Our first day in NYC the weather was unseasonably warm – I walked around all day without a coat or anything. Yesterday however, the weather went back to normal (meaning the temperature hovered at or around freezing), and that’s when I had to bust out all the cold weather gear I’d packed.
Having lived here, I know that you have to dress in layers. You keep everything on for when you’re outside, then when you get inside you have to peel off your coat, scarf, hat, sweater, etc lest you die of heat stroke. I run hot anyway, so after a few rounds of this I am a sweaty mess. Mike, on the other hand, is ALWAYS COLD. He sleeps in sweat suits and would have our heater run 365 days a year IN LOS ANGELES. The second we step outside here his teeth are immediately chattering behind his blue lips.
I had no idea where Annabel was going to fall on the body-heat spectrum, so I totally over packed for her. The girl has to wear multiple layers, plus a blanket, plus one of those all weather bubble shields to cover her stroller. She has on so much stuff she can’t even put her arms down:
I’ll say one thing about that bubble, though – it did an effective job of keeping the wind out of her face AND muffling her screams of displeasure:
She is mid-yell in that picture.
Annabel does not dig the cold-weather clothes. This is a kid who starts slapping her belly the second I take her shirt off, she loves being naked. So all of these clothes?
She is not a fan. But, they are a necessary evil when it’s literally freezing outside (and to all you anti-shoe people, I’d like to see you push your shoeless child down an NYC street. You’d get mobbed by old ladies yelling at you to “put some shoooes on ya kid!” Old ladies judge and I’m pretty sure they practice black magic. Like I need an old lady curse? NO. THANKS.)
Having Annie here in this climate has given me a whole new appreciation for you parents that live in this weather. There is SO! MUCH! STUFF! required to go outside with a kid. I would never leave the house. I mean, I barely leave my house in LA, and I don’t have to bring a blanket, or a weather bubble thing, or baby coat that weighs as much as I do.
And, that’s on top of getting around town! I am Of The People, I take public transportation. How the hell do you people struggle with strollers and your kids and buses and subway turnstiles and not lose your damn mind? I LOVE New York City and I really would move back but holy cow. My patience is low under the best of circumstances, and my desire to schlep Annie’s stuff around like I’m her pack mule is even lower.
Plus Annie would enjoy seeing me wrestle her stroller a little too much. She’s like that.
But seriously, HOW DO YOU PEOPLE LIVE LIKE THIS?! In the cold, or a city, with kids? Really, how? Because I bow down to you.
claire says:
You find a rhythm for winter here, and when you go out you make the trip count and get everything done at once.
I usually wear Wyatt in the ergo and don’t use a stroller if i am using public transportation. also he shares my body heat so that helps with the cold factor.
Jaime says:
Same. We use our Ego and throw a big wool poncho over the both of us when we are taking transit.
dysfunctional mom says:
But she looks ADORABLE!
I live in Florida, and probably always will. I don’t do the whole cold weather thing.
Elle says:
Her scarf, ponytail, and pouty lips are too much. Cuteness overload! When we lived on the east coast, it was such a pain to take all of the stuff that was needed for my daughter just to walk around the neighborhood in the winter time. Wrangling all of that together before walking out of the door was so exhausting, I felt like I needed a nap before we even left our house.
Edubya says:
You walk. Everywhere.
I had a two year old when I lived there (as a Californian away from home) and quickly learned that while I could get around with a stroller, I didn’t want to have to collapse said stroller and deal with a toddler and a bunch of gear. We walked and stayed basically within a couple mile radius of our neighborhood. It wasn’t so bad.
In the winter, we took advantage of the playroom in our building and a couple choice memberships, like the Children’s Discovery museum, for example. We needed indoor places to play since the park was SOOOO COLD. Also, lots of layers, like you said. As a west coaster, I had no idea that really low temperatures didn’t just feel cold, they HURT YOUR BODY AND FACE. That was an eye-opener.
Leah says:
Yep, that’s about right. You walk everywhere. Fortunately in NYC there’s plenty to do within walking distance. When I’m not with my child I help others lift their strollers up and down subway stairs and when I need that kind of help there’s almost always someone willing to offer it.
