.

1. When it is actually colder she might put one on because she is cold- currently she may not see the point as she isn't cold and isn't thinking ahead like you. I have this with my 2 year old currently- I want her to put a jumper on before she goes out but she says 'no not cold' because it isn't cold inside- she will happily put it on once we get out of the door.
2. She may not feel the cold in the same way you do- my autistic sister is nearly always hot, it has to be v v cold for her to put a winter coat on, even if it looks like she is cold (goosebumps etc) she will say she likes that feeling.
3. The feeling of wearing a coat may be worse for her than the feeling of being cold- I worked with a child who wore shorts in all weathers as the feeling of trousers was so unbearable for her she would rather be cold. Same child would sometimes take her shoes off outside in winter.

My youngest has a lot of sensory struggles and only wears a pretty thin raincoat and refuses jumpers. I bought the extra thick heat tech tops from Uniqlo last winter and he would wear those. Couldn't layer him up as he hates the sensation but they seemed to keep him warm enough all winter. They also do a thinner style which we used for autumn.

We gave up on coats.

We went with a thermal base layer, like skiers have. My ASD son is verbal, and after a long time with OT help, he was able to explain that it was the flappynness, restriction of arm movements due to bulk, plus his other sleeves bunch up under the coat sleeves that made a big coat a sensory nightmare. As well as being too hot sometimes.

The Base layers come in different weights but don't bunch up, flap, and are not bulky. Decathlon have cheap onrs. Maybe worth a try with one. If she tolerates a rain coat you are winning with that on top.

For me it would fall into pick your battles. If she will wear a jumper then great but thin rain coat is better than no coat!

What about other layers? Hat, scarves, snoods, thermal underwear? The coat is the last layer plenty of other things can go on before it.

She may not feel the cold, how long is she actually outside. Presumably at nursery she'll be outside running around. How does she travel - from front door to car then destination or a long walk?

put the coat on back to front buttons done up at the back.

Oh God yes. I agree. There was no talking to either of my children when they were small. I used to wrestle them into warm coats, only for them to run out of nursery or school in the afternoon in their polo shirts, while all the other kids were wrapped up in scarves, hats and gloves. So I gave up and let them wear whatever they were comfortable in. They didn't seem to feel the cold. A raincoat is good as at least it keeps the wind and rain out. My eldest is now 16 and feels the cold badly, especially in his hands and feet, so he's the complete opposite to what he was and wanders around the house in what I can only describe as a Gruffalo suit🤣

Forcibly putting it on her is just going to cause a huge amount of distress

Children are different. Playing outside in freezing cold weather was much more fun than crying from cold.

And the hood over her face?

😂😂
detachable hood

Is it a sensory thing? Try layering up a fleece or hoodie

It’s not cold yet, wait till it’s actually winter before you worry about this.
Bear in mind some kids don’t get cold. If she has a rain coat and a jumper or fleece or a cardi she’ll be fine even in winter.
There’s a view that many children are actually overdressed, and that it can cause problems like lowered immunity to colds and coughs, and exacerbate things like asthma . Certainly our doctor advised keeping mobile dcs as cool as possible. I work in a school and lots of children just don’t wear coats, even in winter, if they are active and running around.
Very few kids at my school are wearing even a raincoat yet.