How to keep your newborn warm this winter
The chill of the winter air may put you off going outside with your newborn, but it's important to get outside in the fresh air, even for a short amount of time, for you and your baby. The cool of the winter can help your baby acclimatize to the season and the day and night cycle, but if it is dangerously cold, it isn't advisable to take your baby outside. Babies cannot regulate their core body temperature, so they lose heat much faster than adults. Here are our top 5 ways to keep your newborn warm this winter.
Check your indoor temperature
You may have concerns about your baby being too cold in the house, but too much heat can also be a problem. Heating reduces the home's humidity and can cause dryness to your baby's delicate skin. Experts recommend keeping the temperature of your home to around 20°C – 22 °C, and at night they suggest dropping the temperature to 17°C – 20°C which will help prevent dry, itchy skin and reduce the chance of SIDS. Dress your baby in a sleep suit and sleep sack to keep your newborn warm through the night.
Wear your baby to keep them warm
Baby carriers are a great way to use your own body warmth to keep your newborn warm in the cold weather. When you're wearing lots of winter layers, make sure your baby's face isn't covered by the fabric of your clothes to keep their airway free.
Dress your baby in layers
Dressing your baby in layers will help you to regulate their needs, as you can take them off as needed. If you're wearing a coat over your clothes, your baby should wear a jacket, a snowsuit, and a blanket. For their bottom layer, you can dress your baby in leggings, a body suit, socks and booties. On top, you can dress them in a long-sleeved top, jacket, hat and mittens to keep your baby nice and warm while you're outside.
Remove baby's coat for car journeys
It may sound counterintuitive to take off a layer, but it's very important that you never put your baby in a car seat whilst they are wearing a coat or snowsuit. The puffy fabric of a snowsuit creates too much space between your baby and the car seat's straps, so if there were an accident, your baby wouldn't be securely held. Instead, at the start of the journey, click your baby into their car seat, and then put a blanket over your baby's lap to keep them warm. Once the car has warmed up, check the temperature of your baby's hands and then you can remove the blanket, so they don't become overheated.
Keeping your baby warm in their pram
When choosing a pram for your winter baby, look for one with a specially designed cover to keep your baby warm and allows for necessary air circulation. To keep your newborn cosy, wrap them up in appropriate layers with mittens, socks and booties. You can also tuck them up in a blanket to chest level to keep them cosy.
Take a look at our shop to view our range of baby clothes to keep your baby warm this winter.