Help-My Daughter is Freezing!

[Skatie]

My 6 year old daughter is in her second year of skating and doing quite well. She is very petite and thin. She only weighs 40lbs. We dress her in the beige heavy figure skating tights and another pair of pants tights over top of those. She always wears a turtle neck and one or two sweatshirts over top. I think I've finally found a pair of gloves that keep her warm, but she always comes off the ice close to tears about how cold her feet/toes and hands are. She refuses to wear a hat even though I think it would help her keep the heat in. I tried to get some skate warmers, but there are none small enough to fit her skates (kids size 10), and they didn't feel like they'd provide any insolation anyways. Anyone else have any suggestions on how to keep her feet warm. Thanks, Jo

[Clarice]

You might try warming inside her skates with a blow dryer before she goes out on the ice. We also have a couple of those things that you use for sore muscles - sort of long bean bags that you heat in the microwave, you know what I mean? You could heat them up at home, and then put them in her skates as you drive to the rink. My daughter hasn't had severe problems with the cold, but we used to warm her boots when she was breaking in new ones. I'm not sure how long the warming effect will last, but it's worth a try. Good luck!

[JD]

Giggle.... I have a ten year old skater weighing not much more than this-she is just genetically tiny, smile...but I know what you mean...

First, does she wear "skating pants" over the beige tights. mine goes barefoot in her skates and wears two pairs of footless skating tights, 1 a size bigger than the other, and then her crash pads, and then her skating pants. She wears pants by Explosion sports, they are lycra and polyester, and they are pretty resistant to water.

Mondor also has a pair of fleece skating pants that seem remarkably waterproof which she has worn in the past.. The sheepskin boot covers are really warm, but cause havoc with jumps and cross overs so we never use them anymore.

Also, Mondor and Explosion have warm jackets that are fleecelined that seem very warm. Also layer, starting with a long T-shirt, that gets tucked into the tights. then a fleecy shirt-try Old Navy.....also, as for mitten, I recommend Fleece GAP. But there is a company in Canada, don't know what its called, will check, that makes fleecy mitts that are quite waterproof. lBut they look like mini Canadian flags. look at your skating shops, they might have a similar variation.

Once they start moving alot, you will find they warm up. Although she wears lots of tights/pants, still...she often gets right down to her T-shirt.

Get her hot chocolate so her insides are warm. Other than these, don't know what to suggest. Good luck!!

[Blue Line]

Skatie,
I don't know what kind of seamstress you are, but have you considered sewing your daughter skate covers? I have seen quite a few kids in group lessons wearing fleece skate covers over their rental skates to keep their feet warm during their lessons, and apparently they help (though I'm not sure how much). The little girls love the bright pinks and purples of the fleeces in comparison to the brown rentals!
I wouldn't wear a hat as a kid either (and still won't, and it drives my mom crazy to this day), so Mom and I compromised with a headband. It's certainly better than nothing.

Good luck!

[Mrs Redboots]

Definitely boot covers - I can post a recipe - pattern, rather - for those among us who enjoy knitting (I've knitted an awful lot of boot covers just lately!). Or you can make them very easily buy cutting a pair of thick woollen socks along the sole and then hemming them.

Inside her boots, I recommend those very very thin microfibre socks that you can get from catalogues. Microfibre gloves, too. If you are skating out-of-doors, then a securely fastened hat would be essential; indoors it would probably be disallowed.

And an awful lot of skating mothers and teachers are heard to say to those who complain of being cold: Well, go and SKATE then, and you'll soon warm up! Which, of course, is true - as long as you know that in theory she is warmly-enough dressed!

[arena_gal]

Skate covers made with stretch lycra fleece. The inside side is like polar fleece, the outside is smooth. I think Jerry's makes little kid costumes with this stuff but the fabric is readily available.

Every rink has a mom who sews. Find her and have these made up. There is also windproof polar fleece (for mitts and vests) and it's easy enough to make fleece waterproof by using NikWax.

