Winter is a beautiful but often challenging season, especially for new parents trying to keep their babies warm and safe. Our St. Elizabeth experts weigh in on the most important things to remember about babies and cold weather – helping to ease your mind and keep your little one healthy this winter.
Cheri Prodoehl, RN, Maternal Child Health Education Specialist at St. Elizabeth Healthcare, offers valuable tips to help create a cozy and safe sleep environment, dressing for the outdoors or navigating car seat safety so you can safeguard your little one’s well-being.
1. Dress for Safe Sleep
Making sure your baby is warm without being overheated is important. Dress your baby in a one-piece pajama or a wearable blanket that you can layer over an undershirt or onesie. Don’t overdress your baby or wrap them in a heavy blanket. Heavy blankets create a safety risk, while appropriate-sized sleep sacks, fitted sleepers and wearable blankets provide warmth without danger. Also, don’t put your baby to bed with a hat. It could shift through the night and cover their face. Use a fitted cotton sheet in the crib without layers of loose blankets.
2. Keep Baby’s Room Cozy and Safe
In addition to dressing your baby safely, you don’t want to overheat your baby’s room. Providers don’t recommend portable heaters – these units can quickly make the baby’s room too hot. Mobile babies can get tangled in cords or even burned if they venture too close to a portable heating unit. Keep your baby’s room comfortable – maintaining a temperature between 72 and 74 degrees.
3. Prepare for the Weather Outside
Remember: little ones can’t easily regulate their body temperature, so they lose heat very quickly. Make sure to stay cautious when taking your baby outside to avoid hypothermia. A good rule of thumb? If your baby is younger than 6 months old, stay inside. Babies older than 6 months can brave the winter weather for short outdoor excursions. Use thin layers with a warm jacket/snowsuit if the baby is out in the elements. But always keep them sheltered from wind and blowing snow.
- Keep their head and hands warm with hats, gloves, mittens, socks and booties.
- Use a multi-layered approach. Dress your baby in layers of fabric. Layer up to go outside and take off layers when you’re back inside.
- Use breathable fabrics like cotton and muslin.
- Keep your baby dry, as wet clothing can drop their temperature. Use waterproof snowsuits and coats if your baby is outside in the elements.
- Get dropped off close to building entrances to avoid carrying your baby across the parking lot in the cold.
4. Take the Car Seat Carrier Unit Inside
The cold can greatly affect your baby’s comfort and safety while in their car seat. Parents know firsthand how big and heavy a car seat carrier can be. Sometimes, it may feel easier to leave it in the car and just hustle inside with your little one. However, Prodoehl recommends taking the carrier portion with your baby each time.
“Babies lose heat quickly, and popping them into a cold car seat can make their body temperature drop rapidly,” says Prodoehl. “We recommend bringing the car seat carrier inside each time – even though it’s heavy, it’s worth it to keep it room-temperature year-round for the comfort and safety of your baby.”
Also, use a car seat cover that only covers the top of the car seat. You don’t want anything to go underneath the baby. Remove the cover once you arrive at your destination so your baby has fresh air.
Prodoehl also recommends checking your baby’s temperature regularly. Don’t just check their extremities, which will usually be cooler. Instead, feel your baby’s stomach or back to determine their core temperature. If the baby feels hot or sweaty, take steps to cool them down by removing a layer of clothing or turning the room temperature down and vice versa if the baby feels too cold.
St. Elizabeth: Your Newborn Resource
If you have questions on newborn safety during the winter months, reach out to your baby’s pediatrician today. St. Elizabeth is right here for all of your baby needs, from feeding to traveling and everything in between.
