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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

To insist on coat or blanket from car seat to house with 6 month baby?

145 replies

untitled1 · 02/11/2025 22:00

It’s 7°C outside and DS (6 months) needed to go from house to car, about 20 metres. He was wearing a cotton bodysuit/onesie with no vest underneath.

I thought he needed a coat/blanket and hat even for that short distance, especially as he’s just getting over a chest infection.

DH thought it was fine for such a short trip and that I was being over the top. He took DS out as he was- no hat, no coat, no blanket.

Am I being overprotective? Do babies really need full outdoor clothing for literally 30 seconds outside? Or is it important even for very short distances?

Is this something worth insisting on or am I overthinking it?

OP posts:
EleanorReally · 03/11/2025 09:25

i never forgot when dh bought in sleeping dc and plonked them on an upright toddler chair, Sad

NerrSnerr · 03/11/2025 09:27

EleanorReally · 03/11/2025 09:04

i would have thought he should be wearing a vest in all weathers at this age - why wasnt he - out of interest

The OP has answered this, the vest got dirty and they didn’t have a spare. If the OP was stressing about the baby being cold for 20m I think we can assume they were wrapped up warm enough for the rest of the day.

untitled1 · 03/11/2025 09:32

I want to clarify - we had a blanket right there and a hat that I bought right for this reason!! I didn’t expect him to put the coat on, in my OP I said coat/blanket meaning either or. As in drape the coat around him.

He also regularly doesn’t put a vest on DS, I have to enforce it and despite me asking him to he doesn’t see the point and just says it’s warm enough.

the bigger context is - yes I do micromanage but that’s because he often does things that I believe are not on DS best interest but he is a very strong, assertive type of character so it is VERY difficult parenting with him.

he would never googling things, go to classes etc just thinks because everyone manages to bring up kids he’s not daft so doesn’t need to learn.

Another example, DS is not even seven months yet but keeps feeding him solids doesn’t give bottle in the morning because wants him ok solids asap so he sleeps through the night. I try explaining milk is main source of nutrition until 1 because I have taken time to research but he won’t listen.

OP posts:
untitled1 · 03/11/2025 09:42

Another example, yesterday in the house he had him in a short sleeve vest - just that…all morning.

my house is usually 20-22 degrees but I was annoyed so asked why he had no clothes on and his response was it’s fine in here.

now agree I probably need to pick my battles wisely but there’s been other things worse than this that I’ve had to intervene with. Do I just shut up?

OP posts:
Ophy83 · 03/11/2025 09:43

Blanket and coat are very different options. If you had a blanket to hand then yes why wouldnt you wrap it round the baby? But putting a coat on a sleeping baby is such a faff and likely to wake them. When you describe the argument you only mention a coat as an option.

Tourmalines · 03/11/2025 09:44

What other things that are worse ?

Mamabear0202 · 03/11/2025 09:44

I think you’re being a bit OTT. Baby doesn’t need a coat or blanket for such a short trip; and I wouldn’t lose my mind if my OH did it. I personally would just throw a blanket over baby as takes two seconds but if my OH didn’t, so be it.

But your baby should probably be wearing a vest and onesie at this point. Even you’ve stated how cold it is. My 12 MO is in vest, top, and jumper at the minimum.

EleanorReally · 03/11/2025 09:45

you need to speak up op

untitled1 · 03/11/2025 09:45

@Ophy83I said coat/blanket which I thought implied either or but sorry if I was misleading

OP posts:
EleanorReally · 03/11/2025 09:46

just dress him and point out to your dh he is wrong, i dont care about arguing. he needs to be more aware

untitled1 · 03/11/2025 09:46

@EleanorReallyim what sense do I need to speak up? I did but seems I was being OTT from most posters!! Or are you referring to my last update? Can you be specific

OP posts:
GETTINGLIKEMYMOTHER · 03/11/2025 09:46

In cold weather, personally I wouldn’t think a cotton onesie with no under layer enough anyway, unless it was thicker than the usual ones.

EleanorReally · 03/11/2025 09:47

pick your battles doesnt apply to your dh op.
he is being in an idiot regarding the weaning. as well as the dressing.

WhyamIinahandcartandwherearewegoing · 03/11/2025 09:47

Neither coat nor blanket is necessary for such a small time/distance between two perfectly ok environments. Yabu here.

Also - you don’t know better than your other half, you just have different opinions, neither more valid than the other, you are both the child’s parent.

footnote, both of my kids have made it to adulthood eating solids with gusto from the age of about 6 months. They were hungry, they got given decent food and it wasn’t against guidelines at that time. And nothing bad happened!

untitled1 · 03/11/2025 09:47

@Mamabear0202you have three upper layers? DH would hit the roof if I did this, he will not understand baby needs one more layer and just always says temperature is fine. Often puts just get on him indoors and says it’s warm

OP posts:
EleanorReally · 03/11/2025 09:48

who is the main carer?
who stays at home? is it your dh?

Livelaughlurgy · 03/11/2025 09:49

What does dh wear? I used to make mine take his jacket off in the car so that he'd be wearing the same as the kids. If dh is going around the house in a t-shirt it makes sense that he thinks a vest is fine.

untitled1 · 03/11/2025 09:49

@EleanorReallyI am main carer

OP posts:
Ophy83 · 03/11/2025 09:49

I think this one small thing tipped you over the edge when the other issues - what the baby is wearing all day, and what they are being fed - are far more important. The River Cottage baby and toddler cookbook is helpful. Or if your dh won't read books maybe you could find something for him to watch (not that educating him should be your responsibility!!).

EleanorReally · 03/11/2025 09:51

but your dh should be made aware of guidelines op

Digdongdoo · 03/11/2025 09:52

untitled1 · 03/11/2025 09:47

@Mamabear0202you have three upper layers? DH would hit the roof if I did this, he will not understand baby needs one more layer and just always says temperature is fine. Often puts just get on him indoors and says it’s warm

When he dresses the baby like this, is baby actually cold? Or are you taking the extra layer thing as absolute gospel?

untitled1 · 03/11/2025 09:53

@Tourmalinesexample, DH has dry skin patches but still insists keeping him in bath for half hour stints and ‘forgets’ to put his cream on him.

OP posts:
Shamesame · 03/11/2025 09:53

I must be a neglectful mother because it wouldn’t occur to me to add layers to a sleeping baby for a short walk from a car to a front door if I’m carrying them.

SunnyDolly · 03/11/2025 09:54

It seems you and your DH are really clashing over parenting and no good comes from it.

7 months is absolutely fine for a baby to be on solids and having a good intro to food and meals, as long as milk is given too. They’ll start eating more food and naturally taking in less milk over the coming months and it’s good for you to both be on the same page with this as initially weaning can feel stressful (introducing allergens, food prep suitable for their age etc) but it doesn’t need to be! It can also be so fun if you’re in it together.

Likewise a vest in the home is fine if the home is 22 degrees - that’s very, very warm - who is setting it so high? I’d be stripping off at 22! 18-20 is plenty with a baby in the house (mine were Feb born and it was freezing but this worked for us!)

But it really, really sounds like you need to try and get on the same page a bit about the day to day. What they eat, what they wear is a daily thing and if you’re butting heads over it it’s time for a proper conversation.

Shamesame · 03/11/2025 09:55

Are you the same person who has posted about your partner doing things with your baby before like leaving him to cry or picking him up by his arms?

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