How to Dress Babies for Winter Exploration

I was out for a winter walk with my 6-month-old on an extra cold and snowy day, and she was bundled up in a soft, front carrier on my chest. I had worried about being able to keep her warm, so I had schemed up some ways to add extra layers. I was feeling pretty proud of myself when we tromped out into the snow, confident I could keep her toasty and we could get some fresh air.

About 20 minutes in, my little one started to get fussy and I went through the list in my head of all the things it could be: cold, hungry, tired, pooped, some clothing tag was poking her, her hat was itchy maybe...? When she couldn't settle, I turned back and headed for home, fearing otherwise I would have to unbundle her in the forest to nurse or change.

I made it home and started unwrapping her from her carrier, blanket, snow suit, hat, mitts, and booties to find that she was absolutely SWEATING. hmm. Didn't see that one coming!

In hindsight, I had totally overlooked the amount of heat my body would generate and transfer to her in the soft carrier when I started moving. I really should have been focused on keeping her extremities warm, knowing that my warming body would do the rest.

Since that walk, I have learned a ton about effective layering, and the best materials to use for it. I am so happy to share that knowledge here so you can venture out with a teeny bit more confidence in your ability to support your baby in the winter!

The Basics of Staying Warm

A few important ideas to keep in mind when trying to stay warm are the ways in which we can prevent heat loss. Let's aim to avoid heat loss by combining the following:

• layering - having multiple layers of clothing and material between you and the elements

• materials - choose clothing fabrics that keep their insulating power event when wet

• wind breaks - putting barriers between your baby and any blowing wind that can suck away the bubble of warm air their body is creating

• props - external heat sources to add, depending on activity

Layering means having multiple layers of clothing and material between you and the elements. You want to be able to easily add or remove layers depending on what the weather chooses to do while you're out. A good rule to remember that you have likely heard is that a baby should be wearing one more layer than you are, and this goes for outdoor gear as well.

Layers for a super cold day could look like:

• Body: Short sleeve onesie, under long sleeve shirt and pants, underneath a one piece fleece suit (or a footie pajama/ similar), underneath a snowsuit

• Feet: socks, under footie pajamas, under winter boots or booties (footie pajamas might not be a good option after baby starts walking. In this case, you could add an extra sock layer)

• Hands: thin mitts, under winter mitts

• Head: Thin tuque, under winter tuque (that covers the ears)

• Extras:

  • safe neck warmer (NOT a scarf! Choose a tube-style neck warmer for safety. If the neck is visible, adding a little fabric will decrease the amount of wind that can get to their body)

  • blanket or stroller bunting bag

  • don't forget that a soft carrier that keeps baby's body against yours also counts as a layer, as you will share your heat with them

  • sheepskin/wool mat for under their bum

  
  

When my baby was a couple days old, our first outing was to an urgent care clinic (for me - all was fine), and I was so worried about my baby being too cold in the car that I bundled her in a fleece pajama, and a hooded fleece one piece suit with footies over top, and a blanket for good measure. As is usual when heading to an urgent care clinic, we had to wait FOREVER and by the time it was my turn to be seen, my baby was pissed and I had no idea why. I pulled her out to nurse her, and this didn't help. Finally my partner mentioned that she was maybe too warm now that we were inside, and wouldn't you know when I finally undressed her from her extra layers, she stopped wailing. Are you noticing a theme here? I worried a lot about my baby being too cold, and it would sometimes backfire because I didn't know how to adjust for the other variables!

Materials means choosing the right types of fabrics for maintaining insulation around the body. Some materials do this drastically better than others. In multiple outdoor trainings, I have heard the line "cotton kills" and it freaks me out every time! This is said so often because when cotton gets wet, it loses the ability to hold air between its' fibers and it will begin sucking away body heat.

On my walk with my baby, if I would have stopped to take her out of the carrier and check her diaper, I would have exposed the wet (sweaty) cotton sleeper to the wind and cold and it would have lost all ability to hold her body heat in. Let's avoid this!

I would recommend reading the labels on your baby's clothing and choose the following as their go-to winter layers:

• Fleece/ Polar Fleece: made of polyester

• Wool/ Merino wool

• Acrylic blends (can add warmth to other materials, but are not as breathable, so use with awareness that baby could get sweaty

One trip to the zoo with my two year old ended in us leaving early and her screaming in the stroller all the way back to the car, because I didn't realize the impact of rubber boots: it wasn't too cold of a day, and she got warm and sweaty while running around with her buddy. Her rain/rubber boots trapped the moisture from her sweaty feet and as she stopped for a lunch break, that cold moisture caused her feet to feel like uncomfortable little icicles. Proper wool socks and winter boots would have made a big difference in her comfort level, as they wool would have held its heat, and the insulated boots would have kept some of the cold out, even if her feet were sweaty!