Malou's Mama says:
We’re in Copenhagen and they’ve developed some great things here – babies even take their naps outside all year long! We have a “pram” as opposed to a stroller (though it can be set up as a stroller too) so it is basically a traveling bed that also allows the kid to sit up when needed. To keep warm, there are different built-in stroller bags depending on the season so you just have to put a snowsuit on your baby for winter or a windsuit for fall/spring, pop them in the stroller, and away we go! An added benefit to the pram is all the storage space for bags, groceries, etc.
Anyways, I’m not sure if my descriptions make sense, but it is definitely doable! Although I haven’t seen this style in the US…if we move back at some point, we are definitely taking the pram with us. It’s so great to be able to lay our son down for his nap and if we need to go somewhere, we can just stroll on out of the house while he’s still sleeping. Equally appealing if we are out and about and he gets tired!
tena says:
I run hot and have found that Bennett is a sweater! Poor guy is dripping when I take him out of his winter bear suit. I only wear a scarf and hat since coats are far too cumbersome to me, but even with the sweating, I feel the need to bundle him up.
I could NO WAY do the mass transit. The car seat is too heavy for me at the grocery.
Kim says:
I have twins so it’s twice the gear here in RI. Most people drive here so that helps to have your own vehicle. The one thing that sucks right now is that there are mountains of snow everywhere so it’s been difficult to get them outside to play. The one time I did they kept falling down and it was like watching Randy in The Christmas Story.
Tracey says:
Smiling at the picture of Annie all bundled up – too cute. You should have been here a month ago when we had several feet of snow on the ground and the temperature in the morning was something like 6 degrees!
I do remember that my Mom used to bundle my sisters all up, and leave us outside in the carriage for naps in the Winter.
mary c says:
You get use to some of it! The cold mornings are always hard to get use to! You make everything really quick and do everything on the warm days!
Lindsey says:
I’m in CT – we drive our own cars, not in a city. It’s not so bad. It can be a pain but in my opinion it’s way easier than schlepping sweaty slippery kids around in the heat & humidity of summertime. Plus, the kids get used to it.
Nellie says:
It’s not easy but without the stroller, it’s much easier getting my daughter on and off a bus. When I used to have to use the stroller I was always hitting people and objects – I’m clutzy that way.
I have very little patience so when I have to go outside and get everything on my daughter, I literally have to give myself 20 extra free minutes to get it all done….ughh!
Have a wonderful time in NYC. I work in Grand Central – try Naples pizza for lunch, it’s delicious.
Abby says:
So I live in Canada, where, duh, it’s really cold. My good friend Janet has a 4 and a half month old little girl and no car, so they go everywhere on the bus. That baby is always bundled up like crazy, but I guess, just like with grown ups, it’s whatever your used to. I have so much respect for her pushing and carrying that stroller over our ridiculously icy sidewalks. And it makes inclined to offer her a ride from time to time.
When my brother moved out to L.A. to go to USC, and then came back to Indiana for his first Christmas, he famously said “HOW DO YOU PEOPLE LIVE LIKE THIS?!” Not like he lived in Indiana for 7 years or anything. When you asked that it really made me laugh.
Casey says:
I don’t really live in a city, thank god, but we definitely have some cold weather here in Virginia. And I hate it. Everything you mentioned is true – the packing of the STUFF, and even driving in a huge stuffy old coat is so uncomfortable! And with kiddos, it’s not really safe to have them in a car seat with a big old jacket on…so it’s bundle up my two year old for the dash to the car, take jacket off to securely buckle her car seat, then back in the jacket to leave the car. I.Hate.It. And seriously count down the days until spring…you are so lucky to have your La weather!
Jannette says:
The last picture made me smile.
I always tell my husband, who is from Philly, that I could never live up north in the winter. So much extra work. I am a weather wmip.
