Keeping baby/toddler warm. But why??? - Page 2

[P.J.]

Yeah, I don't get it why people always think babies are cold. What's up with that?
I always go with: the baby gets dressed like we are dressed, so if we have sweaters on, he gets one too, etc..
...and my MIL and SIL always add another layer when they take care of him.

[AFWife]

My DS was born in April in South Texas...people always assumed he would get cold even though he was flushed.
When it got to be winter and he was crawling around FIL and MIL made a huge deal when they came over about his not wearing socks. They would touch his feet and feel that they were cold, put socks on him, and watch him crawl around for a bit before pulling them off. Lather, Rinse, Repeat. He was 10mo at the time I think. *shrugs*

Now, at 16mo, he sleeps outside of the covers most nights. He HATES covers. Sometimes he'll let us cover him up, but usually not. And we sleep with it cold (65F) and he sleeps in lightweight sleep clothes. We used to put him in warmer stuff and he would wake up fussing all.night.long...switch to cooler clothes? Sleeps much better.

[rhiOrion]

Yeah, people bought us a kazillion socks for our april baby.

She's had socks on her feet a grand total of one time. and she had kicked them mostly off within five minutes.

I've only put hats on her to block sun (and during her first few days of life)

She hasn't worn a sleeper since she was maybe a month old. She sleeps ON me, and it's relatively warm in our bedroom. I figure if I'm burning up sweating, she's not cold. If the room is a bit cooler I'll put an aden and anais blanket on her.

She pretty much always wears just a onesie. I hate pants on infants (just a PITA with diaper changes) so she only wears pants if they're particularly cute

I've only had one comment. A coworker commented, when I took L in to visit at about two months old, that she didn't have any socks on.

It was in the 90s outside.

[Llyra]

I think it stems from the old idea that getting "chilled" is what causes colds, flus, and pneumonia. Not that being too cold can't lower your resistance, of course- certainly it can. But we know now that being chilled doesn't CAUSE illness. My neighbor in particular is famous for screaming at me about my kids being outside in any weather below like 80. DD1 was born in the middle of a fall heat wave, and he used to practically have a stroke when he saw that I didn't bundle DD up in a snowsuit and a hat and an extra blanket.

FWIW, a baby can have cold hands and feet and still be dressed appropriately. I always slid my hand down their neck/back to check if they were warm enough. Cold hands and feet might warrant some mitts or socks, but adding a whole extra layer might make baby TOO warm, and that's dangerous.

Newborns-- especially those below about 6 1/2 pounds, or those still a few weeks or more before due date-- sometimes do have trouble regulating their own temperature. In that situation, a little extra layer or a hat might be just the thing.

[Kikelet]

Yeah, I'm not a huge fan of bundling up either. It's been a super hot summer here in VA and I have yet to put on a few outfits we were given.. Stinks because it got hot so fast here and I had all these tiny cute clothes, but E's never worn them.

About the cold hands, cold feet thing; DD's feet are somewhat cooler than the rest of her body 90% of the time. I refuse to put socks on her in 90+ degree heat and I get picked at by my family about how "her poor little feet are FREEZING!!!" when they're just cooler.. She is not a sock baby, she'll reach right down and yank 'em off. When she was a NB, we always had sockies on her. Oh, and I also noticed that when her feet are "chilly" they're actually clammy most of the time. I think people misinterpret that as being cold, when really the sweat/moisture cools down once it's in contact with the air.

I'm sure your baby is totally fine You're not doing anything wrong.

[Quinalla]

I dress my baby so she is comfortable, which is actually usually somewhat lighter clothing then me because she runs hot like my DH. I can always add something if she seems cold, but she gets pissed off if she gets too hot. I don't get it either after they get past the point where the can regulate their own temperature.

[AFWife]

Originally Posted by Quinalla

I dress my baby so she is comfortable, which is actually usually somewhat lighter clothing then me because she runs hot like my DH. I can always add something if she seems cold, but she gets pissed off if she gets too hot. I don't get it either after they get past the point where the can regulate their own temperature.

DH runs hot too...and DS gets it from him. I can't sleep in between the two of them or else *I* get hot, and I'm a cool person.

[laughingfox]

Originally Posted by Dena

My friend who has researched this extensively told me that babies being too warm actually increases the risk of SIDS.

I've heard this, too. Not overdressing your child is number 5 on this list (from sids.org) of things you can do in an effort to lower your baby's chance of SIDS.

[CanBoo]

So glad to know I am not alone!

I actually have to admit that my kids wear fewer layers than me sometimes… The 3.5 year old can tell us now when she is uncomfortable so I let her get dressed her way since it is rarely cold enough to be dangerous here. And I notice that the toddler too: she gets a little grouchy when she gets chilly so we add more clothes at that point. As I said, as long as she is happy I let her go. She is normally the one who takes her clothes off anyways. This week-end she thought it was hilarious to walk around bare foot on the freezing cold floor in the camping trailer. Discoveries I guess.

For the cold hands and feet, I would not rely on that either, I am hot, yet I always have cold hands/feet. That’s how I am comfortable.

[ProtoLawyer]

Originally Posted by Dena

Then I was told you are supposed to put a pair of socks on all the time and a onesie under everything. .

:?

One wonders how babies survived before the Onesie was invented.

Here in WI, it's not uncommon for older people to ask, "why isn't he wearing a hat?" when they see a hatless infant in July (and they're not talking about a sun hat).

My son runs warm--he woke up sweaty in a sleep sack last night, and it was not a warm night--so often, he's dressed in a glorified onesie (you know, slightly thicker, with a more outfit-like pattern) and has a light blanket available and he's fine.

[trumpcard]

This is a constant battle with my MIL every time we see them since DD was born. It's summer for Pete's Sake! We are wearing bathing suits and shorts and she's putting a flannel blanket over DD. The poor kid!

[Devaskyla]

The one that baffles me & that I see the most around here is people pushing around their travel systems with the carseat covered over (dangerous to begin wing) with a FLEECE blanket in the Summer. I could vaguely understand a blanket outside if it's a really cool day, but not fleece and not inside.

[VegMomma]

Originally Posted by lotus.blossom

Isn't it a Waldorf concept to always keep little children warm? I can't remember the story behind it, but thats always why little Waldorf kids wear woolens under everything. (hope that wasn't too steryotypical)

My ds2 runs HOT. I'm lucky if I can get a onesie on him all summer long. And forget any sleepers with feet. With our woodstove on this winter I expect to have little need for clothes this winter too (unless we leave the house)

Yep. We are Waldorfers, and basically the idea is that babies need their energy for growing, rather than to keep themselves warm. Here's a good article on it.

I generally follow two rules : if their hands are cold, add a layer (and they generally wear wool slippers/ booties, unless it is very hot out... which isn't very often around here!), , and remove layers if the back of their neck is sweaty. And my kids almost always wear hats, baby even wears one in the house, except when he's sleeping.

It is true that overly warm babies are at an increased risk of SIDS, because they are more likely to fall into a deeper sleep.