How to Dress Your Baby for The Weather

For a first-time mom, everything regarding her baby is new and challenging – even the simplest things. When should you feed the baby, has the baby eaten enough, should the baby be sleeping, is the baby cold, and even how to properly dress your baby – all these questions are enough to make you second guess yourself.

But don’t worry, every mom has questions similar to these, especially regarding how to dress her baby for the weather. Dressing your baby according to temperature can be challenging.

That’s why we tried to make a list of tips that can help you dress your baby for any temperature.

Dressing your baby for hot weather

First, let’s talk about what hot weather implies. For a baby, hot weather is anything above 23 degrees Celsius (75 degrees Fahrenheit). When the temperature rises above the mentioned number, it’s time to remove the clothing layers from your baby. One layer is enough, or to be sure that the baby is comfortable enough, dress them in one more layer than you’re wearing.

As for the clothing appropriate for hot weather, try to choose clothes made of light materials. So, linen, cotton, and bamboo-based fabrics. Both linen and cotton are natural lightweight fabrics, that will allow your baby’s skin to breathe during those hot summer days.

As for bamboo-based fabrics, they are eco-friendly and naturally antibacterial, plus they are breathable and soft, so dressing your baby in clothes made of bamboo can be ideal for long hot days.

Another must-have clothing piece for the hot weather is hats. You need to protect your baby’s head from too much sunlight and stylish baby headwear is the right way to go. You can choose from different hat styles – beanies, hats, headbands, and so on. This way, your baby will be both protected and stylish.

Also, try to avoid exposing your baby to the sun. Many doctors will tell you that it’s ok to put sunscreen on your baby’s skin, but FDA (the Food and Drug Administration) doesn’t recommend this. Instead, for babies under 6 months, the best would be simply not to expose them to the sun.

Dressing your baby for cold weather

If the weather is really cold, the best would be not to expose your baby to low temperatures. However, if for whatever reason you need to, make sure your baby is properly dressed.

For colder temperatures, clothing layers will be your best friend. So, don’t be afraid to bundle up your little one. Clothing layers are there to trap the heat that will keep the baby warm. Here too, you can apply that rule of thumb where you’ll dress your little one in one more layer than you’re wearing.

Of course, you need to consider how comfortable your baby is in multiple layers. The first layers should be clothes made of breathable materials such as cotton or cotton blends. Polyester and fleece are ok for outdoor wear – jackets, snowsuits, and so on.

Your baby needs to be completely covered, head to toe if you’re going out during cold temperatures. This means that you’ll need hats, gloves or mittens, socks, and boots. However, try to avoid scarves or overly decorated items such as bows buttons, and anything that can be a potential choking hazard.

And since babies need to be changed often, consider clothing that has snaps and zippers, so you won’t have to remove every single layer to change the baby. Also, stretchy expandable necklines will make changing and dressing easier – since babies hate clothes that need to be pulled over their heads.

If you’re going for a stroll during winter times, make sure you also have a blanket to cover your baby and protect them from cold.

You should also know that dressing your baby in too many layers can result in overheating! So, be sure to remove all winter clothes from your baby once you’ve come inside.

Dressing your baby for mild weather

You’ll come to realize that layers are your best friends regardless of the weather. For mild weather, dress your baby in as many layers as you’re wearing, and then add one more.

The baby’s temperature should always be between 36 and 37 degrees Celsius (98 and 100 degrees Fahrenheit) regardless of the weather.

Dressing your baby for sleep

In the beginning, swaddling or sleep sacks are recommended until the babies can roll on their own. After that, you can dress your baby in two layers for sleep – a onesie and a baby sleep sack. Sleep sacks are the only safe way to keep babies warm while sleeping because a blanket can easily get over their heads.

The temperature in the baby’s room should be around 16 and 20 degrees Celsius. Also, make sure you keep your baby away from draughts and direct heat sources.

It’s important to know how to protect your baby from the elements, especially if you live in an area with frequent weather changes. It’s also ok to have questions about how to dress your baby properly – even more so if you’re a first-time mom.