Let's go to the snow. What equipment do children need? 2026

Author: Esther Ponce

Lanieveoffers great possibilities for fun. Parents and children play together, exercise and communicate. For the little ones, the experience brings many benefits: they establish contact with the snow, breathe fresh air and exercise without realizing it. Parents also enjoy it. Walking through the snow helps loosen the bones and provides a golden opportunity to play with the children.

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Water, cold and the sun's rays constitute a risky cocktail in the mountains: colds, exhaustion and burns are possible consequences of a lack of prevention when we take children to the snow.

Clothes to go to the snow

Children must be covered, but not excessively, because it can be counterproductive. In the snow, children don't stop playing and sometimes end up sweating. The sweat sticks to their body and, when they slow down their activity a little, a sensation of humidity and cold remains on their skin, which can lead to the appearance of frostbite symptoms.

These are some recommendations to keep in mind when choosing snow clothing for our children:

1. Wellies are not effective because the cold quickly penetrates the plastic sole.
2. It is necessary to have another type of stronger boot, with a thick sole, that does not leak and, if possible, with an internal lining and a medium or high top.

From four years old, the perfect age to go to the snow

Taking a baby who is only a few months old to the snow doesn't make much sense. He can't play in the snow yet and parents will have to be very careful that he doesn't get cold: the little ones spend most of their time sitting in the car seat or lying in the stroller and don't warm up as easily as the older ones.

At two or three years we will still have to monitor them very closely. They slip easily and this will probably exhaust us. However, from this age they already really like snow. If they are warm and we return home early (they get tired quickly), they can adapt to the situation.

The ideal age to go to the snow is four years and older. They already have the physical stamina necessary to walk even if their boots sink in the snow, they resist slipping with humor and they know how to roll around, build dolls and have ball fights.

Glasses, essential

• Sunglasses are essential even if children are only going to play for half an hour. The rays reflect off the snow and the sun produces a very strong impact on the mountain, so measures must be taken to protect your eyes. Excessive and repeated exposure to the sun affects the cornea and, in the long run, can cause cataracts and other eye injuries.
• To take care of your eyes, not just any dark glasses will do. You need ones that filter the rays and fulfill their purpose correctly. It is advisable to buy them from a good optician.

How to avoid burnout?

Children's tiredness depends, in part, on the type of activity we plan: several hours in the mountains tire them more than playing at home or in a park. In the mountains, just walking makes them make a significant physical effort; They raise their legs higher, step hard to avoid slipping and, on top of that, they make dolls, throw balls at each other or drag the sled.

When they are entertained, they themselves do not notice the accumulated fatigue, but suddenly they collapse ("My legs hurt", "I can't take it anymore"). Then they are already exhausted. To avoid reaching this situation it is convenient:

Sun protection in the mountains

In the short term, prolonged sun exposure causes skin burns and, in the long term, accelerates skin aging and causes wrinkles and spots. Furthermore, solar radiation has a cumulative effect and can cause skin cancer in adulthood.

The sun hits very hard in high mountain areas. There the atmospheric layer is smaller and, as a consequence, it filters less UVA rays, which cause burns. It is essential to take precautions against the sun in the snow:

If you are going to use the sled, a helmet is essential

It is very dangerous for children to jump down the side of the mountain with a simple piece of plastic because they do not have any means of driving and when the children pick up speed, they lose control.

This widespread custom is the cause of significant craniocerebral trauma. Furthermore, children are easily injured if, on the way down, they hit some rocks (the snow hides them) because their body is completely unprotected.

Advisors:Dr. José García-Sicilia, pediatrician at the La Paz hospital in Madrid, and José Ramón Urtubi, secretary of the Spanish Winter Sports Federation.