Amsterdam with a toddler in winter

In December, usable daylight in Amsterdam runs roughly from a quarter to nine in the morning to half past four in the afternoon. That is about eight hours, and the first and last of them are dim.

So invert the normal holiday rhythm. Go outside in the middle of the day when it is brightest and warmest, and save the museum, the pool or the café for the dark end of the afternoon.

It also means an early night is easier to sell to a toddler than usual, which helps if you have arrived on a flight and everyone is short of sleep.

This is the single most useful thing to know. You are walking and generating heat; the child is sitting still in the wind at knee height, where it is coldest and wettest.

A footmuff solves it more effectively than piling on coats, because it traps warmth around the legs and feet without restricting movement. Add a hat and gloves that attach to something, and a blanket for the gap between the child and the cover.

Check hands and feet at each stop rather than asking — toddlers are unreliable narrators about cold.

Amsterdam winter rain tends to be light, frequent and horizontal. It rarely stops the day; it just makes the difference between a stroller you can use and one you cannot.

Keep the rain cover on the stroller rather than in a bag, so putting it on takes ten seconds. Ventilate it when the rain stops, because a covered stroller in drizzle gets humid and a sleeping child gets clammy.

For yourself, a hood beats an umbrella. You need both hands for the stroller and the bike lanes.

The big museums are the obvious answer and better than they sound with a toddler: wide corridors, lifts, changing facilities and floors big enough to walk off some energy.

Beyond those, the public library near Centraal has family floors and a view, the science museum is built for children touching things, and indoor swimming pools are the reliable rescue on a truly bad day.

Book timed entry where it exists. Standing in a winter queue with a toddler is the specific experience this page exists to help you avoid.

Trams are the winter shortcut. Low-floor sections take a stroller, they run frequently, and a five-minute ride can rescue a walk that has stopped being fun.

Cobbles get slippery when wet and painted cycle lanes more so. Slow down at crossings, and remember the bike lane sits between you and the pavement.

For flat, sheltered walking, the waterfront and park routes are better winter choices than the canal belt — they are on the stroller-friendly routes page.