This Black Friday, we shopped a few deals on Amazon and then hopped in the car and headed off for a snow day!

Here are the four things we do to make snow play more successful with kiddos!

Pack lots of extra clothes.  We dress our kiddos in a extra warm base layer made of thin material, this helps their snow suit feel more comfortable. But we also pack lots of back up clothes. Pack way more than you think you’ll need. Having warm and dry clothes in the car is a life saver. Also, don’t forget the extra socks!

Don’t forget the water and protein! It’s easy to get sucked into the idea of hot drinks/treats on snow days, but playing in the snow is exhausting and dehydrating. Having quick protein and lots of water is paramount to good moods.

Keep you expectations realistic. Kiddos get cold quick, can often lose a glove/fill a boot with snow, or get freaked out quick. Having really honest expectations of your first snow visits is important and will set you up to feeling more successful and in a  better overall mood. Our first snow trip, when Ever was a baby, we spend the majority of the time keeping the car warm and spending a few minute bursts in the snow trading off who was outside playing and who was in the car with the kid(s).

Research where you are going. Check in with local groups, hiking clubs, and ask family friends. Make sure where you are going has a good spot for snow play/sledding and not just skiing. Also some places charge for using their sledding hills, so knowing that in advance will help a ton! We played at Heather Meadows, and once it gets colder/snowier we will go and sled in the same area, on Picture Lake. (all those spots are free!)

This Friday was opening day at Mt.Baker! Our family hasn’t been skiing or snowboarding there, but we love to head up and play in the snow! This is the first year that both kids were excited about snow, willing to don their bulky snow suits, and excited to play! We are still figuring out the best ways to keep them warm and dry, and on budget, but this trip taught us a few things, and we will hopefully keep them playing even longer next time.

Also, any recommendations on great kid snowsuits or boots? Send them my way! Both girls got soaked and snowballed boots by the end, ugh, and oops :/ Thankfully, a warm car and the Frozen soundtrack can thaw most anything.

When we arrived, it was busy and bright! The sun was out, and the snow was deep. We parked at the far end of the lot, at Heather Meadows (same spot I showed us hiking just a few months earlier! Can you believe the change!).

We made it away from the parking lot a little bit and found a space where the snow was relatively packed down (it was soft and deep! A little scary until you find a spot where you don’t step in up to your middle!). And played! In the past the girls have alternated between who abhorred their snow clothes the most, and got coldest quick, and we were left with really short playtimes. But this year both were shrieking with glee, even as their boots filled with snow (but their suits were too short! oops!). We played for quite a bit, crawled our way out, and warmed up in the car with some music on the way home.

This was our first trip up the mountain this snow-season, but we are planning many more! Do a little googling and find a space close by, and get out there! This is about an hour from our home, and well worth the drive!

{affiliate links to some of our favorite snow necessities, below!}

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