Winter is approaching fast; the weather is getting colder and days are already shorter. Do you have everything your baby needs?
You might be feeling a little overwhelmed, especially if this is your little one’s first winter. You don’t want your baby to be cold, so what should they wear?
If you don’t know where to start, together we’ll go through the necessities for your baby. We’ll also share some of our favorite products, so let’s get to it.
Choosing Winter Clothes for Your Baby
Before going into more detail about what your baby might need, let’s look at some things to consider when buying clothes.
Materials and Layering
You want your baby to be cozy all winter, right? But with multiple layers, things can become uncomfortable. Here are some pointers to keep in mind:
- First layers should be breathable fabrics: Cotton or a cotton blend are the best materials for the clothes closest to your baby’s skin.
- Quilted polyester or fleece: These are great for outdoor wear, like snowsuits, buntings, and jackets.
- Microfleece: Perfect for keeping your baby warm and safe at night.
Things to Look For
Babies will need to be changed often. If you have a drooler, as I do, you’ll understand the struggle of keeping the chest area dry.
Clothes that are easy to take on and off are ideal. You never know when your baby might have a diaper explosion. Here are a few things that could come in handy.
- Expandable necklines: Babies hate to have clothes pulled over their heads: stretchy necklines will make it much easier.
- Buttons, snaps, and zippers: With these, you won’t have to remove all the layers completely for quick diaper changes.
Things to Avoid
There are a few things you might want to avoid when shopping for your baby. Again, think about convenience and how easy it will be to change your baby. To give you an idea, here are a few things to steer clear of.
- Things that wrap around your baby’s neck: Scarves aren’t necessary; you could use a turtleneck top with snaps to protect the neck instead.
- Overly decorated items: Things like bows, unnecessary buttons, and other cute accessories could irritate baby, or fall off and become a choking hazard.
Dressing Your Baby in Winter
Let’s look at some tips (and a few tricks) on how to dress your baby during cold winters.
1. At Home: Thin Layers
When you’re at home, chances are you have the heating on, so it’s probably nice and toasty. You don’t want your baby to overheat, so the best thing to do is to take advantage of layering.
Start with a long-sleeved onesie (I prefer onesies to shirts because of the snaps that help keep it in place). On top of that, you can add one of those cute pajamas you’re dying to try out. If it doesn’t have feet, consider a pair of socks (1).
2. Going Outdoors?
Before heading out the door, look at what you have on. Are you wearing a sweater? Dress your little one in the at-home outfit, then add a shirt and a sweater or a jacket.
If you feel it’s time to take out the ol’ winter coat, get out the snowsuit for your little one as well. Upon arrival at home, though, remember to remove the outer layers to prevent your baby from overheating.
In the Stroller and Babywearing: Keep Warm
You might be feeling hesitant to take your little one out and about. When baby’s in the stroller, make use of a nice stroller blanket and tuck it in all round. You can also opt for a bunting bag, like this plush one from JJ Cole.
Similar to a wearable blanket, this will keep your baby safe from the elements, while still allowing them to move.
For those that prefer to wear their little ones, between the warmth of the wearer’s chest and the carrier itself, you may not need more than their original outfit. A hat could come in handy and if you feel it’s not enough, strategically tuck a blanket around your baby. Anything more might make it difficult to secure the wrap or carrier properly.
In the Car Seat: Stay Safe
Commuting with your baby during the winter is another struggle for new parents. You might feel tempted to wrap your baby up in a snowsuit, but think twice before doing so.
If your baby is wearing a snowsuit or heavy bunting, there’s a big chance they’re not secure in the car seat. What you should do is take your baby out of the bulky clothing and, once in place, tuck them in with a blanket over the straps (2).
You could also get a cover, like this Cozy Cover. These go over the seat and usually have two long zippers with a hole for your baby’s head.
However, as good as this is, you might want to consider the temperature of the car. If it’s heated, a blanket should be just fine. Keep the seat cover unzipped until you’re going out.