Wind Breaks include anything that can stop the wind from blowing away your baby's protective layer of heat. Your baby's body generates heat that is ideally trapped by their clothing/layers on cold days. If you are adventuring on a windy day, some materials will provide additional support to ensure your baby keeps the heat they generate.

Wind breaks can be:

• a wind-proof outer-shell like a rain suit or snow suit

• a soft or structured carrier: they can both break wind by putting an extra layer of fabric between your baby and the elements

• a stroller with a windproof cover

• a stroller/chariot sleeping bag: there's tons of these on the market. Pick one that works with your stroller seatbelt situation, and passes the breath test below

• a think blanket

If venturing out on a windy day, test your materials by putting them up to your mouth and blowing as hard as you can. If your breath passes super easily through the materials, that means the wind will too. If barely any breath passes through and you get all dizzy and your cheeks hurt, that means your layers will beat the wind. Take that elements! That genius tip came from the Appalachian Mountain Club!

Be conscious that if something is strong enough to not let wind through, it likely will not breath well when babe gets warm. This is something that you will need to keep an eye on if transitioning from a stationary activity (like a ride in a stroller) to an active activity (like puddle jumping or climbing at the playground). If transitioning to active play, you can feel if baby is getting too warm by touching the skin on the lower neck by the tag of their shirt to see if it feels damp or hot.

Props can be the extras you add depending on the temperature and your activities. There are a few things I find particularly useful depending on the activity:

• hot water bottle: placing one of these rubber water bag things in the bottom of a stroller sleeping bag can add a ton of extra heat for your baby. It is also quite safe as it doesn't get too hot to the touch. I do this combo often for cross country skiing while pulling my baby in a chariot

• hand & feet warmers (reusable or disposable): these can be dangerous for babies because they can be too hot for their skin. Use caution and discretion if choosing these. The feet warmer ones should always be worn with a layer in between the boot and sock, and the baby's feet should be checked often for safety. Same goes for the hand ones - I have used them in between a thin mitt and a winter mitt for added warmth.

• a warm up space: don't forget that a place to warm up if often accessible. Even five minutes indoors can be a good reset. If you are worried your baby got too cold while being outside, make sure to un-layer them while indoors to check temperature of fingers, toes, and their stomach. This will also help their clothing warm up if any cold air got trapped inside to help them keep their own body warm.

• body heat of a warm adult: unzipping your own coat and letting them reset their hands or feet by keeping them close to your body for bit can also help. Do not blow on the hands or feet as the moisture from your breath can make them colder after the initial warmth.

Below are a couple examples of how I would use this info to keep a baby comfortable in different settings on a -15C day. You will see that the main difference is the amount of extras I would bring on a hike, knowing that I wouldn't have quick access to a warmup space:

• Stroller walk to play at the park in -15C

  • Layers & Material: wool socks, fleece footie pajama, fleece one piece suit, snowsuit that passes our wind test, thin mitts, insulated waterproof winter mitts, insulated waterproof winter booties, warm fleece or knit hat

  • Wind breaks: stroller (with the plastic cover made for it in case we walk facing into the wind), stroller bunting bag

  • Props: knowing there are coffee shops/ warm up spaces within a five minute walk, I would feel confident in accessing warmth if we needed it before heading home

  • Extras: possibly a neck warmer, dry mitts, hot water bottle for stroller bunting bag

• Hike in the mountains at -15C

  • Layers & Material: wool socks, fleece footie pajama, fleece one piece suit, snowsuit that passes our wind test, thin mitts, insulated waterproof winter mitts, insulated waterproof winter booties, thin tuque under fleece or knit winter tuque, neck warmer

  • Wind breaks: structured back carrier (will NOT provide my warmth for babe, but will break a lot of the wind)

  • Props: sheepskin/wool mat for under their bum in the carrier to hold a pocket of warm air

  • Extras that I would pack in case needed:

    • disposable hand and foot warmers

    • a dry hat incase snow gets theirs too wet

    • extra mitts in case they get wet

    • an extra fleece sleeper in case of pee/poo blowout

    • my winter emergency first aid kit

Happy adventuring!!