Questions about Warmth

[Jennifer1970]

The title sounds silly because this should be obvious so please forgive me for asking a stupid question. 

I'm probably one of those moms who underdress their child.  Even though I live in a cold northern city, I often don't wear a coat because I hate lugging it around and I hate bulky clothes.  My feeling is that I'd rather be cold for a short time than mess with a coat.  So I think I don't pay enough attention to it for my DD.  Also they keep daycare pretty warm and the car is always warm so I'm afraid of DD getting too hot. 

On most days I dress DD in long sleeves and leggings or pants.  It's usually cotton and it's fairly lightweight.  Daycare requires that we send 2 additional changes of clothes and she usually goes through all three bottoms in the day (we're the only family in daycare who uses CDs and I think that the DCPs can't quite figure them out so she leaks more than she does at home).  At home in the evening she's usually in a long sleeve onesie with baby legs and she usually sleeps in a onesie and a sleep sack or footy pajamas. 

So please help me to understand how I should be dressing my DD.  What is meant by woolies?  I have several pairs of wool shorties that we use at night with a fitted diaper.  Are longies also a diaper cover?  We're having some leakage problems at night so maybe longies with a fitted diaper and a shirt would be a good night time option.  For those of you who still have LOs in diapers, what do your LOs sleep in? 

Wool scares me.  It's expensive and hard to care for (at least I think it's hard to care for).  I don't wear it myself because I hate bulky scratchy clothes.  I don't knit so I'd have to buy it.  How often does it need to be washed? 

And I do worry about her being too warm.  Is that really a problem for a young child? 

TIA!

[mama2Elia]

Wool silk blend long underwear is NOT bulky at all, it's soft and not that hard to care for once you figure it out.

I think your little one is not dressed appropriately- but I live in Minnesota and it's COLD here most of the year.

[brennan]

I agree I would say that she is underdressed.  I don't know where you live, but my dd wears a cotton sleeveless undershirt, a wool long sleeve shirt and then a cotton long sleeve shirt.  On her bottom, she wears wool long underwear and cotton pants, or cotton baby legs and wool longies.  My dd is potty trained, so we just use them for comfy warm pants.  But wool longies do work as diaper covers (and will not leak at all!).  Wool does NOT have to be scratchy.  Honestly I was "allergic" to wool until I learned that it was the processes that I was allergic to.  

Dd is still in a diaper at night, and she wears a fitted diaper with a wool soaker on top (like shorties, but without the short part, like undewear I guess) and a wool sleeper.  She wears a cotton shirt on her top underneath the wool sleeper.  

The way that I can tell if dd is warm enough is if her hands are warm.  If they aren't then she's not warm enough.

Oh and wool is super easy to care for.  Just throw it in the sink with some wool wash (I just got eucalan but I just used baby soap before that).  The water should be leukwarm.  Swish the woolies (a general term used to describe any wool clothing, specifically long underwear, though in the diapering world its longies/soakers) around and gently rub any stains.  Rinse if your soap requires and then I roll in a towel (to remove water) and lay flat to dry.  Woolies do not need to be cleaned that often.  We wash ours every 2ish weeks unless dd has an accident.  They are aired out when not being worn (overnight, during the day).  We have 2 sets of long underwear.

I hope that helps I'm all over the place sorry!

eta- you need to lanolize woolies that you're using for diaper covers.  Lanolin is what occurs naturally in wool to help waterproof it.  You can take some lansinoh (sp?) the stuff for sore nipples and mix it with some hot water shake and let it cool.  Put it in a spray bottle and spray it on the wetzone (where the wool would get wet from pee).  You can also buy some premade lanolin, but this is inexpensive and easy to find (I think even walmart carries it).

eta- Just wanted to add this great post about warmth! (its not me) http://aresohappy.squarespace.com/home/?currentPage=9

[VegMomma]

Here is another good article on warmth and dressing your baby.
http://www.christopherushomeschool.org/early-years-nurturing-young-children-at-home/the-waldorf-baby/dressing-the-very-young-child.html

[melamama]

Originally Posted by VegMomma 

Here is another good article on warmth and dressing your baby.
http://www.christopherushomeschool.org/early-years-nurturing-young-children-at-home/the-waldorf-baby/dressing-the-very-young-child.html

Wow that article reminds me how much I appreciate Donna!

