Bundle Up for Winter Weather

The first blasts of winter air already have come blowing across the Midwest, and when there’s snow on the ground, it’s practically impossible to keep the kids inside.

However, severe cold can be dangerous. If the temperature has plunged to minus 20 degrees F, it’s simply too cold for children to go outside. If it’s warmer than that, though, a well-bundled child is a safe child.

“We tend to forget that children get cold more easily than adults,” says Laura Fitzmaurice, MD, pediatric emergency medicine specialist at Children’s Mercy Hospitals and Clinics and Professor of Pediatrics and Pediatric Emergency Medicine at the UMKC School of Medicine. “Put in the same situation as adults, children will lose more heat, mostly through their skin.”

Keep the following tips in mind to keep your child safe and warm this winter:

• Make sure she has plenty to eat and drink before heading outside. This keeps blood circulating and ensures she will have enough energy to produce body heat.
• If it is sunny outside, be sure to apply sunscreen to exposed areas. Don’t forget sneaky places where snow might reflect sunlight, like under the chin.
• If it is especially windy outside, apply petroleum jelly to your child’s exposed skin to protect against chapping.
• Dress your child in layers.
• Bundle up your child right before going outside. If she stands around indoors while dressed for outside, she will begin to sweat, which will make her even colder once she gets outside.
• Once outside, your child will need to keep moving. Activity keeps blood circulating and keeps you warm. If your child wants to come in from the cold, let her. Even if it took 30 minutes to dress her and she stayed outside only five, trust her comfort level.
• Watch for signs of frostbite, such as whitish or grayish skin, especially on the feet and hands. If you suspect your child has frostbite, get her inside and call your pediatrician immediately.
• Be mindful of signs of hypothermia, such as drowsiness, confusion, skin that is cold to the touch and lethargic behavior. If you believe your child has hypothermia, take her inside and call her physician immediately.

By taking some preventive measures, your child can stay safe and comfortable this winter, and you won’t have to spend three months in front of the fireplace.

Before sending your little one outside, take a moment to watch a short video in which Dr. Fitzmaurice explains what frostbite and hypothermia are and the signs to watch out for.