How to dress winter newborn?

[wombats]

Baby due in winter, so I reckon it'll be cold and wet. I have delusions ambitions that I'll be up and about and taking the baby in pram for wintry park walks and such. We've got our pram with bassinet already but what does a newborn wear inside the bassinet? The pushchair footmuff is too big to fit in. A pram suit? How do I know if it's warm enough? Are there special extra foot muff type bits to fit a bassinet? Is a sheep's wool liner SIDS safe for the bassinet? If I'm carrying the baby in a sling do I need more or less layers?

Baby need a vest, clothes (or sleepsuit), jacket or pramsuit and hat.
Personally I found jacket with blankets a better option than the pramsuit. Mainly because getting in / out the car pramsuits can be too bulky. And blankets are easier to remove in shops too.

Less with a sling! With a stretchy wrap, they have three layers of fabric over them, plus they're snuggled next to you so get your body heat. I used to just have DD in vest, baby-grow, and then cardigan if very very cold, then a hat and bundle my coat round us both. You'll also find you need fewer layers with a sling - it's a bit like carrying a hot water bottle round on your chest!

Does your carrycot not come with an apron that you zip/Velcro on? I think general advice is one layer more than you are wearing, so something like vest, sleepsuit, coat, hat and blanket in the pram. I found my dd got very hot in the sling so didn't add any extra clothing except a hat and bootees/thick socks.

My dd (late december) would wear bodysuit with sleepsuit over in the house. When going out we would put a Next zip up fleece all in one on (thin but warm) and wooly hat. We would lay a pram blanket diagonally in the basinette, lay her on it, then fold the two corners over her tummy. Tucked a second thin pram blanket, folded, across her tummy and feet if an extra cold day.

Thinner layers are easier as if you go in and out of shops you can whip them off/replace as needed.

I never used a Snowsuit.

Vest and sleepsuit in the house. Add a hat, cardigan and blankets for the pram. In the sling add a hat and some booties if their feet stick out the bottom. They will get body heat from you. Pramsuits are pointless for newborns in my opinion as they are hard to put on and have to be taken off every time you go inside (when you can guarantee baby will have just fallen asleep) whereas blankets can be taken off without waking baby.

Babies overheat easily and get sleepier as they do. If they are cold they will cry and let you know.

Sling and cotton layers is the best option, I loved having babies in winter as you are much happier to be all snuggly compared to how sweaty you can get next to a baby in summer!

Thank you all, sounds like the pram suit may be too much? Yes, carrycot has an apron, is that really sufficient for warmth? Just zips over the top of the bassinet bit...I reckoned baby would need pram suit underneath?

Oh dear, not sure I should be trusted to take care of a new baby

Youll get the hang of it within a few trips. Use layers and blankets andthen while your out and about just feel the back of their neck or belly. If it feels too hot you can remove a layer if too cold, add a layer. Dont go by the feel of hands and feet as they have a tendency to feel cold no matter how many booties and mitts you put on.

You'd be surprised how warm the bassinet is. My baby was born in April so missed the really cold weather but the bassinet with the cover on was toasty. Shielded from the wind so kept baby cosy.

Just a warm jacket and cellular will be enough I think as it's easier to take on and off. You soon get used to checking their temp. I found I was constantly checking especially in the hot weather. I worried about how I would know if baby was hot or cold, or how I would know they needed a nappy change but it really does all just make sense once they're here!!

Also hands and feet always feel a little cool even when it's quite warm so don't worry about that!

Sorry cross post!!

I dont drive so I put baby in vest, sleepsuit with a pramsuit and a wooly hat for dog walks in the pram. I loved the pramsuit personally.

Thank you all, mine's due Nov/Dec so will have full on winter weather. @Bananarama12 do you mean a sleep sac underneath a pramsuit?

I had a winter baby, came as a shock after my previous summer born! But, I found vest, sleepsuit , cardigan and hat, then blankets to be best. Small babies just aren't comfy (imo) in thick padded suits. You can get thicker/fleecy slepsuits that are still soft and flexible.

Dd was an October baby and she turned out to be quite warm blooded! I realised one day when I had bundled her up in blankets, and she was crying and it was because she was too hot. I used to layer up blankets as needed. Easy to store in the pram basket as is a wooly hat and extra layer in case. Never bothered with a pram suit although I was very much alone in that! You will figure it out quickly I'm sure!

My pram had a top but that clipped over so I could see their faces, it was kind of waterproof, like the material that was around the pram. My December baby would wear a padded pram suit whenever we went out. Sheets/blankets dependent on the weather. Hat and gloves essential. You'll need cardigans and I always put socks underneath their babygrow. All 3 of mine were born in the winter, my boys, I used to put girls navy tights, instead of socks, on underneath their dungerees to stop their legs and feet getting cold. I hadn't passed my driving test when my DD was born, so she went everywhere in her pram.

Also it depends slightly where you live, winter on the south coast is quite different to winter in the highlands of Scotland!

DS was end October and we lived in the sticks.
I used to put him in babygro, fleece baby gro then pramsuit like a furry bear. Plus fleece muffler on fully reclined push chair. Then when he was asleep when we came back I would add a hot water bottle to bottom of muffler and leave him to sleep on terrace and i could watch him through windows. Scandinavian style. He had a huge sleep in fresh air in November / December

DD hated the bassinet so we went everywhere in the sling! Fortunately now she’s older she likes the pushchair.

She also hated having her arms dressed so we bought a little fluffy gilet with a hood and put that on over her clothes in the sling on the very cold, windy days (great when snowing). It was a great little buy as it kept her head and neck warm without overheating the rest of her. I wore my maternity coat over her over her body and she was plenty warm.

I bought a snowsuit- it never got worn and I gave it away brand new. You can’t put them in the car seat in it and some babies really don’t like being “messed about” with (dressed/undressed) so we never bothered.

Honestly they are more than warm enough with a vest, babygrow, jacket and hat if they’re also swaddled in a blanket and the carrycot has an apron on it.