Tips for summer baby?

[pancakes22]

Hiya, due in the next few weeks and conscious it's meant to get really warm. Feel a bit clueless if there is anything in particular I need to bear in mind for a summer baby? My first was born in winter so it was pretty easy with just putting on a vests and babygrow over the top but I feel unsure how much to still wrap babies up when it's warm outside? Will hospital still want me to have mittens and a hat to put on him or do I just leave him in a vest only if it's warm? find newborn summer hats instead perhaps? Any tips?

Thank you!

You'll still need to dress baby as you would do in the hospital e.g. bodysuit, sleepsuit, hat. They need time for their temperature to regulate.

We are expecting our first baby in a few weeks too so I have asked the MW.

When you are at home and it is hot during the day my plan is to be flexible - removable layers or blankets that can be put on/taken off as needed. We have summer hats rather than normal hats for outside.

Sorry OP I realise I put expecting our first baby too, I realise upon rereading that this is your first summer baby - I guess very different than a winter one which you can wrap up!

What might be helpful is to use the groeggs as a guide, if you have one...they tell you when you when baby's room is too hot/cold and you can Google how wrapped up they should be off the back off it. Or gro make some little paper thermometers that pick up the heat and then tell you what baby should be wearing in regards to clothing. We got it free with a gro bag but I thought it was quite good.

I’m in the same boat OP. Advice I’ve found helpful as well is not to have a fan in babies room near the cot as they don’t feel the heat as much as we do so can get cold very quickly.

I’ve also been advised to make sure I’m super hydrated as the baby will be very thirsty if it’s a hot summer and may feed more than my first did.

My son was born in early June when it was very hot, and we were given the advice to dress them in one more layer than you would wear, so he normally wore a vest and sleepsuit but did have some days where he was only in a vest as he seemed hot and uncomfortable. And we didn't bother with hats other than on the way home from the hospital.

You do get some old ladies tutting at you when you take them out without a hat on, but especially in the pram where it gets warm already, it could actually be worse for them to be too warm than too cool. You will get to know your baby pretty quickly though and know how they feel most comfortable. Good luck!

I had a summer baby, MWs & HVs advised us that baby will need one more layer of clothing on than we feel comfortable in, i.e. if we are too hot in clothes then only have your baby in a vest. Having a thermometer in the room can really help you adjust as well if you are unsure; gro eggs have guidelines with them I believe.

We were actually also advised not to put socks, mittens or hats on our newborns! DS' hat was taken off him in the hospital a few hours after birth!

You'll also have a good idea if your baby is too hot by touching the back of their neck, if they feel hot then they are too hot.

I was told that summer born babies are more likely to need more warmth, during the first 6 weeks, than winter born babies. So you may need to adjust to the higher end of the recommended 16-20 degree temp range.

Thank you everyone for all your advice

I’ve had 2 winter babies and a summer baby. Winter ones are way easier to dress in my opinion!
From what I remember DD2 (July) was in a vest and sleepsuit in hospital, but it was 30 degrees the day she was born (horrific heatwave!) and I don’t recall putting a hat on her. We were home within 4 hours of her birth and in the pictures from home that day she’s definitely not in a hat. It was crazily hot though.
She was mainly just in a vest and sleepsuit for the first month, then as she got bigger (and it was still boiling!) she was in things like a romper and cardigan.