Outdoor time-when is it too cold?

[monkeymama]

We go outside every day because we have to take my daughter to the bus stop. It was -13 today, I bundled them all up, put the wind protector on my stroller and walked as briskly as i could! Anything beyond that, we are outside after bus drop off for atleast 30-60 mins. The fresh air is good for them and me.

[sunnydays]

We don't play outside if it is colder than -12 with the wind chill. However, we have to go to the bus stop every day to take my son to his school bus. Today it was -30 with the windchill!!!! I am wondering, those of you that do school or schoolbus runs, do you ever cancel the bus run if it is that cold? We are only out for about 10-15 minutes max and I bundle the kids (working on getting parents to pack better clothing to layer). We are forecast for -25 or colder (with windchill) for the entire week and I don't want my son to miss school every time it is cold. What do others do?

[playfelt]

I used to tuck a couple hot water botles into the wagon on school run days. I also used to put a sleeping bag in the bottom of the wagon and up the sides and a quilt on top of them and of course packed in like sardines didn't hurt either in winter. I had a wind cover but it wasn't realiable. Wind covers were not things that were used back then.

Put vaseline on their faces - not lotion - straight vaseline, use scarves over the mouths to help with breathing the cold air.

Make sure there are as many layers under their bums as on top of them. I remember a few instances of kids getting frostbite one really bad year from moms putting kids into a stroller and then a blanket on them only to find out when they got home their back/butt, back of the legs that had dangled down had signs of frostbite.

I did cancel school runs if it got past -30 and yes that often meant a few days in a row but thought the health of everyone including me was more important than walking to the school - no bussing for under 2 kilometers back then so we walked - not doing 4 trips of that with a wagon of 5. So do not miss the school runs.

[sunnydays]

Playfetl...I use a Bye Bye Buggy so I can't really put anything under them...maybe I could tuck blankets into the seatbelts or something. We only have to go two blocks, so if you are dressed well, it isn't bad. My two kids were not too cold as they have good jackets, hats, and layers underneath. I have asked parents for scarves/neckwarmers and sweaters for under jackets. It just astounds me how parents dress kids in extreme weather as if it were a summer day (I had one show up in a shortsleeve T-Shirt today!!!!). I use my kids clothes when necessary as I won't let the kids suffer for their parents lack of thought.