How do you wear baby in winter without freezing?

[mamaGG]

Hi all. I wear my 7mo DD all the time in an Ergo carrier and as it's starting to get cold I'm beginning to panic about how I'll wear her in the winter. Right now I put the Ergo on under a sweater or jacket but if I'm putting her in and out of the car I have to take the jacket off to get her out of the carrier. As I found out when it rained recently...this isn't very convenient. And I can't figure out what to do about the winter. I looked on the Ergo site and they have an odd wrap kind of coat that goes over the carrier but that won't really keep me very warm in the winter. Any advice appreciated! :

[prescottchels]

Some of my friends have worn cloaks over themselves and baby in whatever carrier they use...
When I was a nanny I'd wear baby and then don an oversized/baggy coat/jackt wrapped around both of us or layer my own clothes wear babe in sling and then dress babe warmly.
This product looks kinds nifty...
http://www.togetherbe.com/productDes...uOriginal.aspx
They also have a long sleeve more weatherproof wintery version!

Good Luck!
Chelsie

[jocelyndale]

I carried DS (April 07) in the Ergo all winter in a front carry. I dressed reasonably, put him on in the Ergo, zipped an insulated sweatshirt over the two of us, then wore either my normal coat or my cloak. If it was windy, I tied a wool shawl around my front and knotted it in back, too. And he always got a hat, of course.

If you knit and have a button-up coat, you can make a panel to go across the front of your coat.

You could also opt for one of the babywearing vests and then put a coat on over that.

[syd'smom]

I've gone ice-fishing bwing! I have Suse's kindercoat - it is awesome - front carries, back carries, and it's a 3 in 1 so great for all weather and warm enough for just about all the cold days up here!

[PatchChild]

I zip a large fleece vest over the two of us, and then add my coat on top of it. With my hands in my pockets, I hold it closed around us. My DS is such a little furnace that he keeps us both warm.

[BaBaBa]

Originally Posted by syd'smom

I've gone ice-fishing bwing! I have Suse's kindercoat - it is awesome - front carries, back carries, and it's a 3 in 1 so great for all weather and warm enough for just about all the cold days up here!

Oh yeah! Used it for DD doing barn chores 2 twice a day fall, winter and spring.

[mkmama]

love love love my peekaru (www.togetherbe.com)

the best thing ever! On really cold days i put a jacket over us, but most days a heavy sweater is plenty! baby never even need to put on winter jackets and whatnot, she stays warm against me, underneat the fleece. :

[The4OfUs]

I got a 2XL fleece that would fit over both of us in a front or back carry. We're pretty warm people so that was enough when we were pressed up against each other. I'd slide my arms inside the fleece (it was big enough) to get her unbuckled and keep her in until the last minute at the car to slide her out and into the car seat. Getting out of the car obviously took longer so there was a minute or so she would be exposed, but unless it was pouring rain it wasn't a big deal...when the weather was really nasty I'd just carry her in arms on my hip indoors to wherever we were going and THEN get her in the carrier, to avoid the elements.

[Pumpkin_Pie]

Last winter, I wore DS in a front carry in my Patapum whenever we went out. I bought a heavy puffy winter coat in a size larger than I wear from Old Navy for $30 that had a zipper and snaps up the front. I put DS in the Patapum, zipped the coat up to the back of his head, and then did the snaps down from my neck to his face. I put a hat on his head, and we were one big person with two heads poking out. I so wish I had a pic of it. We got lots of gawks and stares, but once people realized what was going on, they all thought it was a great idea. I am so glad I didn't invest in any sort of expensive baby wearing coat for front carries for him. I never took him out with a coat if we were walking, and we both stayed toasty warm.

Now this winter with a 1.5 year old on my back will be an entirely different story. I may try to cut a hole in the back of the same coat to wear with him poking out the back. I am not quite sure how I will finish off the raw edges, but I can't wear him on my front anymore now that he weighs almost 25 pounds.

[Pumpkin_Pie]

Originally Posted by The4OfUs

I got a 2XL fleece that would fit over both of us in a front or back carry. We're pretty warm people so that was enough when we were pressed up against each other. I'd slide my arms inside the fleece (it was big enough) to get her unbuckled and keep her in until the last minute at the car to slide her out and into the car seat. Getting out of the car obviously took longer so there was a minute or so she would be exposed, but unless it was pouring rain it wasn't a big deal...when the weather was really nasty I'd just carry her in arms on my hip indoors to wherever we were going and THEN get her in the carrier, to avoid the elements.

How did you do a back carry with the fleece? Did you just wear the coat low on your shoulders so the neck of the coat would go around her head? Did you wear her in a very high carry so her head was level with yours? My top of my toddler's head is about even the tops of my ears if that makes sense. I can't see how I could have the neck of my coat go around his neck without having the coat all wonky around the front of me. I definitely could use some tips on this.

[The4OfUs]

Originally Posted by Pumpkin_Pie

How did you do a back carry with the fleece? Did you just wear the coat low on your shoulders so the neck of the coat would go around her head? Did you wear her in a very high carry so her head was level with yours? My top of my toddler's head is about even the tops of my ears if that makes sense. I can't see how I could have the neck of my coat go around his neck without having the coat all wonky around the front of me. I definitely could use some tips on this.