Tamela says:
I live in a NYC suburb and work in the city. I too, wonder how people do it full time in the city with little ones. Especially taking a stroller on the subway. What a PITA. As for the cold weather gear, we’re just used to it I guess. Now that my boys are a little older, they love city trips, but it’s tough walking like a New Yorker (fast, make a bee-line and get where you’re going QUICK) with a 4 and 6 year old in tow. The weather’s supposed to warm up and the wind’s supposed to die down, so hopefully you won’t need the plastic bubble today.
Not sure if Broadway is on your to-do list, but go see RAIN if you can! Our little Beatles fans LOVED it and there were a ton of kids when we went.
Daisy says:
For what it is worth I don’t have kids and sometimes I wonder how I live in a big, cold city.
BRRRRR.
Ellie says:
On, my goodness! That picture of her with the scarf is quite possibly killing me with the cuteness level.
This is my first winter in Upstate NY, and I’ve discovered that even sending the kids to school on the bus requires a whole set of gear I used about three times a year in SW Ohio. Coats, hats, gloves, sure, but now I have to pack in snow pants for recess and shoes in their backpacks to change out of their boots at school. I gave up on hats and just bought a whole bunch of $1 hats at Walmart. If they lose them (and they do!) it’s not a big deal.
DrLori71 says:
How do we live like that? We just do. (There’s nothing cuter than a baby stuffed into a snowsuit.) Then the kids grow up and we see a poor parent with a stroller in the snow and we think, thank goodness that’s not me!
With respect to temperatures, I’m totally Team Mike. It can be 75 degrees out but if there’s the slightest cool breeze, I freeze. And I live in Chicago…boy am I stupid!
Jaime says:
Hahah it’s -13 here today with the wind chill, we also have about 4 feet of snow on the ground. We don’t do the bubble shield unless it’s raining, but it’s not usually that windy. We have this wonderful sleeping bag like thing that sit’s in the stroller (or sleigh, oh yes I am serious) and she can just wear jeans and socks, a tshirt, sweater and her winter jacket and that keeps her warm of the armpits. She does have a hat on of course and mits, but no snowpants or scarf. Anyways we manage, I grew up here, you just get used to it. Here you go, enjoy a picture of our winter fun in Nova Scotia haha, and yes, that is a frozen lake under our baby and puppy. http://www.flickr.com/photos/mrsmaynard/5450352657/ http://www.flickr.com/photos/mrsmaynard/5450352711/in/photostream/
Skye says:
I live in the suburbs and I HATE having to put on all my layers to drive somewhere. It’s freezing outside, hot in my car, cold in my office… I get sweaty with all the layers too. I also don’t know how people with kids do it, but I do like living somewhere with seasons, including snow in the winter, so I guess someday I’ll find out!
melanie says:
I love Annie. What a face. I can’t stand it she is sooo cute.
Colleen says:
OK, I live in Minnesota and it has been brutal this winter. Heather, I don’t wear all those layers! Just a coat and mittens if I am driving or going to out for a while. Hat only goes on if I am walking the dog. Bubble for the stroller? Puhleeze, in 32 degreee weather? No, no, no. We survive on sheer toughness! Also, having a cute winter coat is half of the fun.
Jen says:
Another Minnesotan here…Colleen is right, sheer toughness. I haven’t worn a coat all week hahahha (well to be honest it’s at the dry cleaners but anyway). The past month has been horrible with hauling little ones around when it’s so cold but there’s always that little light at the end of the tunnel. Plus that ground hog said it’s going to be a short winter. Yay!
Jen
Dora says:
In Heather’s defense, it wasn’t that cold earlier this week, but it was WINDY! Really windy. So windy, that even with the plastic, walking my daughter home from daycare, I turned the stroller around and dragged it behind me so the wind would be at her back.
As for getting around the city and subways with the bundled baby and stroller in the Winter. It’s hard. Getting out the door is major pain, but my daughter is such a social girl and I need to get out, too. And I’m a working single mom, so we’ve got to get out in the morning. My daughter LOVES the subway. I try to go to and from stations with elevators, but otherwise I just ask for help. (I usually look for a strong looking young man.)
