Keeping Kids Warm in Alaskan Winters

Our approach to keeping our kids warm has shifted significantly with our numerous opportunities for field testing over the years.

Before reading my suggestions, please note that this is not a comprehensive comparison of gear options, but rather an account of what I’ve tried, what has worked, and the solutions I’ve found to the problems we’ve encountered. When I find something that works well, I stick with it. There’s no reason for me to go searching or trying out all the other options, I know there are many!

Over the years, we’ve used many hand-me-downs and thrift finds. In fact, one of my favorite snow suits—the Cat suit, as we came to call it, thanks to the cat outline on both shoulders—was borrowed from a friend and kept both Atlee and Melozi warm for many adventures when they were young.

Now that I have four kids, I have less time to thrift, and turn to my go-tos when fall comes around and I need a new size to fit growing kids, or to replace heavily worn gear. Here are my favorites, along with some information on how we layer our kids to keep them warm and happy outside in Alaskan winters.

Baselayers

When the girls were young, I mostly used Patagonia two-piece baselayers, and since I have them, I’ve used them for Yukla and Eska as well. Patagonia doesn’t make the base layers I used to buy anymore, but you can still find them on Poshmark or other second-hand apps like Kidizen or resale Facebook pages. Just search “Patagonia baselayers and look for the striped pattern you see below.

Now when I buy base layers for my growing kids I buy wool. My go-to’s are Simply Marino, Ella’s Wool, Polarn O. Pyret , and a new favorite because I love supporting local businesses is Wildhaven Wools. They offer many baselayer options including pants with double knees.

Mid-layer

Our Mid-layers change the most based on the weather. When it’s warm, we skip them (kids throw snow suits over whatever clothes they are wearing), and when it’s a little chilly, we might add a fleece jacket. I’ve stuck with the Patagonia Micro D snap-T over the years because it’s a known, but any fleecy layer will do. I also like Patagonia’s fleece bunting for the baby stage, and I’ve also used it as a layer at night when we are home to keep the babies warm when they still haven’t mastered keeping a blanket on.

When we are outside in frigid temps, we add down jackets underneath snowsuits to really pack in the warmth. Patagonias hi-loft down sweater and Marmot’s guide down hoody having been doing the trick lately. They also double as their daily jacket to wear to school, and I’ve been consistently able to find them on Poshmark for a reasonable price.

For mid-layer bottoms, we love Ella’s wool tubes, and I pray they don’t stop making them. In fact, one year they made them in adult sizes, and I wish I had ordered a pair for myself.

Outer layer

We’ve tried snow pants, jackets, and full snow suits, and both my kids and I have decided that we are big fans of the one-piece snow suits. Nowadays, all I buy is Didricksons suits, and while they are warm and durable, the one thing that makes them a notch above the rest in my mind, is their strong (and replaceable) boot straps. Nothing brings a kid inside faster than getting snow in their boots or up their pant leg, well, maybe cold hands… but I have a solution for that too if you read on. All to say, this suit has been a game changer. I buy them a size up to allow for layers on cold days.

Hats/head gear.

Didrickson makes a really warm hat that my kids love. Polarn O. Pyret has great thin wool hats, neck gaiters, and balaclavas. I tend to use a balaclava with a hat over it for my kids when they are little, or when it’s really cold, and a neck gaiter the rest of the time.

We also had a turtle fur shellaclava for a while that we loved and got a lot of use out of.

I happened to have a few Skida alpine headbands for myself, and I found that they worked well to put around smaller kids’ necks and faces to keep them warm.

Gloves

–Stonz snow mitt– has been a favorite for a while now. I love how they are long enough to extend over the snow suit and effectively keep snow from getting up their sleeves. They are also easy to put on.

On really cold days, we will put a mitten or glove like this basic one from Polarn O. Pyret (any thin mitten or glove works, bonus if it’s wool) with the option to add a hot hand between the mitten and the snow mitt when it’s really cold. I would be careful adding a hot hand without a mitten protecting the skin, they can get hot.

As kids get older, I’ve found some reasonably priced Swany gloves on Poshmark that have worked well, although they aren’t as effective at keeping snow out.

Boots

Long ago I found a pair of Baffin mustang boots at a thrift store, and I’ve stuck with them since they seem like one of the warmest kids boots out there. I always get boots that are a couple sizes larger then my kids shoe size so theres lots of room for warm socks, to wiggle their toes, and foot warmers if needed.

Socks

Baselayers and socks are two things I do prioritize buying wool. Smartwool has served us well, I’ve also liked Polarn O. Pyret thinner wool socks for warmer days.

Tips & Tricks.

-Poshmark. Since I know exactly what brands and sizes I’m usually looking for, I do find some great deals on gently used gear on Poshmark, and I recommend it as a first stop before spending full price.

-Cheek balm. When Atlee was a little baby we took her out skiing on a cold day to later find we had frozen the layer of fat on her cheek under her skin (or pediatrician informed us of this). Now we make sure to add a protective layer of beeswax, or vasolene to their cheeks and chin in addition to covering it up with a wool layer.

-One simple trick that always gave me peace of mind with young kids, is keeping an oversized adult puffy jacket in our gear bag. I knew that if we were out and I was struggling to keep them warm, I could always put my kids’ legs in my arms, zip it up, and hold them close to keep them warm. Keeping a thermos of a warm beverage is also great at warming up cold kids.

-Don’t underestimate the value of a simple fleece onesie pajama like this. We’ve used them as baselayers over the years and are always sure to bring one or two for our smallest kiddos when we are out on long winter adventures for jammies and a backup baselayer. They dry quick, and we love that they are an all in one solution.

Brand Summeries

-Didrickson- Look for snowsuits, warm hats, and I would happily try any of their rain gear or other base layers. Scandanavian brands seem to have a much better handle on how to keep kids warm and happy while playing outside.

-Polarn O. Pyret. Shop for wool baselayers, thin Marino hats, balaclavas, mittens, and neck gaiters. I also like their waterproof lined mittens better than Didricksons.

-Patagonia. I shop Patagonia for their fleece, both the Micro D Snap T, and their Micro D fleece bunting. I also love their hi-loft baby bunting and hi-loft down sweater.

I hope this gives you some new ideas on ways to keep your kiddos happily playing outside all winter long!