Yep, because the fleece was so big, I put the neck back around her (she would have her own jacket and hat on), and then had the zipper up about 3/4 of the way so it was zipped up the front around me but had enough space to go around her too. If it was really cold or windy, I would wear a scarf around my neck to fill any gaps the fleece didn't cover. It went like this:
Get kiddo in her lightweight jacket/hat.
Get kiddo in carrier on my back.
Put one sleeve on and fling around my back, catch other side behind me.
Wrangle sleeve and jacket up around her (top and bottom) and zip up as far as it would go to cover both of us.

It weren't real purty casue the way the next/zipper looked, and the fact that the sleeves were so long on me , but it got the job done and was easy enough. I'm not a cape/poncho person, so it was the best idea for me.

[Ubelle]

We've done the XL - 2x coat over the both of us as well, but if we were out side for longterm on really cold days we have also bundled DD up in her snow suit hat etc, and then worn her on the outside of our jackets. Everyone was warm that way too. It wasn't use ever if we would be going in and out of places (stores etc) those are times it's easier to have a large jacket.

[junipervt]

I just got a kindercoat http://www.suseskinder.com/ . I found a place locally that has them on sale! They have more pm me if you want info.

[pixiepunk]

i've got a babywearing poncho that i put over the two of us when it's chilly. underneath i usually wear layers, like a turtleneck or longsleeve shirt with a snug-fitting fleece over it. and baby gets babylegs, fleece or wool long pants, shirt, fleece jacket and hat (and socks and soft-soled shoes) and gloves when necessary.

unless you live where it's incredibly cold, i wouldn't worry about an over layer if you're just running into a store or something, just pop baby (who's properly bundled) into the carrier and run into the store. but if you're going to be outside in cold weather for long periods, something over it - whether it's a babywearing poncho or coat or just an oversized regular coat, will keep you plenty snug since you'll have all the body head trapped inside). there's also directions on the DIY forum at TBW for making a babywearing coat from an oversized fleece jacket. it's pretty easy to do, and you can usually find fleece jackets pretty cheaply at big box stores like Target or Walmart.

[The4OfUs]

Originally Posted by pixiepunk

underneath i usually wear layers, like a turtleneck or longsleeve shirt with a snug-fitting fleece over it. and baby gets babylegs, fleece or wool long pants, shirt, fleece jacket and hat (and socks and soft-soled shoes) and gloves when necessary.

<snip>
just pop baby (who's properly bundled) into the carrier and run into the store.

The problem with this, for me, is that once I got into the store, both baby and I would get HOT and uncomfortable, so if I was wearing a coat/layers *under* the carrier (and if the baby had layers on whiel riding in the carrier), I would have to take the baby out and take layers off, and then put baby back in the carrier once in the store, and honestly that wrecked the whole idea of ease and convenience for me. I was able to get a hat off of baby while still on my back, and the coat that was around both of us would come off and we were in our regular clothes. And then neither of us was sweating in the store. But we are a sweaty family.

[Mama_Meme]

So glad that this post is here, as I was just going to post this today!

I just moved back to Northern Ontario with my 11mo old dd and my mom bought me a beautiful new full length cashmere/wool coat for winter, which is awesome, but I can't think of how I could wrap my babe in it front or back....

Does anyone know how to *convert* a regular coat to a babywearing variety? Is that even possible?

Also, if i bundle my babe up super well and have her over my coat on my back, would that keep her warm enough? I'm kinda iffy about that because if I can't see her and she's giving cold signs, i won't know....

Thanks for all the posts!

[klewaidz]

Mama_meme, I found this a while ago for adapting technical gear for front babywearing, but you could use the same idea for a dressy coat too. Instead of zippers, just use buttons and make button holes on the opposite sides.


Basically, I'd use fleece that matched the coat and make an insert to cover baby's back. I'd put buttons on one side that matched up with the button holes of the coat and make button holes on the other side of the fleece. What you're doing is adding a false front to the coat. This could be any length you need it to be (really only the length you coat won't button while you're Babywearing and a little to tuck in so you stay toast warm.)

[mamaGG]

Wow! I was away for a couple days and I see the conversation took off without me. Guess there's a real need for a solution. I have the same problem as The4ofus...if I and the baby have enough layers on to be warm outside we're definitely too warm inside stores, etc. I'm jealous of my husband because he still carries the baby in the Bjorn so he can pop her out of it while leaving his coat on since the shoulder part doesn't have to come off. I wish the Ergo or one of the other soft carriers also did this.

The Peekaru vest looks promising mkmamma - at least for part of the winter - but I can't tell how it goes on and off. Does it pull over your head or does it have a zipper?

[3for_me]

Originally Posted by syd'smom

I've gone ice-fishing bwing! I have Suse's kindercoat - it is awesome - front carries, back carries, and it's a 3 in 1 so great for all weather and warm enough for just about all the cold days up here!

Same here. Well not the ice fishing part We walk DS to school every day and I used my Suse's Kindercoat with no problems

[AnnesMoM]

I second the KinderCoat - I've got to get something for this winter also. Here's the main site http://www.suseskinder.com/