Babywearing through the seasons- Winter wearing
When there’s a slight nip in the air, a nice, long babywearing walk followed by a mug of hot cocoa/coffee can be super comforting after a long day. When your baby cuddles up close to you feeling toasty warm in the carrier, leaving your heart in a puddle, total bliss, ain’t it? 🙂
Now that we’ve got you imagining the whole scenario, here are a few pointers that’ll have you covered on safe babywearing during the cold winter months.
Baby carrier is like an extra layer of clothing
Cotton is naturally a soft and fluffy fiber. The fabric that’s woven out of the yarn retains this characteristic to a large extent. Depending on the weave, cotton can be woven into luxuriously smooth fabrics that are gentle enough to contact baby’s delicate skin and are soft right out of the box. With age and use, you’d love the softness even more.
Babywearing is an activity that generates heat. Two bodies when held in close contact, exchange considerable amount of heat. While babywearing, your baby’s body literally behaves like a little personal heater for you and vice versa. The baby carrier works like an additional layer of clothing over you both and keeps you feeling warm.
Babies, especially very young infants do not yet have the ability to regulate their body temperature and stand a very high chance of overheating if kept too warm. Overheating being a risk factor for SIDS, here’s how we can prevent it:
Clothing
Dress up in layers
Lighter, thinner, multiple layers work best for baby and you. Add an extra layer while taking baby outdoors or while taking baby out of the carrier. Peel away a layer in case baby starts to heat up or if you happen to move indoors.
Thick, padded clothing, footed onesies are best avoided
Thick sweaters, padded suits not only stand the risk of overheating but also make it harder to get the carrier fitting accurately and safely around the baby. A puffy suit doesn’t support baby’s posture adequately thus compromising the airway. This is especially true with very young babies.
Footed onesies that fit snugly over baby’s feet put pressure when babies tuck their legs up as in while seated in a baby carrier. This can cause painful curling of their toes and make the baby uncomfortable. Instead, use pajamas/pants or leg warmers and sock up the feet to keep them warm enough.
Protect the extremities
Baby’s head, hands and feet need additional layer of clothing as they are not covered by the carrier. A warm hat, gloves/mittens for the hands, booties for the feet, all keep the baby comfortably warm.
A coat/jacket for the wearer
You can either wear your baby over your coat/blouse or wear them inside in a slightly oversized coat or a babywearing coat that you can zip up over the baby’s back leaving baby’s head fully outside of the coat.
Safety checks
Baby’s skin is delicate and sensitive. Cotton being hypoallergenic is one of the best fabrics to touch your baby’s skin in close contact as it won’t irritate baby’s tender skin.
A little caution goes a long way in safe babywearing. Pointers in this regard are:
✓ Baby’s head and face should be visible at all times to keep a free and clear airway.
✓ The carrier needs to fit snugly around baby’s body and not their clothing.
✓ Check baby’s core temperature regularly with the back of your hand on their neck/back for any signs of overheating.
✓ Extremities need extra protection. ✓ If you live on a wet/snowy place, avoid slippery surfaces and choose shoes appropriate for winter walks
Happy Kol Koling through the seasons! ️
Photographs shared with kind permission from our beloved customers. Thank you @tasneemzuzer, @nanditharamesh, @swativijayans and @purplewish_by_aaki (@aaki0310).
