is a 'baby wearing' coat necessary in winter?

[AlyssaJane2]

baby due peak winter & wanting to baby wear with carrier in instances when pram is not practical - i see adverts everywhere for baby wearing coats & was going to buy one but now wondering if this is actually necessary... for those who baby wear in winter do you do so over a normal coat & then just bundle up baby in coat, hat, gloves etc? or will this still be too cold for baby for outdoor walking etc

Get an all-in-one suit and gloves/hat.

I used a big mens coat, DH had one that did up with baby tucked inside

It depends what sling you want to use. It's hard to use wrap ones over a bulky baby coat so easier to layer over both of you once the baby is on.
I used an oversize man's fleece jumper and cut a horizontal slit in the front for LO

I don't think so, they're just another unnecessary baby consumer product. As others have said, big men's coat, or wrap baby up warm in a winter suit then tie a big scarf over the sling.

I have a baby wearing coat with a zip in panel and use it loads. It was great towards the end of pregnancy too. For my husband we bought a ‘zip us in’ panel to expand his coat which also works really well and was far cheaper than buying a whole new coat. You can pick them up on Amazon. With the panel you just have to make sure you buy one with the correct zips for your coat.

I just continued to use my maternity coat but any oversized coat will do! Alternatively, I think you can buy zip-in panels (think JoJo sell them?) to extend your normal winter coat.

I've been coveting one of the Seraphine babywearing coats for my second baby (due soon!) but I can't justify buying even a second-hand one when I know I'll get a maximum of two winters out of it!

Honestly no. These weren't a thing even ten years ago when I had my youngest. Just wrap them up well - your body heat will keep them warm

I just had a massive fleece which zipped up over both of us. DS would be boiling in loads of layers, I used to have him in a jumper and joggers and I had a pair of sheepskin lined socks for him as his toes used to get cold. Maybe a hat if it was absolutely freezing but you’ll be surprised how warm you both get if it’s a wrap sling! I’ve got a carrier as well which I used when he was a bit bigger and that was marginally less hot.

I just used an old, massive cost of DH's, which zipped up over baby. By all means get one if you want one and can afford it, but no, you don't need one.

I find mine really useful. Most slings/carriers advise not to put babies in them in heavy coats/snowsuits etc as they can easily overheat with your body temp added in as well. The baby wearing coats or inserts help you regulate this a bit better I think. They also keep your baby and carrier dry if it's raining and it's nice not having to bundle baby into coats etc every time you want to go out. Mine usually just wears what she has on in the house with the coat and a hat. When it gets colder I will probably put an extra jumper on her.

I liked mine and most slings/carriers advise against putting baby in them in thick winter clothing, coats or snow suits. I got mine as a maternity come baby wearing coat on sale and it was well used. I still wear it on the smallest setting now when I'm with DC in the park.

I had one from next - it also did for the end of pregnancy and worked well for my DD. It also meant she could feed easily when being carried as needed.

I just used the coat I brought whilst I was pregnant which was a bigger size generic coat from asda, not a special maternity one.

Was probably for the best I didn't fork out lots of money for a special baby wearing coat as turns out DS hated being in the sling and much preferred the pram so the sling was only used about 10 times in total.

I bought one and loved it (autumn baby). I used it every time I left the house the first winter. I did use the sling more than the pram though (3rd floor flat with no lift). The second winter I used it fairly often to take my toddler our childminder in the mornings. I am still wearing mine as a normal coat without the extra panel. Once they are walking and going to play in the park it’s less useful because you can’t easily put them in a coat and then in the sling. When they are very small baby wearing coats are a fantastic thing to have. Putting the sling over the top of your coat and theirs feels very unstable and not safe in comparison. - it can feel like the straps are slipping off your shoulders or that the baby might slip out the top of the sling.
That said, if you can find a baby wearing panel that will work with your existing coat it will do the same job. You can also buy warm covers for baby carriers and wear your coat open - but this is not as warm.

www.sheffieldslingsurgery.co.uk/2014/11/10/snowsuits-scarves-slings-and-safety/

Some good tips here. Don’t overdress baby - remember you’ll have each other’s body heat, and the sling is a layer or two in itself. If dressing baby in an all-in-one, make sure their feet have plenty of room and aren’t scrunched up.

Coat-wise, I bought a Primark parka several sizes bigger than usual and that did nicely. It had a drawstring at the waist so I didn’t look entirely like a sack of potatoes if I was pushing the pram instead of using a sling!

I used my maternity coat for this! You don’t want to over wrap the baby though as slings keep them very warm..most the time I left cost unzipped as it was too hot for both of us (like having a hot water bottle strapped to your chest!) and if it rained I just carried an umbrella

I made a babywearing blanket that had loops and toggles that attached to the sling straps. It was an extra layer when it was really cold or windy but let me wear whatever coat I wanted.

@almahart

Honestly no. These weren't a thing even ten years ago when I had my youngest. Just wrap them up well - your body heat will keep them warm

This The baby will keep you warm

I think it depends where you live. Where I am it doesn't really drop below zero, so I just fastened the bottom half of my coat and had a scarf over the top. Baby stayed very toasty. If I lived in Inverness and had a dog that needed walking I'd probably have got one.

Bundle bean do sling covers that are quite good, and they double up as covers in a pushchair as well.

I have a hoodie with an extra zip in panel that works really well. Also DH hoodies fit me and baby. If I'm still cold I put my normal coat on top but don't wrap around baby. They get so warm in slings that you have to make sure they don't over heat against your body but also keep their legs warm. I find the hoodie coat combination a good balance in very cold weather, legs tucked up in the hoodie. No coat when it's a bit warmer.

Our baby has a thin all in 1 suit for in the carrier walking the dog, mittens always fall off. She's quite toasty when we get home. As the weather worsens I will get the pram out more as it can get a bit too slippy in the winter where we walk.

I wrapped baby up warm and then put him in the sling. Then if it was particularly cold, wore one of DH’s old hoodies and zipped it up over the sling. Then my old coat over the top; I couldn’t do it up but helped keep me warm.

I think it probably depends how warm you are & where you live. I feel the cold a lot, so an open coat wouldn’t do much for me! I got a maternity coat with a baby wearing panel in a sale early on and have been wearing it since 24 weeks or so, when my normal coat wouldn’t do up over my bump anymore. It wasn’t massively expensive and it’ll help keep us both warm, especially given that you’re not supposed to use snow suits etc in slings.

They’re not an essential, but mine helps.