Despite not loving the cold that Minnesota offers, it’s inevitable that winter eventually comes. There are two types of people in Minnesota: the ones that hunker down for the winter and don’t venture outside in the cold/snow/ice and the ones that do. I’ve never been a super outdoorsy person in the winter, yet my kids need a way to burn off energy even in the cold. So, as I’ve grown as a parent, I’ve worked at being more confident in getting outside and exploring with the kids in those winter months. One thing I’ve noticed over and over whenever we go outside to explore, it’s almost never the kids complaining about the weather. They don’t care how cold it is if they’re dressed appropriately. It’s always the adults whining! This leads me into my first tip.
*Invest in warm winter gear for the adults in the household! It was wild to me when I realized that I was buying new winter gear for the kids every single season as they grew. Yet my husband and I didn’t even own snow pants when our size was staying the same year to year. Finally, at some point, we decided to upgrade all of our gear. We made sure we had good snow pants, jackets, mittens, hats, scarfs, gators, wool socks, and boots. Guess what? It’s made a huge difference! Now, the adults are warm, so we all can enjoy our time outside and in the snow.
*Set up a winter cart for gear. This has been another game changer for us. When the weather begins to turn cooler, I set up our winter cart in our entryway. Each shelf has a different bin with either hats, gloves/mittens, or gators. Being on wheels, we can wheel it right to the location where the kids are getting ready. This allows all kids to be independent in their ability to grab their gear and put it away. Even our 1.5 year old can do this! It also, promotes independence in learning to put their gear on by themselves. One other plus is that their gear is less likely to get lost because there’s a place for it right when they come in the door. Before I started utilizing a winter cart, I despised getting the kids all ready to go outside for only a few minutes of play. Now, all kids need minimal help from me and are way more efficient at putting their gear on quickly. This gives us more time to actually play!
*Use warm, fuzzy socks on your toddler’s hands instead of mittens. Hear me out..this sounds like such a strange tip, but it really works! Little baby mittens are so obnoxious and such a pain. For the time frame in between when your baby is wearing a full-on baby snow suit and are able to keep gloves on their hands around 2.5 or 3 years old, find a pair of warm, fuzzy socks. Put them on their hands before they put on their jacket. Pull them up as high as they go. Then, put their jacket on over them. If your little is planning on playing in the snow and not just being in the cold, put on waterproof mittens underneath a pair of socks and do the same thing. Trust me, it works and we will be using this trick this winter with our 1.5 year old.
*Do a hot cocoa walk. If you’re planning on going for a walk or hike and need some motivation for the kids, add a hot cocoa. This is like magic. My kids love doing these and instantly, are excited for a walk. Stop and get hot cocoa from a coffee shop or gas station or bring some from home. Such an easy way to spark some motivation in the cold!
*Put jingle bells on a walking stick. When my dad was still alive, we did this with his walking sticks one Christmas. Then, we made walking sticks for each person in our family with jingle bells attached. Try not to smile as you jingle your way through your walk! Something about the bells just puts everyone on the walk in a good mood.
*Bring a portable potty for the car. If you have little ones, this is a must and you won’t thank me until you absolutely need this potty. During the winter months, it is fairly common for places to remove port-a-potties or lock bathrooms. Yet, we all still need bathrooms. Several times, we have been hiking, walking, or exploring in the winter and had a child need to go to the bathroom right then. No bathrooms were open or available anywhere in sight and I was so thankful we had our portable potty along in the car. This is also, super helpful if you break down in the winter.
*Bring toys along for the walk. I am always surprised at how helpful this tip is as it seems like it would be more work. However, it often proves to help everyone walk longer. Our favorite toys to bring along are the stomp rocket, a sled, buckets, and construction toys. Often, we shoot off the stomp rocket before or after we walk in the parking lot. This is such a fun toy to use in all weather. The sled is helpful because you never know when you will come across an area that your child can sled down. Also, if their feet get tired, you can pull them behind you.
*Over prepare! It is way better to be out in the cold with too much gear on than too little. Layers and gear can be taken off easily. It can’t be put on easily if you don’t have it with you. Being from Minnesota since I was nine years old, I’ve learned the art of layering. Teach this to your kids because this will be a skill they will use every winter if they’re in a cold climate.
*Focus on the experience, not the result. If you are used to walking or hiking, you may think you can keep up the same experiences in the winter. Yet, walking in the snow or ice is so much harder. Not only is it more work for us, as adults, but it’s a lot harder for our kids. I realized we may not walk that far, but we still get to be out in nature and experience the beauty of the snow. This mind shift really helped me to be okay with the experience and not how far we got.
*Give yourself time to grow. If you don’t normally go to a ton of places in the winter, be gentle with yourself and your kids as you grow together. Don’t expect to go somewhere for two hours on your first attempt. Just like taking adventures at any other time of year, it isn’t always perfect. Sometimes, our adventures contain yelling, fighting, melt-downs, and mistakes. Other times, they don’t. It gets easier as you practice. Not only do you get more confident in your abilities to adventure with your kids, but your kids do too! Trust me when I say some of the best adventures aren’t perfect. Mistakes and struggles can make beautiful memories too.
I hope these tips can help you adventure outside more with your families this winter! Enjoy that beautiful nature and create those memories in the snow, ice, and cold.
Until my next adventure,
Allie
Adventures with Sota Mama 
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