Packing clothes for a snow trip with kids, especially if you have three kids, as I do, can be overwhelming. You want to make sure your kids don’t freeze, but you may need help figuring out how to do it. When we first went on a snow trip, I was writing all kinds of lists to remember. The most essential clothes, then, as I had a baby, were all baby stuff like food, hygiene utensils, and toys. And there are things for the car as we travel 700km, about eight hours car ride.
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CLOTHING ESSENTIALS
- Upper layers of clothing per child – undervest, a cotton long-sleeve t-shirt, a fleece top and, of course, a snow jacket. For children who ski, there are special skiing sweatshirts. Do not over-layer, or your child will overheat.
- Bottom layers of clothing per child – long underwear bottoms, or for warm girls tights, and ski pants. For my small children, I always buy ski pants that are like a suit but with no sleeves so that they can undress easily. Avoid one-piece snowsuits as they are challenging to undress, especially for kids who might have bathroom emergencies. Also, when you go for lunch or a drink, it is easier to take off the jacket than a one-piece snowsuit. Ski pants with suspenders are suitable for older children who ski because ski pants without suspenders tend to slip when skiing.
- For small children, you do not need ski socks; any thermal socks are good to keep their feet warm. I always put light cotton socks and then thermal socks above them. For older children who ski or go skiing, school ski socks are essential, and they do not need two pairs of socks. Warm ski socks are for ski boots, and it is good to take another pair of warm socks to change after they finish skiing.
- Snow boots for outside play. Ski pants have a cover for boots, so be sure always to put that above the snow boots to avoid snow entering their boots. For indoor activity, take comfortable shoes like tennis shoes or sleepers as they want their feet to rest, especially after skiing.
- Take mittens for smaller kids and gloves for older kids. For outside play, be sure to have waterproof gloves, and if you go to a restaurant or shopping, they can put more comfortable wool gloves. For even older children, now it is possible to buy gloves that are touch screen sensitive. These are also perfect for proud parents so their fingers do not freeze when they take pictures of their children for snow memories.
- Tube-shaped neck warmers also called “neck gators”, can be easily pulled up over lips or noses when it gets too cold or snows or pulled on the head as a substitute for a cap after your children take off the skiing helmet.
- Sunscreen or even better weather protection cream specially made for cold weather.
- One lip balm for each child to carry in a pocket.
- Sunglasses and ski goggles, even though it is hard to put sunglasses on a small child, and a knit hat with a brim to cut out the sun or beanie caps are better choices. Goggles for skiing are a must-have, as well as a helmet. Head and eye protection are critical.
- I always take dry snacks or cookies for kids going out on snow playing or skiing. The only thing worse than a wet, cold kid is a wet, cold, hungry kid. If you have ever seen the lunchtime queues at a ski resort cafeteria, you’ll want to have snacks or fruit in your bag to keep children calm until lunch is prepared.
This is a list for one day of snow. For longer trips, take enough warm socks for the whole stay, undervests, cotton long sleeve t-shirts and long underwear bottoms or warm tights for girls.
CAR ESSENTIALS
- Bottled water to prevent dehydration. I bring two bottles of 0.5l for each person.
- We take sandwiches and snacks and sometimes even stop at a highway restaurant for lunch, as the drive is long.
- Pillows and blankets are always good to have in a car if you stop somewhere and wait, for example, to clean the roads, and car heating may not be enough for children to be warm while driving through mountains.
- Kids’ activities and portable DVD player because kids get bored
- Bags for garbage, so you do not have to clean the car when you arrive at your destination. And also tissues and paper towels you always need when travelling with children.
- If you know your children suffer from car sicknesses, give them some medicine on time and have some more during the ride. I usually give my children homoeopathic medicine for travel sickness.
- Some change if we have to pay for the toilet on the highway.
- When my children were babies, I carried a bottle warmer plus an extra diaper bag filled with diapers, formula, baby food and clothing.
- An itinerary folder with a hard copy of the daily agenda, including information on ski resorts, lodging, preferred cafe or rest stops along the way, emergency contact numbers, and so forth.
THINGS THAT I ALWAYS TAKE ON VACATION WITH CHILDREN
First aid kit with a minimum of bandages, scissors, and ointments. I also take the thermometer and medications for fever and pain relief. Saline nose spray and nasal spray for a stuffed nose. My children are no longer small, but I always carry wet baby wipes. Cleaning tissues for minor incidents like spilling tea or milk.
DRIVE SMART AND SAFE
Many snowy regions are at the end of slippery, mountainous roads, and getting there can be challenging. Remember to carry chains, even if you have a 4WD, in case there are areas of black ice. Keep your headlights on even in the middle of the day. The best thing is to park your car in a garage. If you do not have this possibility, lift your wipers off the windscreen so the rubber blades don’t stick to the glass.
This all can seem overwhelming, but actually, it is not. When you arrive at your destination, take your children out on the snow, make a snowman, and forget all about pre-voyage worries.
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