August clothing

[Stars In The Night]

We come from the frozen North of Canada... so the concept of Florida Heat is pretty foreign.
I will be making my child some "disney-esque" sundresses - 100% cotton, easy on/off. I made the first one, but now I'm worried because it's sleeveless. Should I be putting sleeves on the dresses to keep the sun off her shoulders? Is the sun a problem, or are we going to be in shade or indoors enough that it doesn't matter?

Also hats: I was going to get a ear headbands, but I'm guessing you need a hat while there. How do you make the ears work with hats?

Thanks!

 

[anneboleyn]

These sound adorable!! I hope you post pictures when you are finished

I think sleeveless is a great idea. Just make sure to put lots of sunblock on her shoulders and remember to reapply throughout the day. Once you experience August in Florida, you will be happy that you made the dresses sleeveless!

And as for the ears...I never wore a hat so I just had the ears. My brother did put ears over his hat tho. It actually looked like that was just the kind of ears he bought.

 

[ravenclawtrekkie]

With or without sleeves, you want sunscreen and you want to re-apply it throughout the day. The sun here is ridiculously brutal.

If you want to wear ear headbands, it's hard to wear a hat at the same time. Just take the sunscreen you're already re-applying and put some along any part in the hair, and on the ears, face, and neck.

 

[Happyinwonerland]

Like others have said, sunblock, sunblock, sunblock! Anytime you say to yourself "man, it's hot!", put some sunblock on. Because you will burn and blister quickly if you let the sunscreen wear off.

I think sleeveless is a completely appropriate clothing choice. It will be hot. Sleeves would only make it hotter.

 

[jahber]

I'm gonna disagree about the sleeves, as a super, super pale Floridian. I almost never go sleeveless because it's easy to miss parts of my shoulders and/or sunscreen rubs off too easily on the shoulders, in my experience (which, hey, is only 38 years in Orlando). Obviously if you are extremely diligent about reapplying every 60-90 minutes, because remember that you SWEAT sunscreen off when it's hot, then go sleeveless and have fun. The sun in August is brutal and kids won't tell you they are hot until they are already burned. I know this from personal experience. When I go to Disney I wear t-shirts, always, no matter how hot it is, because I WILL get sunburned on my neck and shoulders. It's completely worth it to me to be a smidge warmer in a t-shirt than to get another sunburn (or worse, more skin cancer). So, take that for what it's worth. And if you aren't super pale like me, it's probably not worth much. But goodness knows I've seen enough people in WDW with raging sunburns to know people just aren't as diligent about sunscreen as they know they should be. Or maybe they don't know. 60-90 minutes. EVERY 60-90 minutes.
And have fun! (And drink lots of water!)

 

[minnie mum]

As a super pale Canadian, I'm going to agree with jabher. And so, I would imagine, would 9 out of 10 dermatologists. I rarely go sleeveless when I'm visiting places that are sunny and hot, and then it's in the evening. I wear a lightweight cotton or moisture wicking shirt or tshirt. And I usually wear a hat, with a wide enough brim to protect my ears, neck, and part of my face. And sunglasses whenever I'm outside.

Young children can burn much faster than adults. I would add short sleeves for added protection, and find a pretty bucket hat that will complement the dress. Let her wear the ears when you're inside or in the evening.

 

[Parker Clan]

We go every August.. For us hats in the morning when it's already 90 degrees is a must! I wear my ears in the evening

 

[elaine amj]

Add ears to your bucket hats!

We bought Minnie baseball caps for my DD and I. The boys have Goofy caps.

 

[Anal Annie]

August is BOILING hot and you will probably want to change clothes (and undies) more than once just because you'll feel so sweaty & stinky & just gross. Showers never felt so good until you spend a day outside in FL in August!! I personally usually go sleeveless or in tank tops (then I FREEZE when we go inside in A/C somewhere). DH and DS tho usually wear some sort of moisture wicking shirts and we're all in shorts. I have always been somebody who tans (browns) nicely and my DS is the same way but DH is fair and WILL burn if not careful. I started on some meds a few years ago that now cause me to burn easily - I'm still not used to that and can forget about it - then I'll go into the bathroom & when I look in the mirror I think I look pink so I reapply. We all apply sunscreen in the mornings before we head out & I bring a small travel size sunscreen with us in the bag to the parks so we can all reapply a couple of times throughout the day. I used to bring the full size one to the parks but the bag was out of control with ponchos, snacks, water & sunscreens so I cut back on the size we carry with us. The important thing is that I DO bring some with us for the day. (The tops of your feet can get it too if you're in sandals if you stand in lines a lot.) We also usually bring hats. We may not start out at 8:00 am with them on but by mid-day we usually all have them on. I also have one of these neck things that you soak in cold water for a few minutes & it puffs up and stays cold for hours. I stick it into a baggie & bring it with us on super hot days. Feels reallllly good when it's 95 degrees out.

 

[oufpat]

As everyone else has said, August is HOT and STEAMY with frequent, quick thundershowers, but it hasn't stopped us from going then. So make sure you have hats, rain ponchos, bathing suits, and extra clothes, because your clothes get sweaty and stinky real quick!

 

[staceyatdisney]

We come from the frozen North of Canada... so the concept of Florida Heat is pretty foreign.
I will be making my child some "disney-esque" sundresses - 100% cotton, easy on/off. I made the first one, but now I'm worried because it's sleeveless. Should I be putting sleeves on the dresses to keep the sun off her shoulders? Is the sun a problem, or are we going to be in shade or indoors enough that it doesn't matter?

