Can you take a newborn for a walk in this weather?

[Sunshine1996]

Spent a lot of my pregnancy in lockdown and the one thing that kept me sane was going for daily walks. Just before Christmas our beautiful daughter arrived. It is cold at the moment where we live, not really going above 3 degrees. My partner says it’s too cold to be taking her for walks. I do have a snowsuit for her and would put blankets in the pram too. But is it too cold really to take a very young baby out? I normally walk for at least an hour.

It's fine. How does your partner think babies cope who have none driving parents that have school runs to get on with and a million and one other outside things to do

My DC’s nursery also had them nap outside in those large old prams.

Of course it’s fine. My DD was born at this time of the year and had to do the school runs to drop off/pick up her older brother. She would wear her sleep suit, a cardigan, her snow suit, a hat and then a blanket folded over. If she was asleep when we got home I removed the blanket, took her hat off and unzipped the snow suit a bit.

You’ve got this! It’s totally fine, my baby is 7 weeks old now and goes outside to walk the dog with me daily and has since she was born. We live in Canada so the temperature does get low sometimes but she is in a sling and totally fine. (I will say though there definitely is weather I wouldn’t take her out in but it doesn’t have to do with temperature - hail and freezing rain being two examples)

When my December baby was worn we had two Great Danes. I didn’t like walking both at once with the baby (they weighed more than me) so walked them separately for at least an hour each day with baby in Pram or sling. She’s fine.

It's fine. Bundle the baby up and go.

Ummm..... depends on whether said new born has clothes on/layers for the cold/we in a pram/baby sling or not. New borns have been out and about for thousands of years and if warm and safe they will be fine.

Absolutely! Get out there and get baby some fresh air.
Honestly I don’t know where blokes like this get their ideas from... what do they think people who live in much colder areas do?
Don’t want to suggest 1+1=5 ... but there isn’t something else going on is there? I mean, it’s not the cold, it’s that he doesn’t want you going out? Completely prepared to be shut down...

If you go out a walk at the moment you will see loads of people walking with babies in prams.

Yes totally fine as all the others have said- I always preferred the pram to a sling and so did my babies! I would use a pram suit, hat and blanket- it does take a lot for a wrapped up baby to get cold!! Also think of how cocooned they are in the pram bassinet. Understand the worry especially with the first but honestly it's fine!!

(Coming from me who had a special care baby in august- totally paranoid about them being cold and got told gently by a visiting midwife that they probably did need a woolly hat on in the house in August!!) ive got over it with 2nd and 3rd!!

What would you do if this baby was your second and you had a school run to do?? You wouldn't not take the other to school so it's fine!

Touch back of neck/chest if you're worried- if they are warm- baby is warm!

Just don’t let her overheat with all the layers!

Poppins2016

“Trust your gut instinct and remember the phrase... "no such thing as bad weather, just bad clothing"!

Mum and I took my son out at around 4 weeks, lovely day, forgot the rain cover. Of course, it poured and his blanket was soaked.

Still remember crying to my mum as we dried him off and wailing “what if he dies”?

He’s 6ft 3 now 😁

Just wrap up (and don’t forget your rain cover!)

Not too cold.

Please be careful of done of these suggestions - don’t use a hot water bottle, don’t put the baby in a pramsuit if you’re going to use a sling (though do in a pram) and do be careful of how many layers you’re using. Yes it’s cold and baby will need vests, sleepsuit, pramsuit and hat but please don’t add loads of blankets etc on top - overheating is far more dangerous for baby than getting a bit cold. By all means take a blanket or two with you then if baby is cold they will let you know and you can add one. Maybe speak to health visitor (if you’ve actually got one who is doing visits at the moment) so they can reassure you/ your husband.

She'll be fine well wrapped up and snug. Well done you for walking for an hour after only just having a baby.

Wrap them up warm. My January baby just turned 20, and I remember our first walk in the snow, with a sling. It was just after we got out of hospital. I think prams are better (less risk of slipping on ice) but we were in a top floor flat, so it wasn't easy. We went out every day, though not usually for long. That March I met somebody with a baby the same age, and she said it was the first time they had been out! They had a car, so I can understand the temptation to stay in the relative warmth and comfort instead of braving the winter weather on foot.

