Life with kids in the winter? (Rochester: college, living in, dangerous)

[wamer27]

Originally Posted by Drew1987

I’ll check into that! For normal weather we have cute solutions. My son has. Thin fake leather bomber, warm but not for 45 below. My daughter has a packable (puffy but easily compresses) pink cute coat. Blankets are a decent item too I guess my the 3.5 year old likes to walk and not be carried


So how did you all do with the blast? We had to walk 2 blocks today against the wind so strong it was hard to walk, -2°F without windchill. No kids. Got through it. Will be 15° tomorrow and 50f by Monday

You are getting feet of snow correct with tons of wind? The traveling meteorologist I follow on Facebook keeps posting videos of it. Above 3k ft in Sierra’s are getting feet this weekend. Plus something I’ve never seen before, predicting 120 inches in the higher elevations, 10 ft!!! That usually always means we’ll get something out of it few days after.

[Drew1987]

We got like 18 or 20 inches the last storm, which was about a week and a half ago.

Buffalo is 50 minutes from me. They have what they call their "northtowns and southtowns" rather than the typical eastside/westside. One year, one of the two (i think the north towns but cant remember) got over 8 feet in like a day and a half, while grass could be seen through the snow in the other half of the area. People died. It was insane. We are known for getting crazy snow here. in 2017 we broke some record where in the hours of commute, like 7a to 6p we got over 12" and it was about 15f. That was nuts but I kept my normal schedule and so did my company

[HighFlyingBird]

Originally Posted by Drew1987

I’ll check into that! For normal weather we have cute solutions. My son has. Thin fake leather bomber, warm but not for 45 below. My daughter has a packable (puffy but easily compresses) pink cute coat. Blankets are a decent item too I guess my the 3.5 year old likes to walk and not be carried


So how did you all do with the blast? We had to walk 2 blocks today against the wind so strong it was hard to walk, -2°F without windchill. No kids. Got through it. Will be 15° tomorrow and 50f by Monday

My kids are older now (12 and 13) so car seats aren't an issue. But we stayed in for the whole blast. The only time I went out was to grab a box that was delivered. I have asthma that doesn't like the extreme cold. It was maybe 15 seconds outside and then I had to come in and use my inhaler several times.

My realtor gave me great advice. She said pick a house that you really love being in...because sometimes you cant leave it for a couple days. Not often, but worth being picky! I took her advice and am glad I did.

[Pincho-toot]

These brutal sub zero days don't last forever, and you'd be surprised how it can be -20 one day and three days later we are pushing mid 40s. Doesn't always happen, but more often then you'd think. Kind of happened back in January but I think we only maxed out at 41 that time. The winter before I believe we went from -10 or so to 45ish at least once or twice.



Most of the season the temperatures are cold but they're not unfathomable like it was a month ago with that "big chill."


I'd rather my kids play in the snow at 0 than be outside at 100 like you do for even longer periods down in Texas. (Either conditions are fine with moderation, though)


I notice kids in Minnesota play outside more than in the South, nowadays. In winter time you see them sledding from snowbanks or making igloos. Its cute. Kids here play outside as much as I did in Florida in the late '90s and early '00s when I was growing up. In my 20s now and in Texas or Florida I never see little kids playing outside. Maybe y'all are just way more outdoorsy in the way kids are raised, which is definitely a good thing. More of that and less of being inside on a gadget all day.

[tlarnla]

My daughter just joined a group called "Snow tunnelers Unite".
Her and the neighbor girls dug several caves out of the snowbanks.

It would be nice to have a hill in the yard, though, so she could go sledding. I don't have a car yet , so I can't take her to any sledding hills.



She was born in Japan, and even though it's a nice country, I felt bad that she didn't get the fun of a Minnesota winter there. Kids love it.

[WinterJo]

You just kind of get used to it. When we moved there from VA, I thought it was nuts when people jogged by my house when it as -20 out. My winter baby would always take her sock off in the car and fight me when I put them back on when we got out of the car. She was the same kid who tried to sneak outside buck naked when it was 50F to play on the swingset. The kids just acclimate and we do too after a while.