Here is another great piece on the importance of warmth by Susan Johnson

www.waldorflibrary.org/Journal_Articles/sjohnsonwarmth.pdf

[mommabeehilly]

This is my favorite article on warmth: http://theparentingpassageway.com/2009/12/06/warmth-strength-and-freedom-by-mary-kelly-sutton/

We are constantly doing the hand test here. I found that has really helped me. Asking if DD is cold...no dice.

[dogretro]

My baby is six months old & she does not always wear her wool onesie, but she always wears either a cotton tank undershirt or a sweater (both if it is really cold).  Socks and pants, usually jeans, but not always.  Mostly always wears a hat.  If we are not going out it is her cotton pilot cap from Hanna Andersson.  I do check her hands to see if they are warm.  If her limbs are exposed, I will grasp them to see if they feel cool.  If they do, I cover them (ex. put a sweater on if in short sleeves).  A typical outfit: Today was a brisk day.  DD2 wore her pilot cap, an undershirt, a tee shirt, thick cotton sweater, cloth diaper w/ regular PUL cover, and socks.  She had been wearing jeans, but complained about them, so I took them off.  Her legs were fine, not chilly at all.  I tend to layer more on the top half so that she has freedom of movement w/ her legs, but they are still usually covered (babylegs a lot).  Most fall days here an undershirt, long-sleeved onesie, babylegs, socks, and hat is enough.

[LuxPerpetua]

We never did woolens or even layers for our dd when she was a babe and we live where it's very cold.  She was VERY high needs and dressing her was extremely stressful on her and us too.  What we did was keep our home warm (75-78 F in winter) and when we went out, I'd bundle her inside my coat so my body heat would keep her warm (we only had quick walks to/from the car so we weren't out but a few minutes).  I'd also put a hat on her as she got older (after age 1).  Before that hats made her scream, so we didn't do those.  I agree with the hand-check test.  Personally, I don't think she was cold, and she's very tall and very bright, so if she was cold, I don't really think it affected her growth.  So my take is either make sure her enivironment is always warm or to figure out a way to put more layers on her.  You can also buy cotton thermal underwear (we actually wear polyester ones now--not Waldorf but I don't particularly care about that).

[Climbergirl]

I think you have to do the hand test.  That is what I would do and my son was almost always considered by strangers as "underdressed".  I am cold natured due to my thyroid and I used to dress him in one more layer than I had on (based on some book I read while pregnant).  His clothes would be absolutely dripping from sweat.  And this is in cotton clothes, not synthetics.  So, I started doing the hand test and figured out what kept him warm.  Yesterday, while the house was 66F, my son was running around and was sweating.  He only had on an tank undershirt, jeans, and a long sleeve shirt.  I, on the other hand, was wearing a sweater.....

Hum, now that makes me wonder how many layer *I* should be wearing to keep my hands warm!  Especially since they are always cold......

[Melaniee]

When Dc were under three, I usually had them in one more layer than I was (except for the heat of summer, and even then I usually brought a light jacket due to A/C).

Now I have to try to predict what they will and will not remember to put-on or take-off in school as the day goes on. LOL. The little one's teacher still help with that but my older one I've had to learn his habits and also start talking to him about self-awareness. For example our new task to work on is "When you step out of the classroom before you run off to the playground, stop for a minute and think about if it's chilly or not." LOL.  I will also find him later in the afternoon with 2-3 layers on indoors and his sleeves pushed up because he's hot.

It's actually rather chilly now and it's driving me batty they're only in one layer indoors but they're playing so nicely, I hate to interrupt.

Don't fear the wool. I used to CD, and after the first few it wasn't tough at all.  I could never use Longies at night, though, or any other actually knitted cover. I always had to use felted covers.  Dc would wear a diaper/cover, onesie, PJs over that and if really cold then booties. If newborn then also a tight hat. 

I've just for the first bought Dc some Merino wool underlayers (which also work as single-layers on milder days) and they are SO awesome. I'm envious and want to get some for myself. I bought them from Sierra Trading Post and Campmor. 

[Jennifer1970]

Thanks everyone for the responses.  I ordered some wool/silk blend tops for both me and DD from Nova and I'm in love!  So soft and warm and not bulky at all.