Sure, I like snow, skiing, hot chocolate etc. – but overall I hate winter with toddlers in the PNW. I thrive outdoors and when I can easily kick my two wild boys out into the backyard when I need a break, so the months of dark, rainy, cold weather here in Washington State really get to me.
Now that I’ve survived 4 winters with toddlers, here are some hacks I’ve picked up along the way:
1.
Plan a cozy activity to look forward to.
We started family movie nights this year and it has been a fun way to survive winter with toddlers. It’s such a simple activity, but by setting a date, I can look forward to it all week. We pop popcorn with a Hot Air Popcorn Maker and usually have Sour Patch Kids to go along with it. My kids don’t sit through a full movie but it is still fun to cuddle up with snacks for however long we get.
My family and I also love to make our own pizzas. The kids get to help roll out the dough (store bought for ease) and pick their own yummy toppings. That has a little more clean up to it, but there are other super easy activities you can plan. Like game nights. My pediatrician recommended this board game for our 4-year-old and it’s honestly really fun for me and my husband to play too. Even my 2-year-old can play with us, when he’s feeling cooperative.
2.
Abide by the motto, “there’s no such thing as bad weather, only bad gear”.
No matter how grouchy I am about putting on layers, I always feel better after shoving my kids into our double stroller (that barely fits them at this point) or backpack carrier and taking a (cold) hot mom walk. My ears are weirdly sensitive to cold, so I have a bunch of cute beanies and ear warmers to put on, plus rain suits for my kids.
My mom-of-the-year advice is to bribe them with gummies or screen time to get in the stroller. Whatever it takes because I always find myself being a WAY better mom after a little fresh air.
3.
Set up a muddy clothes washing system.
My poor, poor washing machine really earns her keep during the winter. After a muddy walk to stomp in puddles, my kids and I undress in the garage. From there I throw the clothes straight in the washer and put our shoes and boots in our mud room sink. When I didn’t have a mud room sink, I used a hose I kept dedicated to cleaning off dirty shoes and boots during the winter.
Part of going out in the winter means getting wet and/or muddy, so having this system in place makes it so much easier for me to go outside and survive winter with toddlers.
4.
Shop for open-ended indoor toys.
I’m so happy for everyone who has kids that will sit and color, but that doesn’t happen for me. My boys’ longest coloring streak is less than 5 minutes. BUT they will sit and build car tracks with Picassotiles and build robots with this bristlelock block set. We also build lots of ‘Floor is Lava’ courses with our wooden stepping stones and play gym. I found our wooden play gym with slide on Facebook Marketplace.
5.
Plan for your favorite season.
When I’m feeling cooped up, it helps to open up my notes app and add to my annual bucket list by season. For example, I am excited to take my kids to the coast this spring, blueberry picking in the summer and apple picking in the fall. I’ll research locations to visit, which helps remind me that the rain will eventually stop and the sun will come out again.
Other things I’ll plan is my garden: which plants will go where etc. AND my annual family photo session. I’m a family and newborn photographer, so this may be a more niche interest, but I LOVE scrolling through Pinterest for family outfit inspo and thinking through the types of photos I want from my photo session. This year I want candid, snuggly and joyful photos of my family in our home and outside in our garden. Even though our session is booked for September, I have my dress picked out and have started thinking through what my kids would feel comfortable in.
I hope these ideas help you out!
You can click this link for my Toddler Winter Gear list for rain suits, strollers and open-ended toys I personally use and recommend for surviving winter with toddlers. I do earn commission on some of these links, so if you’re thinking about buying an item, I’d love if you did so through my link.
Take care and talk soon,
Lena
P.S. If you’d like more parenting and/or family photo tips from me, you can subscribe to my email newsletter here.
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