What does a newborn wear in winter? Help!

[LeeMiller]

Our baby is due in November. We've been given some hand-me-downs and are trying to work out what we're missing, but I've realised I'm a bit confused about what the baby should actually be wearing in winter.

Inside:
I'm thinking a body, sleepsuit and cardigan. Or body under jumper/ leggings with feet combo. Does the baby need socks under or over the sleepsuit (I always wear at least 2 pairs of socks in winter!)? Does it matter if the bodies are long sleeved or is short sleeved ok?

Outside: help! What do babies wear outside in winter in a sling / pram / car seat?
We've been given a snowsuit but I think they're only for the pram. We've also been given a couple of pramsuits like this which seem lighter than a snowsuit and have no feet - are these also for the pram only? What about their feet? Booties or thick socks? And what the hell do they wear if you go out in a sling?

As you can see I'm clueless! Any pointers appreciated!

Fleece suit from Jo Jo Maman baby. Both of mine lived in them.

DD was born in February, she spent most of the first 2 months in a tuppence and crumble star wrap (we had 2). In the host she had nappy + star wrap (someone's a bodysuit as well. It was really easy for skin to skin and frequent nappy changes, and no wrestling tiny arms into and out of cardigan sleeves. Out and about she wore her star wrap over a bodysuit & sleepsuit in either her car seat or sling/carrier. Best bit of clothing I brought for her, I have 2 in the larger size now.

Remember, your feet get cold because you’re walking around on a cold floor (I’m guessing). Baby will be sleeping in Moses basket with babygrow on under a warm blanket. Don’t worry too much. Please don’t overwrap baby, they don’t need to be as trussed up as you’d think. Carry them around wrapped up in a blanket and you’ll be fine. It’s nice to stick to vests and babygrows with a cardigan if it’s cold. I don’t like jumpers for newborns but that might be personal preference.

I do remember obsessing about the pramsuit issue too before I had my winter baby. I had a soft fleece one and it was great for the car seat. It was more of a bag than a suit, you didn’t have to put the legs in leg holes, just the arms then you zipped the rest up like a sleeping bag. It was really soft. I can’t stand the big puffy ones that makes the baby look they’re off for a day on the ski slope, they look so bulky.

Winter baby as well. DC wore a vest with a babygro most of the time - our house is pretty warm so never needed cardigans or other layers. I had a thin fleece blanket that I might tuck over DC when asleep.

In the pram we used a fleece pram suit from JoJo Maman Bebe with a light blanket over the top and a hat. I was happy to leave DC sleeping outside when well wrapped up.

I don't think it's been said but baby shouldn't sleep in anything with a hood or a hat.

Thanks for confirming this! Why does so much stuff for tiny babies come with a hood then? I've been looking at baby boy/unisex cardigans and 80% seem to be hoodies!

Remember, your feet get cold because you’re walking around on a cold floor (I’m guessing). Baby will be sleeping in Moses basket with babygrow on under a warm blanket.

We're planning on using the carrycot (one of the suitable for sleeping overnight ones) instead of a moses basket for baby to sleep in during the daytime in whichever room we're in. Our floors are cold stone, does it need a stand or is a rug underneath ok?

Frugi stuff is notoriously huge. We have a vest that's 0-3 that she's still not in at 5 months! Don't bother with newborn stuff though, get up to 1 month instead. I like H&M for true sizing.

I'm actually quite relieved that the Frugi stuff is massive, was worrying about giving birth to a giant baby!

Fleece suit from Jo Jo Maman baby

A couple of recommendations for these, I'll check them out, thanks!

I am eyeing up babywearing coats for the winter.

Is there something special I should look for or just a looser style is fine?

I wouldn’t worry. Had two winter babies and one summer baby and it’s easy to warm a baby up... it’s a whole different ball game to cool them down! Just get vests, onesies and blankets and you’ll be fine. Cardies and the fleece suit etc for outside but only if you’ll be walking around outside otherwise they’ll just get too hot/stressy indoors with too many layers

@LeeMiller the hooded things are for outside. It's ok if baby is sleeping with them on in the pram but when you get inside, remove them. Remember you'll have your heating on so baby won't be freezing cold!

