Baby wearing- under or over coat?

[RainbowWaffles]

I could do with some advice... I have a newborn that I have been wearing in both a structured carrier and a sling wrap. It’s pretty cold so have been wearing over my coat, but I am worried the baby can’t breathe. I wear the sling at home and am confident she can breathe against my skin, but when a bulky coat is in the way, there always seems like a danger that she might not be able to breathe properly. Have had the same issues with both carriers.

I have googled and can’t see anything that says wearing over a coat is dangerous, I would be grateful if someone who knows more about it than me can advise whether I am just being paranoid or if over coat wearing is a no no.

I baby wear a lot and I always put my coat on over the top of the sling or carrier. It makes it easier to go into shops, cafes etc, plus it’s nice to be able to wrap my coat round DS. But I think as long as their nose and mouth are clear of bulky fabric, and there’s no risk of them overheating, there’s no reason you couldn’t have the sling or carrier over the top.

Is there a sling library local to you?

They are great groups of babywearers for advice.

Maybe worth a visit

Always wore them under the coat - warmer for me and easier for them to regulate body temperature against yours. I had a very big coat!

I've got a coat with an extra insert for baby wearing. Essentially I wear the coat on top and attach a section to both sides of my zip that creates a cocoon over the carrier and the baby. I think it's brilliant! And got it from eBay so not too pricey... google 'baby wearing coat' if you're interested.

I always wore DD under an unzipped coat. I think it offered her a bit more protection from the elements and we were able to share body heat better so not being able to zip it never really mattered.

I am not in the UK so no sling libraries unfortunately. My coat won’t do up round the carrier all the way, but it does do up at the bottom and I have a outer carrier cover that can pretty much fill the gap. Seems that all votes are for under the coat. My coat is pretty bulky (the only one that fits the larger post pregnancy me) so that clearly isn’t helping. I will give it a go tomorrow arranging it underneath. Thanks ladies.