Hats after birth

[Taryngep2017]

This is crazy random random but I have literally wondered regularly about this for almost 9 years next month 🙈🤣 I had Sol by section at 1.01am boxing day after a nearly 40 hour induction/labor. I have read non stop especially following the maternity page of my local hospital trust that they ALL get a hat put on them after their birth. My daughter is the literal ONLY baby from parents I have ever spoken too that did not have a hat put on them. Obviously she is healthy and it isnt a criticism but I just always wonder why? It was December, it was actually snowing on the night she was born, nothing was ever mentioned about an abnormal temperature. She was 100% healthy infact anything they ever mentioned health wise was about me. I've just always wondered why? Was there a reason? I didnt have too much of a complaint about our nhs care apart from the fact I felt/knew naturally it was skeleton staff as it was Christmas day into boxing day and i felt i could have for sure been checked more regularly as i had an infection that wasnt picked up. Any thoughts in my first world problem haha. Solve a nearly 9 year old mystery of a mum with OCD haha (picture has a hat we put on the day after)

It's good they didn't. Hospitals are weirdly obsessed with putting hats on babies, when actually it's better if the mum can sniff and kiss their heads. As long as a baby is warm they don't need a hat.

Babies loose a lot of heat (for various reasons) through their head as it is a big surface area compared to their body. You could have just googled it sometime during the last 9 years you know…

*lose

None of mine had hats. They got a blanket that had been heated on the first wrapping but just normal blankets after that. One of them was transferred to a surgical newborn NICU in a kids hospital where all the newborns were critical/serious. None had hats there either. Only put hats on mine when we took them outside.

Maybe try reading the op again before being snarky? She's wondering why her baby DIDN'T get a hat.

Sorry, it’s late, you’re right. Sorry OP. She should have had a hat. If she was in an incubator/heated cot she would not have a hat. But she should have had one when out.

I think it depends on the circumstances of the birth.

Some premature babies have problems maintaining their body temperature because of low birth weight, which means insufficient body fat. Even in hospital wards which are often heated to tropical temperatures. My own DD3 was one of those babies.

In such cases a bonnet can be helpful as it greatly reduces the amount of heat lost through the head.

If the baby is well, is warm enough and is maintaining body temperature adequately then a hat is unnecessary.

I have no idea, OP, but I just wanted to say - that is the most adorable newborn baby photo I've ever seen! She looks lovely.

@MyAgileUser this actually isn't true, they don't lose any more heat through their head than any other body part. This myth came about due to an army experiment where they looked at how much heat was lost by soldiers wearing arctic survival gear in extreme weather - but with uncovered heads and hands. So obviously they lost a lot of heat through their heads compared to the rest of their body as the rest was covered.
Hospitals are warm and if a baby is healthy and snuggled in they do not need a hat.