Love Annie’s expression in the last picture. “But Mom, I’m too bundled up to play with these cool toys at the Apple Store. No fair!”
Lisa says:
I survive the cold winters by pretty much hibernating. When we go out it is in the car so I can get away with less winter gear. Stroller trips are such a pain in the ass, an since Maya can complain now she spends the whole time telling me she is cold. So, we avoid it.
I hate winter!
Lesa says:
I live in Minnesota with 2 little ones. It isn’t always fun, but when you see the kids light up when they get to run around in the snow – it is so worth it!
Jenn says:
Ha ha ha – You have NO idea how many times as I’m driving my kids to school in blizzard/icy conditions and say to them “LETS MOVE TO LA”!!! 2 say SURE but 1 says NNNNoooo WAY!!!
It really is a pain in the ass Heather. Sometimes with all 3 of mine getting ready to go out in -25c (-3f) can easily take us 25/30 minutes. This is of course after I woke up early, went out to start my car and scrape off the ice and heavy snow from it so the car is warm enough and thawed off enough for us to get into it. The hard part is when we have an ice storm and all your car doors freeze and you simply can’t get them open!! FUN STUFF!
Today is a good day for us except for the black ice on the roads. Our temperature is suppose to be a +5, which for us after -25 is like we’re in a tropical location. We seriously get giddy!!! ha ha ha ha
I’m sorry you have to face such shitty weather. I hope it gets better soon.
Enjoy your trip. Thanks for the pics of Annie, she is a little dolly!!!
My Best,
Jenn
J+1 says:
She may not like the clothes, but she sure looks cute in them.
My winter strategy: keep the baby in the bucket car seat as long as humanly possible; in there, it’s a Bundle Me, a hat, and a blanket. I’m running out of time on that one, though…
Elizabeth says:
You’re lucky you came to NYC now and not while all the snow was going on, I swear I feel like I lived in upstate NY, not NYC. I don’t have any kids yet but I’m sure it will be a challenge when I do and I have to get them around in the Winter. Thankfully I live in one of the outer boroughs where you have to drive a lot and not have to worry about trains.
She looks adorable by the way. Hope you guys are having fun!!
Bren says:
I live in Wisconsin and I think you just learn to tough it out. It has been above 30 degrees this week and it feels like spring! Nothing like dragging kids around when it is -15 in the mornings to get a child used to the cold. Even with the below zero temps I think I have only broken out the hat and scarf once for myself – though the kids are bundled up so much I can barely get them in their car seats!
Jen says:
Living in a climate that is cold for 7 months with kids can be frustrating. I hate winter coats because they limit your mobility and by the time you get inside (store, for example) you’re a big sweaty mess and then you have to carry a heavy, bulky coat around with you wasting valuable arm space for things that really matter, like shoes.
With kids, 10 times worse! We have an attached garage and auto start on our car so I’ve actually left the house forgetting their coats and given the day, their shoes…Ugh.
Now you’ve got me questioning, why do I live here anyway? So. Much. Work.
Love the pic of her in the sweater and scarf – so cute!
Molly @Mallaidh says:
My sister lives in Brooklyn and so do a few friends of ours, so we are in the city quite often. When we go in the late fall/winter, it is all about the baby carriers and the Bugaboo. Fleece liner, footmuff, bubble cover, blankets, coats, gloves, etc… We have never known any different for the winter season, so we just do what we do. Hope you have a wonderful time! Annie looks great all bundled up!
Lisa_in_WI says:
I was born — and still live in — Wisconsin, and I ask myself that same question many times over the course of the winter. :p
karen says:
I live in Ontario, Canada and I don’t think I have ever bundled my kids up as much as you did with Annabel. They both run rather hot and were miserable when put in too many layers. I tened to just use and blankets and remove them. Like you I used the plastic bubble , many of them acutually since freezing temperatures tends to make the crack sooner than later. I never put them in the car in their snowsuits. Even now my son removes his coat the moment he gets in the car and starts to complain that it is too hot. He does this even when the car has been parked for hours and hasn’t had a chance to warm up. People have actually told me that I should put a coat on that kid-I assume that those people tend to run a little cold.
