Hands On: Fitting Children fro Gloves or Mittens

Gloves and mittens play a crucial role in the warmth and comfort of a child on the hill. It is important to remember that children lack the physical awareness to feel cold in the same way adults do. This makes it more likely that they will try to take gloves and mittens off if they feel restricted or uncomfortable. The first rule of fitting then is to insure that it is comfortable for the child to improve the chances that they will stay on for the entire day.

Determining whether to buy a glove or mitten is the first issue. Younger children lack the dexterity to do much with their fingers anyway so they typically don’t mind wearing a mitten. Mittens are warmer and easier to fit and are therefore the best choice if the child is willing to wear them. The older they get the more likely they will push for gloves over mittens but it is my suggestion to keep them in mittens as long as possible.

Style choices for both glove and mittens vary widely. They all work effectively and the choice should really be left up to the personal preference of the child. Gloves and Mittens can come with long or short gauntlets. Longer gauntlets are often thought of as a snowboarding style but they will work for skiing just as well. Short gauntlets are offered in 2 different styles. The first is your typical style where the cuff of the glove or mitten comes to the base of sleeve and often has a snug inner cuff that can fit under the sleeve making a tight junction insuring that no warm air escapes from the jacket or mitten and that no snow gets up into the sleeve. The second is referred to as an under glove or mitten. The entire cuff of the glove or mitten is designed to go under the entire cuff of the sleeve. This is also considered a snowboarding style but again, equally effective for skiing.

Regardless of style the fit issues are the same. To check for the proper fit of a glove or mitten start at the fingers and work your way to the wrist. When fitting a mitten you only have to be concerned that the longest finger has enough room to straighten out and that there is not too much fabric left over around the rest of the fingers. For a glove, however, each of the child’s fingers should fit into each of the fingers of the glove. If there is more than a pinch of fabric at the tips of the child’s fingers then the glove is too big. This can be tricky because the ratio of finger length is different on every child. Gloves are made based on a standard ratio of finger length and this may leave you with a well fit index finger but lots of floppy material left above the pinky finger. This extra material not only makes the glove challenging to negotiate but it also makes it hard to keep sensitive fingers warm as there is too much air space to ever warm up effectively. If this is a problem for your child have them try on several styles and brands as they all vary a bit.

Once you have a glove or mitten that seems to fit the length of the fingers check to make sure that the glove sits comfortably in the webbing between the fingers by placing your index finger between each of the child’s gloved fingers including the thumb and just between the thumb and index finger when fitting a mitten. Have them open their hands wide spreading their fingers. When properly fit the material will not push against your finger as they open their hands while a glove or mitten that is too small will force your finger out of the gap between their fingers. In a glove or mitten that is too small this ‘bridging’ is caused by there being too little fabric to move with the child. This restriction in movement can cause the hand to fatigue through the day causing cold, numb hands.

When you are confident that you have a glove or mitten that fits the finger length and fits well at the base of the fingers move to the back of the hand. To test the volume of the glove or mitten, pinch the fabric at the back of the hand. You should be able to pinch a bit each layer of the glove or mitten but not be able to pull it far from the hand. A glove or mitten that is too big in volume will not keep the hand warm because there is too much air to warm up effectively.

Most gloves and mittens have a bit of a break at their base as it transitions into the cuff. This break should hit right at the wrist as it helps to increase the mobility of the wrist. The cuff of the glove or mitten should not be too tight nor too loose around the child’s wrist. A cuff that is too tight will restrict the flow of warm blood to the fingers and a cuff that is too big will allow warm air to escape from around the child’s hand. Some gloves and mittens have a strap to cinch around the wrist for this reason – just make sure it isn’t cinched too tightly.

Hand wear is incredibly important to a successful day on the slopes because children don’t need to have cold hands to have a warm heart!

See ya on the slopes!

Kjerstin