For ideas of these fabrics try http://justmakeit.com. To buy the ultimate in warm underwear, try http://www.rei.com or http://www.mec.ca

[dbny]

Warming the insides of the boots in advance really does help. In cold weather I put my opened skate bag in front of the car's heat vent on the way to the rink and make sure my feet are warm to start also. I've found that starting with warm feet and boots takes me to the point where the energy generated by skating can take over and I rarely get frozen feet any more.

Re boot covers. Neoprene socks sold for hunting are less expensive than boot covers. For adult sizes, I just slice the sole of the sock to make a boot cover, for smaller sizes, you will have to sew the toe or heel smaller and cut the excess.

[jasmine]

Cotton can be quite cold because it holds sweat which cools by evaporation. I found this out the hard way, because I too used to wear cotton t-shirts and sweatshirts as a beginner.

Polyester velvet, polyester fleece, wool, silk, etc are better as they are wicking fabrics and do not hold the moisture. A thermal vest would be a good idea. Ski shops sell fashion headbands which are very warm.

[icenut84]

Warm feet and boots to start with is a good idea. Aswell as heating in the car, before you put her skates on, you could try massaging her feet and toes a little in order to get some heat into them, or having her roll her feet around on a tennis ball.

[flo]

I have seen the skate warmers with the zipper on top in very small sizes. In fact, I saw a pair at the Northwest Ice rink in Baltimore. Where are you? If you want, call then and see what size they are, and I'll pick them up and ship them. Also, you can use the thick leg warmers - use adult size) and pull them down over the boots.

[Skatie]

Flo -thanks for the offer, but I'm in Toronto which isn't all that close to you!! Everyone - thanks for all your suggestions. I"m going to print them out and go up to the Figure Skating boutique here in Toronto to see what they have based on your suggestions, plus I'm going to warm up her boots on the way to lessons so she gets a good start! She just loves to skate, and I don't want her to get discouraged by cold feet!

[kayskate]

Get your child some polar fleece (or similar) clothing. Do not dress her in cotton. She needs to wear something that will wick moisture from her skin and keep her warm. You might try layering her clothes. Polypropylene long johns, polar fleece top and stretch pants, fleece jacket and hat. If you cannot find these clothes in her size, find someone to sew them for you.

Kay

[rjblue]

Believe it or not- a hat is often the key to warmer hands and feet. I work outdoors and in a cold storage and whenever my hands and feet chill I immediately cover my head. You lose a tremendous amount of heat from your head, and your body responds by restricting the circulation to your extremities. I made it a rule that my daughter has to at least wear a headband and if it is really cold, a hat.

Try and find some way of getting her on-side with a hat. Let her pick out a really cool style, or a matching ensemble. Bribe her with goodies to get her used to wearing a hat if you must. Some kids will wear a hood up on their sweatshirt, but not a hat.

Other than that- try more layers on her legs. My daughter wears silk socks (for cross country skiing- very warm and thin) in her skates. On her legs she usually has one pair of thick tights, 2 pair of thin thermal underwear, and spandex leggings over all. There are also some cute outfits made of 4 way stretch solar fleece that are very warm.

BUT - warm head = warm fingers and toes.

[randomskater]

I work at a Skating Shop, we carry many brands of fleece mittens. If she is not really jumping too much (single jumps), mittens are normally ok (where i skate we must wear gloves!) If she insists on wearing a dress, most companies, including Figure Skating Boutique carry polartec or fleece dresses. Those are the warmest. Mondor jackets are also quite warm to go over top of the dress.
What I find helps the most is if you wear many layers and do a little warming up before you get on the ice. That way you can get warmed up before you are freezing cold!

[arena_gal]

Skatie, is your daughter skating at the Harbourfront rink? If so, buy a windsuit from MEC (Mountain Equipment Coop on King st) and forget about being fashionable and get a hat on her head.

If she isn't skating there, then take her there for a skate. After that, any indoor rink will seem like a heat wave.

[backspin]

In addition to warming up her skates/feet, maybe it would help if she were a little warmer overall to start out. I'm thinking it might help to have her jump rope for a few minutes before putting her skates on--get her blood flowing & her body a little warmer right away. A lot of skaters jump rope before going out on the ice, so she should fit right in.

or she could run around the rink (at our rink you can do laps all the way around the perimeter of the ice), or do jumping jacks, etc.