Marie says:
I live in Minnesota. nuff said?? lol
I have been to NYC in the winter many times and I always think wow it’s so darn warm. Because of course when I leave MN it’s usually around minus 20 and when I get to NYC it’s above freezing. I walk around in sweatshirts or less. Here in my neck of the woods we think it’s spring when it gets to 39. We take off our winter crap and put on our spring coats. Or t shirts. Whichever.
When my kids were little they all had snowsuits. One step coverage. And they played outside like nobody’s business. The only time they stopped was for a drying out. And that took a long time to dry out boots, mittens and snowsuits. Traveling to work every day was hard with 3 kids and school was even worse. They have to have snowpants and boots or they could not go outside to play. And they go out every day unless it’s minus 20 with wind chill.
And no, you really don’t get used to the cold you just endure. But our summers are wonderful compared to the hot states. I cannot stand it when it gets above 90. That is misery!
Anne looks so cute and yes I agree – shoes are necessary.
Hugs from snow country
Marie
Ashley says:
I’m so a kid shoe person! It infurates me when I see kids/babies out without shoes on! No they may not ever have their feet touch the ground, but I’m pretty sure those appendages can get frost bite! It’s cold where we live, really cold and often rainy and the number of people I see out with their kids minus footware (and sometimes socks) drives me nuts! Our girls wore shoes from the moment they were born, with the exception of sleepers, then they either had slippers over top if it was snowing or a blanket or 7.
Cute photos and glad to hear you’re putting shoes on your munchkin and keeping her warm!
AJ says:
I live in South East Michigan. I have three children, 7, 4, and 16 months. I work full time. It requires 2.5 hours from the time I wake up til I can get all 4 of us out the door in the morning and the dog in her kennel. It’s about 30 minutes less in the summer just becuase of all the damn stuff that Michigan winters require!
Amanda says:
Whatever. I live in Canada. Our cold weather gets down to -45 Celsius, that’s about -50F in winter. That’s “yourskinfreezesinlessthan5seconds” kinda cold. That’s “youdon’ttakeyourkidsoutsideever” kinda cold. According to carseat companies, you shouldn’t buckle your kids into carseats wearing parkas. I can’t even see how that’s possible living where I do.
Carrie says:
I live in Toronto and have 3 year old twin boys. Getting out the door to daycare on a daily basis is an exercise in frustration and also in aerobics. Most days involve chasing the boys down and having to pin them in order to get their snowboots/coats/hats/mitts/scarves etc on them. Only to have them start to remove all of these the minute I start the same routine with their brother. Getting all of this done and getting out the door takes about a 1/2 hour on a good day. And I always end up a big, sweaty, exhausted mess.
9 times out of 10 I don’t wear a coat even when it’s -25 (celsius) because I’m boiling hot from my morning routine.
And then when we get to daycare I get to undo the boots/coat/hats/mitts/scarves that I just put on them.
Again, a sweaty, exhausted mess.
And then I get to go to work!!
Yeah, I don’t know how we do it either. Or WHY we do it.
Carrie
Jen says:
Having grown up on the East Coast, I often think about this. I live in SF now in an apartment with a 4-year-old and we HAVE to get outside a LOT. I don’t know what I would do if I had to take my kid out in the snow and freezing temps all the time. I didn’t much care for it when I had to do it for myself! And, frankly, even SF isn’t warm enough! I LOVE to visit New York though–even in the winter. Best place ever. Enjoy!
FreeRange Pamela says:
THIS is (one reason) why we moved. Every outing was a major production. That said, I did love it in many ways. Sigh.