[demtion35]

Originally Posted by Drew1987

Hello everyone,

I am a Rochester, NY (diagonally 350 miles north west of the "city") native. Our Western NY winters are extreme to some people, but nothing like yours. Typically, December-march see 20f's every day and there are many above freezing breaks throughout. Tomorrow and Thursday are to be 1f, with -30f wind chills. This got me thinking... my wife and kids will be hunkered down for fear of the walk between the car and anywhere they would go (more for the kids [1.5 and 3.5 years old] sake, than my wife's), but you guys deal with below zero weather more frequently than not in the winter. What do you parents of 0-5 year old kids do between the car and the store/play place/whatever when its a 200 yard walk and -40 with the wind chill? I realize this isn't life or death with commons sense, and it wouldn't really bother me, but it would be a nightmare with kiddos. What do you do to make it livable?


Thanks!


Drew

Most adults that go into the BWCAW for a overnight paddle, who take their kids with them, have the kids look over and help plan the upcoming trip, and route. It is very exciting to look over and dream of all the possible routes to take in the upcoming season.

[Hockeygirl063]

Originally Posted by Citykid3785

You just bundle up really well. But something no one has mentioned is this.....infants and toddlers aren't supposed to wear coats in their carseat for safety reasons. This means that no matter how prepared you try to be, you can't avoid having to open the door, take the child out of the seat in the cold, then try and wrangle a coat on him/her, which may not even be worth the trouble depending on how long the sprint to the door is.

Remote start is also a big help to ensure the car is warm when you get in. To a certain degree, I've learned that temperatures are somewhat relative to what you are used to. Your body does adapt. I recently moved to Atlanta, and it almost seems that people here feel as miserable in 20 degrees as Minnesotans do in minus 10. On one hand it's a 30 degree swing, on the other hand, it matters more how much a departure the current temp is from what you are used to. I hope I'm making sense......

although it rarely gets very cold here in Oregon i miss having the remote start. Our HHR had it and we used on those cold and rainy days. But our newer Equinox does not have it. Could of used it this winter as we have had quite a few days below freezing late at night early in the morning. Been having flurries off and on. And i see you guys are getting another storm. Wish i was there I love snow.

[Cruz Azul Guy]

The playing outside thing works when it’s above zero but becomes a safety concern on days where it’s below zero. That’s when we stick to indoor activities. In the Twin Cities there are several indoor parks where kids can play. We also tend to spend time walking around malls, going to the zoos, museums and libraries. One great option if you’re looking for a warm place to walk around is the downtown Minneapolis skyways. They are quiet and almost peaceful on weekends. We sometimes go there, stop at Target and the Central Library and eat in the Crystal Court.

[katrenco]

I was raised in MN, and kids played outside in my day, summer AND winter. Kids didn't sit in the house, it got boring in the house (you could watch TV, although my parents restricted how much, but we got only 2 channels, so that was limited entertainment, anyway.) One can dress for comfort in even the coldest MN winter days IF there is no WIND! Winter wind is particularly dangerous, and a cold winter day paired with a wind is likely not a day to be outdoors if you don't have to be. That being said, dressing appropriately is key, and appropriate winter wear is always LAYERED, you MUST dress in layers, beginning with winter underwear, top and bottom, and piling on from there. Get some hand warmers and mittens, good head wear and face scarves or face masks, warm boots that allow for at least 2 pairs of socks with room to spare. Final layer should be a warm, insulated parka and snow pants or full body snow suit with some ability to shed snow and wet. It's always good to have a warm hood, even if it isn't needed all the time (remember, you'll have other warm head gear on already). An insulated, oversized hood can not only protect from cold temps, but also from wind if it's big enough to "burrow" into. Go out and buy what you need, check 2nd hand stores for more affordable choices if money is an issue. Nothing should be tight except maybe that first layer of underwear. Dress quickly and GET OUT OF THE HOUSE before you start to sweat! (Tight clothing or sweaty body = cold person once outside!) Teach your kids how to dress appropriately and how dangerous freezing weather can be if they aren't dressed right. Teach them how to enjoy winter.....how to be SAFE and how to play outdoors.....sledding, skiing, skating, snowboarding, snowmobiling, snow forts, snow men/people, ice fishing, hokey, etc. If you learn how to be safe, how to dress right and how to play in the cold, Minnesota winters can be quite enjoyable, fun, ESPECIALLY for kids!