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Deanie Wimmer reportingMany parents face a daily struggle to bundle up their kids for school and hope they stay that way. But we all see kids in the winter in shirt-sleeves and even sometimes, short pants.
We followed some kids from porch to playground to see if they stayed protected from the cold temperatures with the warm gear you sent them in. What we found probably won't surprise you, but it may help you and your kids Stay Safe.
The morning routine is already rushed. Now add a few more layers. The only thing that makes it tougher is an unwilling participant. To find out how quickly the winter gear you so carefully provided goes by the wayside we followed a few elementary students to school.
They leave the house in gloves, hats and zipped coats. By recess time, though, sure enough, most of it's gone.
We asked one girl why she didn't at least zip her coat. She said, "I don't know, I just do it."
Her brother, coming home from kindergarten, had his hat and gloves safely stashed in his pocket. It's exactly what parents have feared.
Mother Jennifer Lords said, "I do remind them every day, ‘Make sure you wear your hat and gloves at recess.'"
Lenae Smith said, "I don't want my kid going out at recess and getting sick because they're cold."
Sara Bates said, "In the cold winter months, I worry about them being cold and catching cold, getting sick."
She and others may take comfort in what we found when we took their concerns to the pediatrician.
Dr. Tom Metcalf, with Wasatch Pediatrics, says, "Cold exposure, per se, is not really dangerous. It does not make illness. I think some people think, leave his ears out, he'll get an ear infection."
In fact, he cites a study that found people housed in a dry, warm area got sick more often than those living in cool, damp conditions.
"The reason for that is their nose hairs, all the mucous that's there to catch bacteria and viruses and help us sneeze and cough them away, they don't work as well," Dr. Metcalf said.
He says the risk for young kids is minimal because if they get cold, they'll ask to go inside. It's older kids, who prefer hoodies over coats and are too cool to admit they're cold, that face a risk.
"They're much more apt to get damage, but again, it's cold damage, not illness damage," Metcalf said.
That doesn't mean give up on getting them to wear coats, but to Stay Safe and healthy, there are some more effective protections.
- Immunize and get flu shots for your kids, it's still not too late.
- Avoid crowds in close indoor quarters.
- Wash or sanitize their hands and yours frequently.