Nicole says:
Ooh…pack mule struck a chord. That’s how I feel EVERY. DAY. And my technical description to my chiropractor for why I’m there…
AngieM. says:
i have no idea how people do it either, but i guess if it’s how they grew up then they’re used to it. i could NEVER live in a place where it got cold enough to snow…i’m exactly like mike. brrr..makes me cold just thinking about it.
also- she’s killin’ me with her cuteness in that scarf!! omg
hope you are have a fab time in NY, looks like it
Alison says:
No words of advice here. I just have to say, Annie looks like a total California girl pouting in her cold weather gear!
xoxo
Heather says:
That is the cutest photo of Annie!
Sara says:
We live near the top of a mountain in Plymouth, NH. We are always running late in the winter, and with 2 and 4 year old boys it’s almost always a wrestling match to get boots, hat, coats and mittens on. If we decide to go out and play in the snow, it takes the 4 of us at least half an hour to pile clothes on. At that point, their dad and I are too exhausted to do much more than make snow angels. It’s fun, but it’s a lot of work…
Stephanie says:
We live in Staten Island and if I didn’t have a 7 year old who has to go to school every day I would never leave the house with my 3 year old and 18 month old. Winter is torture. My little one removes his hat, shoes and socks every time we leave. Imagine the old ladies when it’s below freezing!! I have to redress him every fifteen minutes. I got to the point this winter where I would put my 7 year old’s (daughter) knee socks on him under his pants because then at least it took him longer to pull them off. Keep in mind they are very girly colors!! I can’t wait for spring.
TracyKM says:
I live in the cold. My answer…babywearing! When my oldest was in kindergarten, I was expecting #3 in mid-Nov and knew I had to somehow get all three kids to the school which was only 3 blocks away. Even though the neighbour drove her kids, I wasn’t going to. Strollers are a nuisance–a huge snowbank infront of the garage door so no way to get it out. I put my newborn in a sleeper, with booties, a sweater, a hat and a blanket, into a fleece pouch, inside my coat. Awesome. I kept her warm, she kept me warm. She never sat in a stroller (never was carried in a carseat either) until she was 15 months old and I had surgery. I wish I had known about babywearing earlier! Even the next winter, we had an almost one mile walk to the school, down a very windy road. She rode either on my front (facing in) or on my back in a mei tai. Her snowsuit was too big (and never used in a carseat!), so it allowed extra movement room. I pulled a toboggan for the older kids and their backpacks.
It’s not really all that hard to survive winter if you’re prepared and teach your kids too. Three year olds can do a lot. Here, kids can start JK when they’re 3, and they’re expected to get all their gear on themselves.
Melissa says:
I was interested to read all of the responses! I live in northeastern Florida now, so it does get pretty chilly (esp this and last winter) – but getting around with the kids is a breeze. There is PARKING. There isn’t any traffic. I can get several errands done lickety split WITH the kids and I actually enjoy that time together. Not so before we moved down here about three years ago – we used to live in Arlington, VA, which is a suburb of Washington DC. Man, it was TOUGH. I don’t think I left the house with my first son the winter he was born and the following winter wasn’t much better. We were going STIR crazy but it was just too cold to enjoy doing anything. And windy! I love being in Fla now….I feel like we get more fresh air. Otherwise, we’d be stuck inside for months on end!!
Rebecca says:
I live way out in the county. It gets cold here. We are unseasonably warm…..for now. But yeah, living in the city and dealing with all that stuff ….too much
Snarky Mommy says:
The picture of her in the scarf and coat is so effing awesome, I laughed out loud. That girl can show the ‘tude.
I survive Chicago winters by flaunting the carseat rules and putting them in the car IN their winter coats. It’s too damn cold to be taking them off and putting them on. I skip the bubble, because I am mean like that, but I do have these awesome stroller muff things that encase them like little sausages and all you can see are their faces.
I also employ the Ergo carrier whenever possible when it comes to public transportation.
Kelly says:
I’m just thankful that Mea can walk now, and I’m not carrying her on ice and snow, that was the worst. Although, she likes clomping around in the snow so much, and making messes, sometimes having her walk isn’t a great thing either.
We don’t have great public transportation, so we drive everywhere, and all I can say is thank goodness for four wheel drive.
Kristie says:
How do we do it? Well, we’re used to it, so my kids are NEVER wearing that much clothing. Especially not a scarf or a bubble on the stroller.