When my generation (born in the 70s) were little, it was normal to be out in all weathers. Our parents and grandparents believed in fresh air, and most SAHMs wouldn't have had cars.

@AliasGrape

Not too cold.

Please be careful of done of these suggestions - don’t use a hot water bottle, don’t put the baby in a pramsuit if you’re going to use a sling (though do in a pram) and do be careful of how many layers you’re using. Yes it’s cold and baby will need vests, sleepsuit, pramsuit and hat but please don’t add loads of blankets etc on top - overheating is far more dangerous for baby than getting a bit cold. By all means take a blanket or two with you then if baby is cold they will let you know and you can add one. Maybe speak to health visitor (if you’ve actually got one who is doing visits at the moment) so they can reassure you/ your husband.

All of this. To put it very bluntly, overheating can kill.

I may have missed a PP posting this, but one rule of thumb I was given was to put the baby in one more layer than you yourself feel comfortable in (which of course may not work if you are the type of person who freezes very easily). So if you are wearing a top and warm coat, the baby could be in a bodysuit/vest, sleepsuit and snowsuit.

I had my autumn babies in slings rather than prams, and that was bodysuit, sleepsuit, cardigan, baby in sling, hat, and my babywearing coat round them.

My dd was born early Jan and I would take her out, as long as she's wrapped up and warm it'll be fine, actually it's great and a good thing for both of you

I like that "no bad weather only bad clothing", it's brilliant! I have dogs so that rings true, my DKs, plus myself, I inherited it from my late Mum, they went outside in their prams in the garden just for fresh air,all year round, plus walks, it's really important at the moment to get fresh air into our homes,I seem to be the only person in my road who opens windows. Different obviously for the people out at work all day. Get those "weather" clothes on and get out there!

@Sunshine1996

In Denmark parent just plonk their kids pushchairs outside restaurants while they eat inside. Child still in said pushchair! This is often in subzero temperatures.

It seemed madness to me, but I think your LO will be fine for a walk is what I’m trying to say!

On a side note, I asked my friend if there were many abductions and she oh ofc not children are far too expensive to keep 🤯 my mind was blown!

This is the most reasonable suggestion I’ve ever seen! I can’t believe 12 % think you should not walk with baby in cold weather! Just keep checking she’s not getting too cold / overheating in think layers. Enjoy your walk!

I take my 1yr old to the park for his afternoon nap in his pram when he inevitably refuses to sleep in his cot. I dress him in a vest, a t shirt and trousers, a jumper, socks, shoes, a little neck warmer and a woolly hat and then a snowsuit with gloves attached. He’s perfectly warm like this at 2 degrees celsius. No blankets. In your place with a small newborn Who’s not great at temperature regulation I’d go with a stretchy sling. Last winter my son lived in his. You don’t need to dress them particularly warm for this because they are next to you. You help to regulate their temperature. I used to do vest then trousers or a sleepsuit without feet (so his toes didn’t get squashed), and a woolly hat. Then I’d put my coat over the top of us both. If your partner is worried that baby will be cold get et him to try wearing the sling with baby and he’ll quickly see it’s very warm! If you like this technique you can buy baby wearing coats that have an extra panel than you zip on as an extension. I use mine everyday in winter still.

If it's extra chilly I just put the rain cover on and it stops the wind chill. Plenty of layers, and something cosy to lie on.

Congratulations op on your wee bundle of joy!
Going out for a walk every day is the best thing you could do for both of you. She'll be toasty warm in her pram. Just make sure you put a hat on her as a lot of body heat is lost through the head.

I was around 6lbs 5oz when I was born in late December and my mam took me out two days later, I was barely in the house, just in my pram with a warm blanket and pramsuit.
My sons were 2lbs 14oz and 5lbs 3oz born albeit summer babies but they've always gone out in the cold in the exact same way I did

DS was a November baby and we always took him out for walks no matter the weather. He would wear a vest, a sleepsuit, a cardigan, a hat, mittens and a lovely wee jacket thing we had been given. On top of that I'd take lots of blankets. They were thin cotton ones that I could add, remove or fold as required depending on how cold it was. He did also spend a lot of time in a sling but never while it was slippery under foot. I didn't want to hurt him if I fell.