December baby - need advice on how to dress them

[rosalynnh76]

Hi all, baby is due next week and I am really confused around what they need to wear to keep them warm. During the day, should it be short sleeved body suit under long sleeved sleep suits, with a cardigan? Planning to swadle at night, should baby just have a sleep suit on? I am a first time mum and very confused, so any advice is most welcome

The general rule of thumb is that they need one more layer than you, because obviously they can't move around to keep themselves warm.

Our son was born in March and it was freezing, and we usually put him in a short sleeve vest and a sleepsuit at night, then wrapped him in 2 layers of blanket (sort of semi-swaddled!).

Don't test their temp by their hands or feet as they will always be the coldest bits - check that their chest or back of the neck isn't too hot or cold and it should be fine. Good luck!

gretagrape has covered it. Tbh unless you're expecting a special visit or trip out for the first few weeks no need for outfits, stick to a babygrow by day and sleepsuit at night, (one and the same thing really though I liked the ones with feet at night time).

I didn't practise swaddling myself but I imagine that must affect the quantity of bedding.

Remember when you get to change your little one's nappy, probably around eight times a day, you'll need to unfasten her or his clothes from the waist down.

Dress your baby in suitable clothing for the conditions. A winter baby will need a hat or hood along with a coat on trips outside. If they are in the car or a shopping mall you can ease up on the layers so they're not beetroot with heat.

When you get home or indoors, remember to take off your baby's outdoor clothes even if they're sleeping. Better to wake them up than have them overheat. It's normal for their hands and feet to be cool.

Keep your baby's head uncovered indoors. The ideal room temperature for her or him is about 18°C.

All the best for your newborn's arrival

There's some advice now against swaddling so I'm not sure I'd be happy to do that.
As pp have said, test temp on baby's chest or back. Hands and feet are normally cooler.
Don't put them in the car seat in their snow suit or puffy jacket as it reduces the effectiveness of the restraints. Just a sweater or cardigan with blankets over the top.
We have always layered which makes it easier to control temps. Vest, top, cardi and coat. Socks and leggings under jeans, tights under trousers etc.

Another one for layering here. A snowsuit is perfect for a long walk with the pram, so essentially purely outdoor pursuits. Otherwise it'd be called a shopsuit. For popping to the shops, going out in the car, a vest, a sleepsuit/babygro and fleecy cardigan, and a thin but warm coat. Then a blanket over the legs. You may find you keep the car nice and warm so a blanket is not needed. Also shops in winter are often baking hot I find.

One thing which helps me every day is a little temperature gadget that tells me the indoor and outdoor temperature, so I don't get a surprise when it's actually bloody cold but looked ok from inside. You can get them from Aldi and all other good retailers I imagine.

I personally wouldn't bother with a coat for such a young baby, as presumably he/she will be in a carrycot if outside for any period of time. I would just use long sleeved vest, baby grow, cardigan, hat and nice warm blankets. I took my son out like this when it was bitterly cold the other day and he was toasty.

You can get footmuffs for cars seats too

My dd was 19 dec born.

Daytime - short sleeved vest and a sleepsuit with a cardi over (usually only in other peoples house as I keep my house quite warm in the winter)
Night time - short sleeved vest and a sleepsuit, swaddled in a giant muslin square, then a soft blanket over her bottom half

When we went out, id add a soft pramsuit and a hat. Fluffy enough to keep warm but not thick.enough to be dangerous in the car seat. Id then add a blanket over her legs in the car, or would swaddle her in a blanket in her layflat pram.

NB rosalynn you'll get more confident very quickly and don't be crushed by the occasional critical comment by WhoAskedYouAnyway, everyone's got a piece of advice .

The thing to watch out for is changes in temp eg if you have dressed your baby for a cold walk in the park, but you then go for a coffee in a really warm cafe and stay for a while. or your baby falls asleep on the walk and is then sleeping in your heated home.

as a previous poster says, blankets and hats are more versatile for this than a snowsuit as you can remove or add a layer. blankets are really useful as they can be removed without waking the baby (unless your baby is like mine and wakes at the slightest thing of course...)

Thank you for all of your advice, very reassuring