As for what we “no shoe people” do – I put the babies in a fleece snow suit with feet, or keep them in fleece footie jammies if we have to be out in nasty weather. The fleece snow suit is super useful because it has cuffs that unroll into mittens, and a hood, and it’s still thin enough not to be a hazard in a carseat. It velcros all the way down the front, and is loose fitting, so it is easy to pull on and off.
Joleine says:
I live in NYC and yeah, it’s a pain w/ a baby.. especially when you don’t have a car. We have a patagonia snowsuit and a bundleme for the stroller.. if anything, she gets too hot
Friday it’s supposed to get up to 60!
Liz says:
OK, all those people who said “You get used to it” or “We’re tough?” Liars, all of you! Or much better, more positive, less cranky people than me.
I’ve lived in Toronto my whole life, except for five years in Ottawa which is a very nice place to live from May to October and pure hell the rest of the year. And I can tell you that I’ve never gotten used to the winter. And now with kids, it’s that much worse. Oh, the mittens we’ve lost! The tiny hats! The tears shed as you stuff your child into their snowsuit to leave the house at 8 am and it’s barely light out! And the kids cry too, sometimes.
I don’t know who all these brave Nothern souls are that read your blog but as far as this fourth generation Canadian is concerned, it just sucks.
amourningmom says:
Annie is very cute in her winter clothes. I am not sure I could make it in the city in the winter either. Have a great trip. Take care.
Michelle S says:
We are in Alberta, Canada and I have always loathed winter. But I really loath it now that I have kids. We tend to hibernate for at least 3 months out of the year because honestly it’s a lot of work getting them all dressed for maybe 10 minutes outside until someone starts complaining they want to go back inside.
We lived in a small city called Fort McMurray for almost 20 years (good money to made definitely not the social life) and moved to Calgary about 5 years ago. It’s like Club Med compared to Fort McMurray but it’s still cold and we get snow (today it’s -17). I just really want to go to a warm climate but there are not a lot of Oil and Gas jobs in tropical places.
Mommy says:
I have no answer to how those cold-weather mamas do it! I could never!! I think it is freezing when it gets below 70!
I just wanted to say that Annie is so adorable and cute in her winter gear- and I LOVE that her outfit even matches her stroller! Wow!! How many strollers do you guys have anyway?? Which kind is the pink/purple one? I might have to get it if I EVER have a girl!!
Stay warm, Spohr Family!!
Heather says:
I have a travel system and this pink one, it is a Maxi Cosi. I used to have a black maclaren stroller but it was so beat it up I had to retire it!
Katy at Dim Sum Debutante says:
I’m a non-native NYer with an 18 month old. Winter is a pain in my frozen/sweaty ass. I won’t even pretend to have mastered it. But I will say you’re on to something with the nosy old ladies. They patrol these streets for mittenless children as though it was a requirement for their AARP membership benefits. Enjoy the rest of your visit!!
Shannon says:
Living in Michigan all my life, I’m used to the cold but since I’ve had kids, it’s kinda a pain in the ass to get them ready. My oldest is in Kindergarten and I have to drive him to school everyday as we are in the School of Choice program and he can’t take the bus to school. I have to take an extra 15 to 20 minutes or so to get both the kids ready (my littlest is 2 1/2), bundled up in hats, coats, mittens etc. just so I can walk him into school for the day. Also lugging his boats and snowpants to school each day during the winter is a load of fun too, not. (think 4 months of that). I can’t wait until April when it starts to get in the 40’s – 50’s again.
BTW – I love the picture of Annie all bundled up. Her cheeks are the cutest
Jan says:
I live in one of the coldest/snowiest cities in Canada. It’s flippin’ cold here, the average temperature in January was somewhere around the -22F. Every. Day.
It’s tough and frustrating getting 3 young kids ready everyday. I usually let the van warm up for at least 10mins before we leave. Get the kids bundled head to toe for the 20sec walk to the van. Get them buckled and watch them toss off their hats and mittens. In the case of the 2 yr old, the boots also come off. Get to our destination and spend a good 10mins in the van trying to get the kids dressed again.
