Winter clothing for children should have features that allow the child to move freely while also keeping them warm. This mcoeans it should be both loose-fitting and warm. What characteristics should winter clothing for children have?
Children's Winter Streetwear
The most suitable style for children is a sporty one. This includes jackets, overalls, and warm pants, which are perfect for the cold season.
This clothing can include a heating element, such as lightweight and voluminous synthetic padding or non-woven material, which retains heat well. Children's winter clothing is also often layered (with a membrane).
Overalls are very comfortable for the child, as there is no need to select a matching jacket and pants. Adjustable straps on the overalls are very convenient, as they can be adjusted to the child's size.
The main thing is that the outfit should be compact and provide good protection against rain, snow, cold, and fog.
What is important for a child's winter clothing?
The design of winter clothing for a child should meet all hygiene requirements, depending on its intended use.
For outdoor play, the clothing can be warmer, and for sports, it should allow the child to stay dry. The child's upper winter clothing should fit snugly with thinner layers of clothing underneath, but it should be designed in a way that prevents wind from entering the sleeves and the bottom of the clothing.
If parents, fearing that their child will get cold, purchase heavy and dense winter clothing, it can compress the blood vessels near the child's skin.
This can worsen tissue and organ nutrition, slow down blood flow, and make the child even colder instead of keeping them warm. Parents should be aware that tightly fitting winter jackets can worsen the child's breathing, especially during active movements, and tight pants can affect the digestive system, as the organs are in the abdominal cavity.
Therefore, the design of children's winter clothing should be comfortable, age-appropriate, and allow the child to move freely.
Protection from the Cold
In winter, clothing should primarily protect the child from the cold. Therefore, it's important to carefully consider what the jacket or outfit is made of (the composition is listed on the label). The best protection against the cold is offered by materials made of multiple layers. Cotton, batting, and synthetic padding have low weight and good insulation.
They protect the child from the cold due to their porous and multi-layered structure. Sheepskin is the warmest, as sheepskin can be up to 50 mm thick. These winter clothes are the warmest.
Children are often very active when playing outside during the winter, especially younger children. Parents should know that during active movement, a child generates 3 to 5 times more heat energy than when at rest.
Therefore, the more the child moves, the thinner the jacket should be; otherwise, the child may overheat and get cold, increasing the risk of catching a cold.
Considering that the child may sweat and it can rain or snow, winter clothing should absorb moisture from the interior and not allow it to escape to the outside, while also drying quickly. Therefore, it is optimal to purchase winter jackets for children made from waterproof fabric.
Layering Winter Clothing
It's beneficial for a child to wear multiple layers of clothing in winter. Firstly, this creates additional warmth, and secondly, it allows for the formation of air pockets between the layers, promoting natural ventilation and allowing the child's skin to breathe. However, each additional layer not only provides extra warmth but also adds weight to the child's clothing. Therefore, there should be a balance.
It's important to understand that there's no need to bundle up a child excessively, as there is an optimal number of clothing layers.
Starting with the third layer of clothing, heat retention doesn't improve, and in fact, it can become less effective. For example, the second and third layers of children's clothing increase the temperature inside by one and a half degrees, but the third layer and above only raise it by half a degree.
When you reach the fifth or sixth layer of children's clothing, there is practically no additional increase in warmth. However, all these layers of winter clothing add extra weight that the child must carry, limiting their mobility and taking away the joy of playing.
If you're taking the child to kindergarten or if they are indoors, it is advisable to use multiple layers of clothing.
Winter clothing for preschool-age children at different room temperatures
Air temperature °C |
What clothes? |
Number of layers of winter clothing |
16-17 ° |
Cotton linen, woolen or woolen half-dress, knitted jacket, tights (and on the legs slippers or warm shoes). |
3 - 4 |
18-20 ° |
Cotton linen, half-woolen dress or shirt or dress made of thick cotton fabric, thin tights (and on the feet of shoes) |
2 - 3 |
21-22 ° |
Cotton linen, dress made of fine cotton canvas - can be with a short sleeve or a shirt, socks or knee-highs (on the feet of shoes or sandals) |
2 |
23 °+ |
A thin cotton dress or without it or a shirt; light sleeveless dress, socks (at the feet of the sandals) |
1 |
To ensure that children are comfortable in the house during the winter, girls can wear dresses, and boys can wear shirts made from natural fabrics such as cotton, bamboo, flannel, tartan, or wool. When it comes to woolen children's clothing, you can incorporate some viscose or cotton to prevent any itching. Synthetic fibers in woolen fabrics should not exceed 35%, for example, polyester. Polyester content in children's woolen clothing should not exceed 40% for those under the age of three. For children aged four and older, it's acceptable to use a slightly higher proportion of synthetic materials in winter clothing, like sweaters, pants, and jackets, up to 50%.
Children's clothing for winter walks
Weather |
Activity |
Outerwear |
Number of layers |
+3 - 3 °, winding up to 2 m/s |
Average |
Overalls |
3-4 |
-4-10 °, winding up to 2 m/s |
Average |
Overalls or jacket with insulated pants |
4-3 |
-11 - 15 °, winding up to 2 m/s |
Average |
Overalls or jacket, fur coat |
5-4 |
-16 - 20 °, winding up to 2 m/s |
Intensive |
Fur coat, warm jacket, overalls |
5-4 |
Winter clothing for children should not only be warm and waterproof but also bright and beautiful, so that the little one not only stays protected from the cold but also enjoys each day.