In case you’re still reading OP, one really useful thing I got for my winter baby was a car seat blanket. The blanket has slits in it so the car seat straps fit through it so once baby is strapped in you can wrap baby up. And then when you’re inside / in warm car you just unwrap baby. I’m prob not explaining v well but honestly it was great - a lot better than putting a blanket on top of the baby in car seat. I’ve put a link to the one I used but there is prob other ones available:

www.morrck.co.uk/shop/

Babywearing coats are designed a bit like maternity coats with a "bump" in the front except that the bump is higher up, to make space for the baby in a sling. I think some of them also have extender panels for back carries too.

@spugzbunny Thanks for clearing up the hoodies mystery! Our house is never toasty in winter unfortunately, I'm normally glued to a hot water bottle! So if baby needs to be wearing a layer more than adults I think he might need a little cardigan inside? I guess you just keep checking and add or take away layers as needed.

Thanks for the tip @Dontfartbackinanger! @BertieBotts wow, I didn't know there were special coats for slings. Think I'll see how I get on before investing though!

DS wore a long sleeved vest over a babygro. He had a fab pair of crochet booties that were like tony Uggs - he wore those on his feet to go out, and a hat and woolly jacket too. If he was in the sling, he had his booties and a hat on, then I put a big fleece over us both and left off the jacket for him. He was warm as toast!

I never really used a pram suit as it was too fiddly putting it on and off when getting him in and out of the car.

When he was a bit older and able to sit in the pushchair, I had a warm coat for him and a cosy toes on the pushchair. Again, he was toasty warm.

I never had a baby wearing coat, cos I am tight I bought a cheap fleece gilet from Mountain Warehouse in a huge size, and put it over him but under my normal coat. When we moved onto back carrying I hacked a hole in the back of it for his head and wore lots of jumpers underneath. His little head poked out of the back - so cute! And economical 👍

The extra layer is the vest - so you stick a vest on them and then put whatever normal clothes on over the top of that. If it's cold enough that you'd wear a vest as well, then put a blanket or two on them :)

I found it easiest to check the baby's temperature and adjust as needed - you just feel the back of their neck or their chest. Sweaty is too hot, cool is too cold. Warm or hot is fine. Roasting - check for a temperature.

I have found some cheaper babywearing coats from Bon Prix but I don't know if they exist in the UK. I seem to remember when I was looking before they were enormously expensive so I wouldn't have bothered, but they seem to have them fairly regularly discounted down to about €30 which I think is worth it.

Our’s was born in March and although cellular blankets were great at night at first, she soon started pulling her legs up in the night (probably wind) and kicking them off. Also harder to transition from arms to basket seamlessly when needing to tuck blanket in, so we found sleeping bags fantastic

We had a Grosnug cosy for the cooler weather which is 0-3 months (and has poppers for the arms so they can either be out or in like a swaddle) but she’s now in normal 0-6 month sleeping bags and loves them. We use a really lightweight one with just a nappy where it’s so hot but a 2.5 tog bag is great for winter. Grobag do an online guide for an idea of what to wear with the bags at different temperatures

I’ve not tried them but have also heard a lot of recommendations for the Love to Dream Swaddle Up sleeping bags

We found a snowsuit absolutely essential in winter (Mine was an April baby so a bit bigger by then) becuase we had to go out whatever the weather with the dog. The buggy had a 5 point harness so a snowsuit was best - when it was really cold he had a blanked on top. I would regularly check temperature when he was wrapped up to make sure he wasn't overheating. Vests (bodies) with short sleeves and legs very useful to add a layer.

(Grobags are wonderful - they make a travel one too so that you can still use the 5 pt harness in the car seat, but take them out and leave them all nice and snuggly in their sleeping bag rather than completely wake them up)

I definitely want to get a sleeping bag - will check out the grobag stuff, thanks.

Thanks for the tip, @BertieBotts, I'm in Italy and can get BonPrix so if we take to baby wearing i'l check that out.

We have a couple of handed down snowsuits/pramsuits so now I know when (not) to use them we can give them a go and see how we get on. Mil is knitting some booties so feet should be cosy even in the footless pramsuit!

Aha, well, if you're in Italy be prepared for every stranger on the street to worry that your baby is overdressed regardless of what they are wearing

I defo agree sleeping bags are far more practical than blankets if you're not co sleeping.

Under! Sorry everyone will say the baby is underdressed.

@BertieBotts so true, I've seen old people telling parents off in the street for not making their babies wear socks when it's 40 degrees.