Lather. Rinse. Repeat.
We also do not play outside on the extremely cold days. This makes the need for Red Bull and Starbucks (thank God for drive-thrus!!) a necessity.
I love the snow but I’ve had enough of the frigid temperatures.
Megan@TrueDaughter says:
While Ohio is not the frozen tundra of Canada, the endless freezing days and iced-over sidewalks do get old. For me. For my kids – they LOVE it. They play outside way more in the cold and snow that when it is a sweltering summer day. When we do leave the house it is the usual ritual of snow boots, hats, mittens, coats, scarves. We get in the car, they shed all outdoor clothing for our 2 minute drive, whatever it is, and then I have to make them put all that stuff back on. Come on spring! Flip flops, tank tops, shorts!
jessica b says:
I live in Pittsburgh and I have never understood the “need” for all baby items that people carry around. I never needed most of those things and, honestly, almost never used a stroller. I carried a diaperbag and my kid. that’s it. he was bundled up as needed, but i never overdid it. i think that people just carry way more than they need. that’s why it’s so hard. when my son was a baby, it was the easiest part of raising him. the older he’s gotten, the harder it’s gotten. i long for the ease of just having a baby. lol
Kim ~ CraftyMamaof4 says:
I was just in NYC too, got home last night! I’m from Pittsburgh so used to the cold and bundling up, it sucks. I took the kids to NYC in December and it was freezing, the worst part was having to get all bundled up to walk around then going into the stores and sweating our butts off indoors. We lost several gloves in Toy R Us and the Lego store lol
Lesley says:
NYC is our favourite city and we would love to live there!! However, my 21 month old son refuses to wear his hat & mittens when it gets really chilly here in Vancouver, which isn’t too often, so I don’t know what I would do there. In fact when he was 8 months old we went to New York and it wa FREEZING! He kept pulling his mitts and hat off and kicking his blanket off. His hands would get so red and cold. You can imagine the looks we got! Like we were horrible, neglectful parents! Seeing you mention Annies chapped cheeks, reminded me that Ewan’s were like that while we were there! They were so raw and sore! We bought some Mustela Hydra Bebe face cream from the Times Square Toys R Us and it worked wonders. I’ve never been able to find it here in Canada.
Michelle says:
I live in the great state of Minnesota so sometimes it gets 20 below zero here. In fact it was that just a couple weeks ago. I still have to go to work so the kids still have to go to daycare. They pretty much don’t leave the house without hat/gloves/thick jacket on and the car started and heated up. The baby can’t move cause she’s so bundled and she has a cushy cover for over her car seat. But the weather in the 30’s like you just described? That’s cause for playing outside (as long as there is no wind)!! With snowpants…. but outside we will go
amanda says:
I don’t live in NYC but I do live on the East Coast, and having a small child in the winter sucks. I HATE all the layers and can’t wait for the warm weather to come!
Mindy says:
I live in Ontario Canada. Snow, wind, cold…. freezing weather all winter long. I love having snow for “Christmas” but once Christmas is over I am ready for the snow to melt and spring to come. Now that I have a 2 1/2 year old and a 1 year old, it has made the winter months more difficult. Especially since my 1 year old daughter wants to do nothing but walk which is VERY challenging in a snow suit and winter boots that at the smallest size made (size 3) are way too big on her.
As challenging as this has proved. It is almost a walk in the part when compared to having to dress 16 preschool children to go outside. I am the supervisor of a child care centre and if that alone isn’t reason to hate winter…. I don’t know what is!
Dana says:
I live on the NJ coast about 25 min from NYC by train. It’s windy, it’s cold, but I never really layer. I run hot I guess. I usually wear a short sleeved shirt, jeans, coat, scarf, earmuffs, gloves, that’s it. My house is over 100 yrs old and very drafty so I wear a sweatshirt over my tee shirt when I’m inside. By at school (went back to college recently) or anywhere else I get hot and sweaty.