North Texas is preparing for its first significant winter mix of 2026 as arctic air pushes into the region with the potential for snow, sleet and freezing rain, and a Winter Storm Watch is in effect through Saturday night.
Cook Children's Health Care System is urging families to take safety seriously and shared expert advice to keep kids healthy and safe before and during the cold snap.
Warm clothing is essential — experts recommend dressing children in multiple thin layers, insulated boots, gloves or mittens and hats, and making sure wet clothes are swapped out quickly to prevent hypothermia. They also warn that playing outside in icy conditions means paying attention to surroundings to avoid slips, falls or collisions with obstacles like trees and street objects.
Parents should also be mindful of cold-weather symptoms in their children; signs of hypothermia include blue skin, extreme shivering, confusion or exhaustion, and anyone showing these symptoms should be warmed immediately and evaluated by a health care provider.
Cook Children's experts say extra preparations for travel and daily life are key — keep snacks, water and blankets in vehicles, ensure children are buckled properly in car seats using thin layers (and blankets over straps), and warm up vehicles in ventilated areas with doors locked to avoid dangerous buildup of exhaust fumes or accidental entrapment.
For families with infants, safe sleep remains a top priority even in cold weather: use wearable blankets or sleep sacks rather than loose blankets that can pose suffocation risks, and dress babies in one more layer than an adult would wear to stay comfortably warm without overheating.
Cook Children's stresses that being informed and prepared — from appropriate clothing and safe travel habits to recognizing cold-related injuries — can make all the difference as freezing weather settles into North Texas.
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