Originally Posted by Ariana:
I have a lower ratio so I am not too picky about suits. Any full suit will do. Hats that fit over the ears (cannot tell you how many times parents bring stupid cutesy hats that sit on top of their heads 
). Neckwarmers, mittens that are waterproof and have thumbs. If a child has a tendency to pull their mitts off I ask the parents to buy long elbow length mittens for them. Suits etc go back and forth but I have lots of spares if something is forgotten.
I am in Canada so we stay inside if it is colder than -17C for kids under 2. This year my kids are over 2 so I will likely go out to -21C no idea what that is in farhenheit.
For non walkers I usually sit them in the snow with shovels and pull them around on a sled and encourage them to crawl around. I do not take infants under a year.
I also bought a large shoe rack that I can place over my furnace vent to dry the clothes so we get out more than once.
I'm in Canada too (southeastern Ontario) and I'm having an issue with the daycare kids being brought under-dressed. We don't have snow yet and might not until January, but it's still pretty cold (-5C to 5C most mornings). The kids are being brought in rubber boots and windbreakers, and it's just not warm enough for the amount of outdoor time at daycare. I'm thinking of getting some outdoor wear from Value Village (or some other thrift store) for them to wear until their parents can be persuaded to get some winter gear of their own.
Two of my daycare families don't spend a huge amount of time outside so for them this is fine, and my other family is from Cuba and still isn't quite understanding what Canadian climate is all about (the footwear they bring for their 12 month old are glorified slippers, not even proper shoes let alone winter boots). All of the families can afford proper clothes but just aren't understanding what is needed when autumn is more like winter.