Termination dust (first snow in the mountains) is here! Dressing your little one for the outdoors is now more important than ever. Fortunately there are some amazing resources available here in Anchorage. Local author of
Babes in the Woods, Jen Aist will be teaching her annual
Babes in the Snow class at Providence Hospital
next Saturday 10/2/10 from 12-2:30 in the West Aud. at Providence. Scholarships available or register at
www.providence.org/childrenshospital or call
212-8474. Her book can also be found at any of the local bookstores.
Basically you want to think about dressing your baby as you would for the current weather conditions. Keep in mind that your child is not exercising while being worn or pushed in a stroller, so they may need even more clothing than you. If you are wearing your child in a carrier such as an ERGO or a Beco carrier, you will transfer body heat back and forth to one another, however this does not occur in most frame packs and strollers.
Base layers are key. You want your child's core to maintain it's normal temperature. Moisture wicking base layers such as wool and polypro are important as they keep your child dry, even if they sweat or have snow get in between their layers. You don't want moisture to get trapped and freeze on their skin. Your outer layers will be typical fleece, buntings or snowsuits. Hats, wool socks (or other wicking material) & mittens are also important to always have with you, just in case. I often put my adult size socks on my child's feet over his base layer so that when he is in a carrier his skin is not exposed when his pants inevitably ride up. Wool socks make great mitts too.
While most of the gear you need can be purchased at REI, many parents in the group have found items for cheaper at the local consignment shops, craigslist, ebay, and the REI outlet online. Why pay full price if you don't need to.
I also always have extra gear on hand. If you have any questions or would like try or see some of the gear in person feel free to
email me and I can make sure to bring it to the next Trek.
As is typical with weather on the Turnagain Arm, we took a gamble, and it was miserable and windy down there. We had a lot of brave mamas show up anyhow. Mother Nature didn't show up and clear the skies for us like she usually does. We were flexible and changed plans. We headed to the always amazing Girdwood playground to mingle and play and many met up for coffee and lunch after.
Termination dust (first snow in the mountains) is here! Dressing your little one for the outdoors is now more important than ever. Fortunately there are some amazing resources available here in Anchorage. Local author of Babes in the Woods, Jen Aist will be teaching her annual Babes in the Snow class at Providence Hospital next Saturday 10/2/10 from 12-2:30 in the West Aud. at Providence. Scholarships available or register at www.providence.org/childrenshospital or call 212-8474. Her book can also be found at any of the local bookstores.
Basically you want to think about dressing your baby as you would for the current weather conditions. Keep in mind that your child is not exercising while being worn or pushed in a stroller, so they may need even more clothing than you. If you are wearing your child in a carrier such as an ERGO or a Beco carrier, you will transfer body heat back and forth to one another, however this does not occur in most frame packs and strollers.
While most of the gear you need can be purchased at REI, many parents in the group have found items for cheaper at the local consignment shops, craigslist, ebay, and the REI outlet online. Why pay full price if you don't need to. 
Once again Mother Nature came and joined in the fun! It was super foggy when we began, but cleared up by the middle of the hike. We saw a long stretch of bear tracks on the beach! The kids all got a chance to play together and snack midway. Three new mamas and babes joined us! I counted 15 parents and 14 kids for a total of 29 participants along with 5 pups.
