clothes for children & babies in winter?

Hi,I am a singaporean and my family will be going to tokyo in january. We have 2 children who will be slightly less than 1 & 5 years by then. would like to enquire what kind of winter clothes do we need to get for them or what you would recommend.would also like to know if it be snowing there and what we can expect during winter?would also like to know what would be the min and max temperature range.would also like to enquire if there are any other things that you would recommend we should bring on our trip for the kids.thanks

Temperatures for Tokyo in January in Celsius:

The average daytime high is around 10 degrees and the average nighttime low is around 2 degrees.

Below is a list of actual temperature ranges for January for the last few years:

Daytime high temperatures:
2006: 4 to 15 degrees
2005: 5 to 19 degrees
2004: 5 to 14 degrees
2003: 2 to 14 degrees
2002: 6 to 18 degrees
2001: 4 to 14 degrees
2000: 6 to 17 degrees

Nighttime low temperatures:
2006: -1 to 8 degrees
2005: -1 to 5 degrees
2004: 0 to 8 degrees
2003: -1 to 6 degrees
2002: 0 to 8 degrees
2001: -2 to 6 degrees
2000: -1 to 9 degrees

That is an interesting list. For knowing what kind of clothes to bring though, look more to the average and prepare for it to be between 2 and 10 degrees during the day. It depends on how you deal with the cold, but I wrap up very warm- coat over a sweater, gloves, scarf and hat for mornings and evenings, maybe removing the top layer at midday if it's sunny. Those top temps of 18 or so will only happen once or twice in the whole winter, that would be unusually warm.

The one-year-old you will need to wrap up well- definitely a warm hat, booties and also a baby-blanket for covering if he/she is in a pushchair (stroller).

It only snows perhaps 3 or 4 times in Tokyo through the whole winter, and the snow either melts straight away or stays around 1 or 2 days at the most, not very deep. It's usually fine and crisp in winter, sometimes with a strong cold wind.

Winters in the Pacific coast of Japan incuding Tokyo are very dry and sunny. During the day, you can feel very warm, while once it gets cloudy, you can feel very cold, nevertheless the temprature. Of course, when there is wind it will be extremely chilly, and in the cities you have to be aware that often the wind harshly runs through streets between tall buildings. At the same time, indoors can be very warm due to air-conditioning.

Japanese children are encouraged to be raised dressed lightly. Indeed, children that are raised that way tend to catch fewer colds. But since your children are already brought up in a different environment, I'm not sure how that would work. However you should still keep in mind that if you dress warm, you tend to sweat even in mid-winter, sometimes unconciously, and as the sweat chills you tend to catch cold.

Try to dress your children in removable clothing, and put them on and off as the climate changes. In particular, even a lot of young local parents don't notice this, but when a child gets restless, it's often because (s)he is wearing too much.

For example, a light down jacket with a hood is very handy for small children.

Personally, I feel that there are a lot more warm sunny daytimes per winter than snow per winter.

Need advise on what I should prepare for my 2 yr old toddler when we visit Hokkaido in Feb 2007, eg...how may layers would be most appropriate as my ger will not be able to tell me if she's feeling cold or warm. We are from Singapore.

February in Japan will be cold. For Hokkaido, you may need to end up with even 4 layers - 2 thermal wear (long john), an in-between for insulation and lastly an overcoat. Largely depends on which part you are going. Otherwise, 3 layers (minus one long john) can do too. One thing to keep in mind about infant, don't overheat them but as a general guideline they need one more layer than adults. use good hats to keep infant's head well-protected (they lose heat through their head and can't regulate heat within their body unlike adults) paying attention to cover their ears with it too. If the kid is big enough can consider muffler. Mittens is more warm than gloves.

Thanks Nana....how about shoes. I got a pair with kind of furry lining. Would a pair of wool socks + heat pad sufficient for my ger?

a pair of good woollen socks is preferable than 2 pairs of socks (multiple socks are not recommended as it can't work on the basis of insulation). I would get some heated pads ready in case it's needed.

Also, try not to wear something that is not a good material for drying. water trapped in materials can make one feel really cold. Generally, outercoats should be waterproof and inner ones try wool or fleece.

When in comes to cold weather, bringing more is always better than less. You can always remove layers when you feel too warm but when you are underdressed and too cold, that can lead to serious problems.

I forgot about the shoes. Your toddler should be walking already, right? keep in mind that the soles should be thick enough to prevent the cold from the ground and yet easy for them to walk with (may be tricky with their age - but soft sole for young toddlers is no-no). a pair of running shoes may even do but depending on material it may not be waterproof.

As the body burns more energy during cold weather, you would probably need to feed your young one more and also more frequently as one would feel hungry faster. look for signs indicating if she needs anything. better yet if she already knows how to tell you when she feels hungry. by the way, water from public restrooms may be icy cold... so take note when washing her hands.

Hi nana....once again, thanks a million for your useful information.
By the way, 2 more questions:
1) Is it convenient to get hot water from restaurants in case I need it for making formula milk.
2) Is this brand of milk formula available in Japan - Progress Milk #3 by Wyeth, if yes, would be great then I need not bring a bagful of milk powder. My ger does not drink fresh milk.

I'm planning to go to tokyo on December 20th, 2008. Can anyone tell me, how is the current weather? Is it colder than usual or is it just regular winter in tokyo? I will be traveling with 3 children age 11, 10 and 1 year old. Any advice? Thanks

So far, regular winter in Tokyo, although it's hard to say what the weather will be like a week from now. Much the same as usual I imagine. Prepare for temperatures between about 5 and 13 degrees C