The Importance of Keeping Extremities Warm
Babies will lose important body heat if their extremities (head, hands, and feet) are exposed to cold weather. It’s much harder for a baby to regulate its body temperature than an adult (3).
When going out, cover your baby’s head with a hat. It has to cover the ears, and you might want to consider straps under the chin, to keep it from slipping or being pulled off.
Mittens should preferably be breathable, since a baby’s tiny fingers tend to get sweaty. Keeping an extra pair in your bag is a good idea. Babies like to chew on their fingers, and mittens tend to make them even more irresistible.
For the feet, you can go for socks or booties. Even if the snowsuit has feet, you might still have to put on a pair of socks underneath.
3. Sleeping: What to Wear
Babies tend to be slightly colder when sleeping, so it’s essential to make sure they’re appropriately dressed.
Crib-sleeping babies will need a little extra help to keep warm. Loose blankets are a no-no, since they pose a risk for your sleeping baby (4).
Dress your baby in an extra layer, or you could use a sleep sack. Your baby will probably be wearing long sleeves anyway, so with a sleeveless sleeper, overheating is less likely.
You could also swaddle your baby to keep them nice and snug. Here’s how to do it safely:
- Open a blanket on a flat surface, and fold one corner down.
- Place your baby on top of the blanket, backside down. The head should be right above the folded corner.
- Place your baby’s left arm down and fold the blanket’s left corner over the body. Between the right arm and side of the body, tuck the blanket in.
- Place baby’s right arm down and pull the blanket’s right side over the body. Tuck it under the left side.
- Loosely twist or fold the blanket from the bottom and fold it under one side of the baby. It should not be too tight; leave some space around the chest and wiggle room around the hips.
Swaddling is mostly for infants. At three months, your baby may be too active and might even be trying to roll over. In that case, swaddling can become dangerous since it’s easy for your baby to roll onto their belly while swaddled.
If your baby is sleeping close to mommy, they usually don’t require as much extra clothing. They will share all of your body heat, instead.
Again, no blankets. Instead, dress your baby in a breathable pajama or long-sleeved onesie with pants. A sleep sack could also be beneficial here if you feel it’s chilly enough for a cover.
4. Avoid Overheating
As much as you want to keep your baby warm, it’s important to prevent overheating. Always remove a layer (or two, depending on the temperature) when coming indoors. Remove the hat, even if it will wake your baby up.
This is because an overheated sleeping baby is at a much higher risk of SIDS (sudden infant death syndrome). It’s safer for your baby to be a little cooler (5).
If you’re unsure of how to check if your baby is comfortable, here’s how:
- Feel the tummy: It should feel warm.
- Feet should be slightly cool: Not cold or hot.
- Hot to the touch or sweaty? Your baby is too hot and you should remove a layer.
- Cold to the touch or pale in color? Your baby needs another layer.
If your baby is sleeping, you might feel reluctant to unbutton their clothes to check their belly. Instead, you can place one or two fingers on the back of your baby’s neck. It should feel warm. Not hot, sweaty or cold (6).
If you feel your baby is sweaty or too hot while sleeping, don’t hesitate to remove a layer. It’s better to be on the safe side.
The Best Baby Winter Clothes of 2020
After reading our guide, you might feel a bit more confident taking your baby out into winter wonderland. To further help you in the search for winter attire, here’s our top 10.
1. The North Face Reversible Jacket
If you aren’t feeling the bulkiness of a snowsuit, you might prefer a jacket instead. This North Face reversible jacket will keep your baby warm without them feeling restricted.
The jacket also has fold-over cuffs to give your baby’s fingers a little extra protection from the elements. It’s made with lightweight polyester, and has a durable water-repellent finish to protect against snow and rain.
This one comes in a beautiful, plain mint color, but if you fancy a change, you can reverse it for a multicolor option. There are also other colors to choose from.
