Recreational & Family - Keeping kids warm....????

With winter soon upon us I was wondering if you all had any tricks for keeping the wee ones warm. I pull a trek 2 kid trailer and really don't care to ride without my kiddos. Im really trying to not loose steam over the winter months but am unsure how warm I can keep the kids in there...... any ideas / experiences???

With lots of good insulative layers, you should be fine, particularly in the trailer where the walls will trap body heat. Full body snowsuits are great. REI makes a down one for infants/young toddlers (http://www.rei.com/product/815981/rei-down-infant-suit-infant-boys), that if anything is likely to overheat them in a trailer. My kids are more exposed and we've had very good luck with snow suit + balaclava + gaiter (http://flickr.com/gp/fletzet/sWb2C6).

Turtle fur makes kids balaclavas for under-helmet wear: http://www.turtlefur.com/kunder.php

Excellent thanks for the help.

Do not neglect to insulate the bottom areas where they sit. People tend to neglect that area and they are all nice and warm on top and frost bitten at the bottom.

I dress one layer less than the kids. If I start getting cold I know they are too!

Babylegs or the like are great, too. They're easy to put on without removing other layers, they fit a range of ages, and you can add them to toes or fingers to add warmth where you need it. The bamboo ones are supposed to stay warm when wet, but I'm not sure how to test that. http://babyclothes.about.com/b/2009/01/01/leg-huggers-bamboo-baby-leg-warmers.htm

I found a warm quilt worked well. Back before cars had heaters, car blankets were standard items. I still have my grandparents one somewhere.

Paul

i'm an iconoclast. besides all of the excellent remarks above, in sub 40°F weather i also use chemical foot warmers on the seat of my trailer (mind you, not a hard plastic rear seat; but a sturdy, heavy-weight cordura nylon seat). i then add a high-loft blanket on top of the warmers to make burning impossible (and my kid is also wearing a high-loft cold suit). the result to the touch after 30 minutes, 1 hour, and 2 hours, is a pleasantly warm (never hot) seating area; IME it fades after 2.5 hours. my kid has never complained. in fact, if her enthusiasm to go back outside and do it some more is an indicator (and i say it is), then it's a success.

just make sure you've got proper padding above the warmer. i've tried this down to about 15°F. beyond that, i just don't go out with the little ones.

Cool beans. Thanks for the help. I was wondering about a way to use got hands, guess that's the trick there.