[sk8er1964]

[QUOTE]Originally posted by backspin
[B]In addition to warming up her skates/feet, maybe it would help if she were a little warmer overall to start out. I'm thinking it might help to have her jump rope for a few minutes before putting her skates on--get her blood flowing & her body a little warmer right away. A lot of skaters jump rope before going out on the ice, so she should fit right in. [QUOTE]

Doing that with some light stretching will not only make her body warmer, it'll make her muscles ready to skate too instead of starting out cold. If you're not doing that already, you should probably talk to your coach about her off-ice warm up.

[Chico]

My rink gets pretty cold and I have found that warming up before I skate really helps. Have your little one jump rope, practice jumps, whatever before she even steps on the ice. I get so warm that I'm actually ready to shed a jacket. I have also found that dressing in layers is helpful. Thin layers that build upon each other work well for me. I usually wear three zip up sweatshirts and take them off as I warm up. Heavy layers that can't be taken off actually make you sweat and then the dampness makes you cold. I actually end up without any jackets by the end of the session due to being warm. The trick is once warm don't stop skating to visit. Have your little one hold her skates under the heater vent in the car on the way to the rink. Eating a short while, not to short, before she skates will help too. Fuel to heat her little body will help. As soon as she steps off the ice have her put her jackets on as the chill down factor is fast.

Chico

[Andie]

My coach suggested using a blow-dryer on the inside of the boots, I've never tried it and it seems like they'd cool off too quickly that way. She also said she sometimes uses a little bit of cayenne pepper in her boots which is good for warmth. But if you do use that stuff use very little and lightly or else it'll make your feet burn - that's as bad as being cold!

When skating I usually wear a pair of skating tights under a pair of pants, a thin shirt under a turtleneck or mock-neck shirt/sweater, and a thin jacket if it's really cold. I also wear a headband, it works better than I'd thought because when I take it off after I'm finished skating for the session my head is super warm, almost perspiring but not quite. One of the headbands I bought from Target for only $3 and a good pair of gloves from there for about the same price, those cheaper gloves are as good as a pair I paid about $8 for.

[Mrs Redboots]

At our rink, if you aren't going to put your skates on straight away (e.g. if you are changing, or something), a lot of skaters invert their boots over the radiators. And I have seen at least one person hold her boots under the hand-dryer in the women's loos!

I made a big mistake last week - there was a test session that was still going on when I arrived, but I got my skates out of the pros' room as usual. Big mistake - they were seriously cold when I came to put them on! Luckily I wasn't too cold, so they soon warmed up, but I must remember not to do that again in a hurry. On the other hand, since that's the second time I've done it in two months, what's the odds that I'll do it at least one more time before I finally remember?

[gardener]

Been there, seen that with my own daughter. A hat is a great solution, otherwise the child looks and feels like a linebacker or the Pillsbury doughboy! At our primary rink, many girls wear headband-style head warmers. Since the premier, big-name female coach wears one then it is totally cool for the girls to wear one also. My daughter is positively stripping off layers now that she wears the head warmer...it's made a dramatic difference.

[Yazmeen]

I highly recommend a warm, polarfleece headband, too. I wear one when I assistant coach at the Mercer rink in Jersey (semi-outdoor, roof, but open sides). Just keeping the ears covered is a godsend. Also, I used glove liners inside my gloves on coldest days. That also really helps. You should be able to find them at a ski store or Army/Navy type store. The headbands are also available at ski stores, or you can get some stretchy fleece and sew your own. I've found cute ones at flea markets!!!!

[garyc254]

As an old Boy Scout leader, we always followed the adage: If your hands and feet are cold, put on a hat. Trust me it works. I've been camping in temperatures far colder than ice rinks.

There's a cute, young slip of a girl that skates at my very cold Monday night rink. She must own dozens of extremely cute sock caps and head bands. All type of designs, patterns, and styles. She looks adorable and warm.

Maybe you need to shop for the "right" hats for your daughter to where. Something that will make her feel cute.