2. Duck Duck Goose Newborn Quilted Snowsuit
While out and about during cold days, your baby needs to stay warm. A good snowsuit that can be slipped on over other layers is essential. This snowsuit is quilted and lined, and warm but lightweight, so your baby can still move freely.
The sleeves are rolled cuffs, to keep out unwanted cold air. The hoodie has a nice sherpa lining, and the zipper goes down one leg for quick and easy diaper changes. The whole suit can be machine washed and tumble dried, so it’s easy to care for.
3. Burt's Bees Wearable Blanket
For chilly nights or days, a wearable blanket can be your baby’s best friend. A good one should stay secured on the baby, while allowing for some space.
Burt’s Bees got it right with this one. Not only is it made from certified organic cotton, but it’s also really cute.
The zipper is long and has an interior guard to keep your baby safe from chafing. It zips from the bottom as well as the top, which can make those late night changes just a little easier.
4. Simple Joys by Carter's Long-Sleeve Bodysuit
As we know, a sweater is essential. They’re good for those in between months, when the weather is unpredictable.
This super soft sweater and hat duo are made of pure cotton, and has an adorable knitted design. It has long sleeves, with cuffs to keep them in place. There are also buttons which have a pearlized finish for an extra touch of luxury.
5. Little Me Unisex Newborn Sweater
As we know, a sweater is essential. They’re good for those in between months, when the weather is unpredictable.
This super soft sweater and hat duo are made of pure cotton, and has an adorable knitted design. It has long sleeves, with cuffs to keep them in place. There are also buttons which have a pearlized finish for an extra touch of luxury.
6. Gerber Baby Boys' Blanket Sleeper
Regardless of how your baby sleeps, they need to stay warm and safe. While loose blankets are unsafe, your baby needs something else to stay snug.
Something like this footed pajama would be a good choice. It’s a soft microfleece, so keep in mind your baby might not need to wear much underneath.
The PJ has a long zipper that goes all the way to your baby’s ankles. If you want something for a little princess, here’s the same version for girls.
7. Zutano Unisex Cozie Fleece Bootie
Booties can sometimes become more of a headache than a blessing. They tend to fall off quite easily, you might lose one, or both. However, these booties have special straps that gently wrap around your baby’s ankles, secured by snaps.
They’re made out of a warm fleece with a plush exterior. What’s more, you get to choose from a wide variety of colors.
8. N'Ice Caps Sherpa Lined Fleece Set
This sherpa-lined hat and mittens set is plush and warm. The material is highly absorbent, so it prevents your baby from getting too sweaty.
The hat will cover your baby’s ears, and you can secure it underneath the chin using the velcro straps. The mittens have an elastic wrist to keep them in place. You can fold the sleeves a little if your baby’s hands are extra small.
This boy’s version features planes, trains, and cars. If you want something more girly, see this.
9. MarJunSep Warm Baby Gloves
These gloves are a soft blend of cotton, acrylic fibers, and velvet. They’re warm, breathable and stretchy.
The plush lining will provide your baby with a little extra comfort. The gloves have a thumb and lots of wiggle room for growing fingers. Plus uou get two pairs, and the colors will suit both boys and girls.
10. Enteer Infant Snow Boots
When you’re taking your baby out in cold weather, booties might not be enough to keep their feet warm.
These snow boots are specially made to fit tiny feet and they’re soft-soled, which makes them flexible. The boots are lightweight and also less likely to slip off by accident, as the folded velcro straps will keep them in place. The faux fur lining keeps those tiny toes snug.
Stay Bundled Up
Babies should be just as comfortable in winter as any other time of year. We hope you now feel more prepared when the temperature drops, knowing your little one will be warm and snug, whatever the weather.
When outdoors, remember to keep your baby’s head protected, and always remove a layer once inside.
Although we love them all, our favorite from the list above is the North Face jacket. It’s warm but lightweight, and we can’t resist the beautiful color options.
How are you dressing your baby this winter? Leave us a comment below and let us know.