Also hats: I was going to get a ear headbands, but I'm guessing you need a hat while there. How do you make the ears work with hats?

Thanks!

I don't want to poo-poo your idea to make the dresses, but cotton is not the best fabric to wear as it does not breath and becomes a sweaty wet blanket. We always go in late August because the lines are short....I learned the hard way to wear the proper garments. The hard way, meaning I had chaff everywhere when I wore all cotton. Sorry I know it sounds unpleasant but its just the way it is. These days my Disney-wear consists of 99% breathable workout garments like UA and Nike right down to under garments.

If you decide to go with the cotton dresses I'd definitely go with the sleeves for the coverage brcause Floria sun in August will cook you in a heartbeat. I like what the other posted suggested about bringing along a change of clothes....if you decide on the dresses, maybe make an extra dress to change into when the other get wet. Florida heat in August is REALLY, REALLY, REALLY hot! Have fun.

 

[anniemae]

We come from the frozen North of Canada... so the concept of Florida Heat is pretty foreign.
I will be making my child some "disney-esque" sundresses - 100% cotton, easy on/off. I made the first one, but now I'm worried because it's sleeveless. Should I be putting sleeves on the dresses to keep the sun off her shoulders? Is the sun a problem, or are we going to be in shade or indoors enough that it doesn't matter?

Also hats: I was going to get a ear headbands, but I'm guessing you need a hat while there. How do you make the ears work with hats?

Thanks!

Yes, the FL sun in Aug is a problem. It is hotter than anything I have ever felt. The heat radiates off the pavement and smacks you in the face. Walking around is brutal, so we tend to get where we need to go and seek out the AC. I would cover up as much as I could since the sun is very very strong. We wear hats with wide brims and apply sunscreen multiple times. Also drink tons of water. We saw a people pass out due to heat/dehydration. The Aug sun in FL is no joke.

 

[staceyatdisney]

HOT

 

[winterwhite]

It seems contrary, but long sleeves/long breathable pants are much cooler when the sun is pounding you. As they say, "Walt Disney believed in magic, not in shade" there's actually very little shade outside of interior buildings at Disney.

I've been in late August and I wore a cooling material golf shirt with long sleeves and a high collar - people constantly asked me if I was hot - but in fact I was quite cool. Technical apparel is really meant for this kind of thing.

You might want to get some UPF50 sunshirts for your daughter to wear under her dresses to protect her skin without having to worry about how long it's been since the last round of sunscreen.

 

[Tomh]

Sleeveless is fine, it is HOT and HUMID, so that will help to keep her cool. Sunscreen is an absolute MUST. I work outside all day long, every day here in NY, and still need to use sunscreen when we visit Florida. I advise finding an aerosol sunscreen that has a pleasant scent (we had some really horribly stinky stuff last year, and no one wanted to use it, including me lol), and making a habit of applying first thing in the morning, and every few hours throughout the day, paying special attention to shoulders, the back of the neck, forehead, nose, and the tips of the ears which all seem to burn the easiest.

 

[Tomh]

Yes, the FL sun in Aug is a problem. . . . . Also drink tons of water. We saw a people pass out due to heat/dehydration. The Aug sun in FL is no joke.

Yes yes yes, this!!! You can't possibly drink too much water in Florida. A couple of years ago, I became dehydrated on our very first day there, riding the boat from POR to DTD I thought I was going to pass out, it was awful. Thankfully, I realized what was causing me to feel so ill, and sent my wife to get water as soon as we got off the boat. She got me two bottles, which I went through in short order, then found a water fountain, and a bench. I sat down, and had my son running the empty bottles to the fountain to refill them. I think I went through another 4 bottles of water sitting there, and took two more with me when I was ready to move on.

 

[cdnjason]

August in Orlando is definitely humid. Especially, compared to dry Las Vegas. But, it's not as hot as we're used to. So, for us, it evens out. My wife and I live in Lululemon for casual and gym wear. We just wear our Lululemon to the parks. Their clothing is perfect for the heat.

 

[Marlyn]

August in Florida is kind of like having a vacation ON the sun...keep that in mind when packing clothing. It is extremely hot and humid. Water, lots of water. You will sweat! You need hats...and easy drying, light weight clothing!!

 

[DOOM1001]

I don't want to poo-poo your idea to make the dresses, but cotton is not the best fabric to wear as it does not breath and becomes a sweaty wet blanket. We always go in late August because the lines are short....I learned the hard way to wear the proper garments. The hard way, meaning I had chaff everywhere when I wore all cotton. Sorry I know it sounds unpleasant but its just the way it is. These days my Disney-wear consists of 99% breathable workout garments like UA and Nike right down to under garments.

If you decide to go with the cotton dresses I'd definitely go with the sleeves for the coverage brcause Floria sun in August will cook you in a heartbeat. I like what the other posted suggested about bringing along a change of clothes....if you decide on the dresses, maybe make an extra dress to change into when the other get wet. Florida heat in August is REALLY, REALLY, REALLY hot! Have fun.

I agree,living down here I've pretty much cut out cotton from my wardrobe,just go with thin,light colored,DRI fit materials as much as you can and of course hats are a must.If you have issues with chafing,buy some bodyglide or Gold Bond friction defense and apply in places that could become problem areas before they do.

 

[gatorlisa]

Regarding the hats vs. ears thing...I would most definitely recommend a hat. If you want Mickey ears for pictures, you can always put them in your bag for the day and trade the hat for the ears for the photo op. Once it gets dark, the hat becomes less important, so can always swap for the ears again then.