I’m trying very hard not to be the kind of ex-college athlete that forces my toddler into sports when it’s way too early. (Key word: Trying!) I’m very concerned about the professionalization of kid’s sports, of injury at a young age, of the way Moms of older kids report that because they waited, their kid “couldn’t keep up.” 😱
Luckily, I’m a terrible skier, and so there’s no real rush on my end to get my toddler on skis beyond wanting to make sure that winter is fun for them. We live in New England and if you don’t pick a winter sport, it’s so cold and dark and miserable. My toddler gets their wiggles honestly; by that I mean, I can’t sit still, either, even when it’s 3 degrees out.
I got around the winter doldrums by picking swimming as a kid, because I’d literally rather swim for miles than go outside in the cold. And yes! We are doing swim lessons. But as the teenager at the local mountain informed me, “It’s never too early!”
Start small on skis.
I want to clarify that we didn’t even start with downhill skiing yet because honestly, I’d need to join that “Tiny Shredders” class myself. When I say start small, I mean: We’re going to put skis on their feet and see what happens for 20 minutes.
One adult put our toddler in between their skis, holding them under their arms so they could glide together, to many, many giggles.
Aaaaand that was it! I said start small and I meant it.
To do this, we stayed at The Wentworth Hotel in Jackson, NH (c/o). Because it’s across the street from Jackson XC, we got access to miles of groomed trails and gear to rent but we were never too far from hot chocolate, which was certainly my toddler’s top priority for the day. The hotel itself is the epitome of mountain cozy. We hung out for hours in the lobby by the fire, coloring and playing games in between adults swapping in and out for quality ski time.
The right gear matters with the cold.
I dress my toddler the way I dress myself for chilly play days, which means a base layer, a mid layer, and a super warm waterproof outer layer. Two pairs of socks. Maybe two pairs of gloves. Maybe toe and hand warmers if needed.
When we struggle to get gloves or gear on, I pretend to be the gloves and say in a silly, high-pitched voice, “Pleeeeease, I need hands in meeeee! I’m so cooold without a hand! Oh please, put me on!!” Cue the giggles.
Here’s the gear that’s worked for us so far:
- These are the toddler skis that worked for us.
- The Thule chariot was a beast last time we went skiing, which allowed us to actually get a few runs in. You need the xc kit for it if you want it to work in the snow. (We rented it at Jackson.)
In terms of clothing, I get most of my clothes secondhand…except winter gear. It’s the only clothes I invest in, because it makes a big difference in whether or not we can actually enjoy our outing.
- Base layers. Multiple pairs of tops and bottoms. I like Patagonia, Woolino, SmartWool, LL Bean, and REI because they’re not scratchy. Fleece jammies would work as well.
- The snowsuit is the most important. I buy Reima because they purposely design the suits to go up in size. We’ve worn the same snowsuit for 3 winters now so it’s worth every penny.
- I buy about ten pairs of normal gloves from Target and then one expensive pair of waterproof ones.
- I go for high-visibility with colors because my toddler is FAST. This hat is a good one to go under a hood.
- I buy two pairs of snow boots in case one gets wet in the morning, and also so I can leave one at school.
- When my toddler was a baby, I would do a fleece bunting underneath a big puffy bunting.
The best ski mountains/resorts for families:
Part of being “successful” with skiing with kids means finding a great home base for your vacation—lots of ski lodges have indoor water parks or other kid-friendly amenities—and thinking about easy in/out access. This is not the stage of my life where I’m piling a group of ten into an Airbnb 10 miles away from the ski mountain and driving there in the morning…we are going to stay as close as possible to the action.
I mentioned the Wentworth Hotel (c/o) above, but I have also loved Craftsbury Outdoor Center in Craftsbury, VT and Trapp Family Lodge in Stowe, VT, though I haven’t been with my toddler yet. Both offer lessons for slightly older kids, and have gear rentals if you’d rather just put ‘em on the sled.
Thanks for being here.
Me, pre-kids, on a gorgeous bluebird ski day.
The goal for all of this: Keep it fun, first, so you can keep doing it together as they build their skills. This is true of almost any activity that you’re really excited about (for me, swimming) and so I am constantly reminding myself: They’re only X years old. If we do this right, we have a whole lifetime of skiing together.
So that first time, when we called it after 20 minutes, I was thrilled everyone was still laughing. I coaxed my toddler into the ski pulk with some snacks and blankets and had a grand old time towing them around the course in the snow. Now, they’re asking when we get to go again…phew.
To powder days, toddler-style,
Kayla
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This post was originally published on Travel with Toddlers.Subscribe for more real-talk travel advice, toddler-friendly itineraries, and tried-and-true gear recommendations.
