A few months before your due date, you're most likely shopping for clothes for your football-sized labour of love already or you're already planning your baby shower or filling out a baby registry for your guests. Before you do that, a few reminders for when you are shopping for your baby's clothes.
When dressing your little tot, there are so many factors to consider. Apart from their gender, you think about style, comfort, and size, among other things. One factor that is actually quite important is the weather.
Now, hold your thoughts, super-saver mums. We know how clothes are one thing that newborns outgrow the fastest and are quite pricey, so no, we are not recommending that you shop and sort your babies' clothes according to season. This guide is intended to help you determine which types of clothes you can mix and match, so your baby is protected whatever season it is.
Dressing a Newborn in Summer (Over 23 Degrees Celsius)
The hottest time of the year is also the year we put our babies in the hottest summer outfits. While we attempt to don our mini-me's in the trendiest OOTDs our favourite celeb babies have been wearing, we need to make sure that what they are wearing protects them from the sun and the sweltering heat. So, what are the Dos and Don'ts for baby summer wear?
Do use light but tightly woven fabric to protect your newborn from the harsh UV of the sun. Your best bet is cotton fabric.
Do put your baby in long sleeves and leggings to protect them from head to toe. Just make sure that their clothes are breathable and lightweight so that your baby does not overheat,
Do always put on just one layer of clothing. UNIQLO's Airism baby collection includes rompers, tops, and bottoms that are made with mesh construction to keep your newborn cool and comfortable.
Do cover your newborn's head with a lightweight hat.
Do put some baby-safe sunscreen on your newb0rn to protect their skin from the sun. Make sure that your chosen brand provides broad-spectrum UVA/UVB protection (in simple terms, this sunscreen protects you from both A and B UV rays of the sun), uses safe ingredients, is easy to apply and absorbs quickly and nicely into your baby's skin.
Don't put on clothes that are made from wool. This fabric can easily irritate your baby's skin, plus it might put your bub at risk for overheating.
Signs that baby is overheating
There's a point you might have overdone dressing your newborn for the hot weather, so watch out for these signs: flushed, sweaty, rapid breathing, cranky and irritable. When you notice these symptoms, remove layers of your baby's clothing, head inside where there's no sun, and call your paediatrician, as these symptoms might be signs of heatstroke.
Dressing a Newborn in Cold Weather (Under 23 Degrees Celsius)
This is that point in the year where we think if we need to put our newborns in Elsa or Jack Frost mode to keep them protected from the cold. Well, there's no need for that. All you need is to keep these reminders in mind:
Do layer your newborn's clothes. The rule of the thumb is to dress them in whatever clothes you would wear to be comfortable in this weather and then add one more layer. For instance, you might be comfortable wearing a cotton shirt and a pair of paints in this weather. So, put your newborn in a cotton shirt and a pair of pants too. Then, add a cute little jacket on top of their cotton shirt.
Do dress them from head to toe. So, you got them on long sleeves and cosy leggings. Add a layer of clothing to their head, hands, and feet too. So, some cute bonnets, mittens, socks, and footsies will help.
Do bring blankets, especially when you're going out with your newborn. This can keep your baby warm.
Do remove your baby's jacket when you are securing them into their car seat. They might be too tight under the harness of the car seat or too loose in case your car gets into an accident.
Don't overlayer. When your baby already has on a long-sleeved shirt, then you put a shirt on top of the long-sleeved shirt, then top it all off with a windbreaker jacket, you might suffocate your child. Watch out for the same symptoms mentioned above, if you feel you have overdone layering your baby's clothes.
Dressing for Bedtime
Although sleep time is not another kind of season, what your baby wears to sleep is different from what they wear during the day, because the objective at night is not to put them in clothes that they can freely move in. The objective at night is to keep them asleep.
Another watch-out is not to overdress them to a point of overheating or cause SIDS (sudden infant death syndrome) or underdress them that they might get hypothermia. So, how do we do that?
Do dress them in only a onesie and a swaddle, if they like to be swaddled.
Do regulate the temperature of your baby's room. Between 68 and 72 degrees Fahrenheit is your best bet. Now, just because you adjusted the room's temperature, it does not mean your baby will not overheat. You still need to check if they're sweating. Dampness is fine, but not pools of sweat. That is not a normal sign. Remove the layering of your child's clothes, and consult your doctor.
Don't put your newborns to sleep with blankets. You run the risk of causing your child's SIDS, as loose bedding is considered one of the factors causing this unfortunate condition.
Don't swaddle your baby if they are over 2 months old and they are strong enough to break out of the swaddle. It may put them at risk for suffocation because of the loose fabric on their bed.
Don't cover your baby's head. Babies regulate their own temperatures mostly through their heads. So, if you put covering on them, they can overheat.
Quick Tips for Dressing Newborns
What your newborns wear according to the weather is not the only thing that needs attention but the manner of putting such clothes on your baby as well. So, what are some of the ways you can safely put clothes on your bundle of joy?
Do put the opening of your baby's shirt or romper at the back of their head and then their face. Do this in reverse when you're removing the clothing from your baby. Doing so ensures we stay clear of any suffocation.
Do gently guide your baby's arms through the armhole. Their bones are very delicate at this point, so you ought to make sure you don't tug on their arms if they keep pulling back.
Do one arm first, then roll your baby to the side to get the shirt underneath, and then shoot your baby's other arm in the other armhole.
Do roll the sleeves of your long-sleeved outfits before putting them on your baby. This is safe and a time-saver too.
There you have it. A simple temperature guide for dressing babies for any weather. Once you master these guidelines, dressing your newborn is going to be a breeze.
Raising Children, What to Expect, The Bump, Pregnancy Birth & Baby, The Wedding Vow, Mom Loves Best, Product Nation
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