So we're in northern alberta. Winter is here. Has been a few weeks. Uh.... so, it drops below 0 every night already. It can get to -40C or -50C here during the bad parts of winter (even during the day, not that I plan to take my baby out in THAT kind of weather!!)

Anyway, how am I supposed to be dressing my baby? We went grocery shopping yesterday and i noticed she was really cold after we got home. it isn't even *that cold* yet around here, just enough to throw on a winter coat and a hat. but you can still skip the pants and boots and gloves and inside liner and shells for your coat as of yet. Anyway, This is what I dressed her in:

a onesie (uh... and a diaper LOL)
a pair of cotton pants + relatively thick socks, with another pair of pants (that had footies) over it and the socks
a shirt
a really thick (that has an inside liner too) sweater
a hat
wrapped her in a blanket except when she was being buckled in her carseat.

It wasn't THAT cold yet even (it was early evening), but she seemed to get chilled. I am really worried about taking her out now. DH took off her sweater and pants and cuddled with her on his body til she warmed up better. She wasn't blue or anything but her skin was very cool to the touch, especially her hands and feet felt cold. Do I need to be investing in a baby snowsuit with footies and mittens on it? We have a hand-me-down snowsuit but it does not cover her feet or her hands, it is really for toddlers who are already wearing boots. But she's a big baby wearing 12 mo. clothes at 5 months. She is too big for her infant car seat so we can't tote her around in her carseat with her snuggly and blankets anymore, so keeping her warm suddenly got harder. she wasn't even outside that long, just to and from the car, house, grocery store.

I would just keep her inside but that isn't really practical since we do have places we have to go. Unless I do 6 months worth of grocery shopping at once and don't go to church or bible study until the snow melts. And what about after we are in the car and the car heats up and she's got all these clothes on? I can unzip my coat and take off my hat etc while i am driving but I can't crawl in the back and undo her snowsuit... will she overheat?

Anyway is anyone else in the great white north or siberia or something that has to worry about their babies like this? I would like some advice thanks... it is going to get a lot colder here quickly and i don't want her to have problems with her feet or hands from the cold. Thanks

Oh, my! Below 0, that's cold! It was snowing yesterday in Michigan and my wash froze on the line, but sure wasn't below zero! As far as snowsuits, I say, get one! I've got several and they're a very handy way to completely cover the baby.

I have a few of these full body deals where she wears whatever under is and you put the thing on her and it has a place where it will overlap her hands to act as gloves, a hood, covers her feet and her whole body. It keeps her VERY warm. I'm in Maine, so it's getting pretty chilly...ha, I put her in it last night and she was full of sweat when I pulled her out of it...and it was 30F last night...below freezing...and she was sweating! So I would invest in one of those...you can get something like that at Walmart for around $20 and it's TOTALLY worth it!

Please do not do a thick snowsuit then buckle in the carseat!! Not safe. I understand it gets considerably colder up there than it does where I am, so it seems easy for me to say one thing, when I'm not in the midst of that. But, the facts remain the same...it is not safe to have a baby bundled up in thick snowsuits and the like then buckle them in their car seats. The straps cannot be properly/securely adjusted around the child. In the event of an accident, the plush snowsuit (or whatever) will be compressed, and the child is left with that slack in their harness straps. Meaning, they fly forward X inches before the harness begins to restrain them. Whereas, otherwise, the harness gives very little before restraining the child from impact.

Suggestions?

Thin layers. Onesies. They make those in long suits too I do believe. Thermals or the like. Long pants and shirt. Top with a polar fleece snowsuit. They are warm but THIN. Places like Land's End (I have no idea what's available in Canada) have great products for this. Just get quality, polar/polar-tec fleece. Hat, mittens and booties. Buckle in the seat then cover with a fleece (or other) blanket. Warm the car before leaving if/whenever possible.

Just think thin, kinda loose layers. Give the body some room to generate then trap in body heat.

Wow Tara, thanks for the carseat tip, I never would have thought of that but you are right! My DH and I are pretty paranoid about the whole carseat thing, make sure she's seated perfectly and strapped in tight. We've seen people that do NOT make sure their child is tight in their seat and their kids can just flop around like crazy! Even being able to lean forward while they are strapped in! Just bizarre. These are the same people that comment that our kid is in too tight (ha), but we just respond "She's not crying, is she?" In a way it is sad because I am so afraid for their children if they get in a car wreck because they just do not care enough to make sure their kids can't move around. Like yeah, kids scream sometimes but better they get mad about being strapped in than hurt in a car wreck


So yeah that is definitely something to think about when i purchase winter wear for baby...

I'm a car seat 'freak' I had it in my sig before I snagged the graphic ;)
Yeah, straps should be snug..do the pinch test at the collar bone..you should not be able to pinch any slack vertically at the collar bone. And chest clip on the chest...even with nipples/arm pits (just thought I'd throw that in while I was at it ;))

Woohoo nice to meet a fellow mom who is strict about carseats! :D I feel better knowing there are more safe kids out there

This is a rule of thumb I always went by & I have quite healthy kids. Go by your body temp. If you are cold, most likely your lil' ones are cold and vice versa. Your kids will get used to the temp & surroundings better than you think. It actually makes me nuts to see a mom that has her kid bundled in a hot blanket in the middle of the hot summer... oh my uncomfortable!

In Alberta I would definitely go for the one piece snowsuit. I would also invest in a car seat cover. Something like this: http://www.amazon.com/Shearling-Pouch-Infant-Seat-Cover/dp/B000284WX6 but not as cheesy. You can find them on Ebay all the time.

I heard from a different site that these are great: http://www.jjcoleusa.com/obm.php

In Alberta I would definitely go for the one piece snowsuit. I would also invest in a car seat cover. Something like this: http://www.amazon.com/Shearling-Pouch-Infant-Seat-Cover/dp/B000284WX6 but not as cheesy. You can find them on Ebay all the time.

I heard from a different site that these are great: http://www.jjcoleusa.com/obm.php

I've never seen anything like that before...that's really cool!

we had a snuggle bag for my youngest(born in dec) it goes in the carseat, behind the baby and the straps come through it,so you can buckle the baby up(with no interference from bulky clothing, and then the outer piece zips around the baby. you can find them anywhere, i even saw then at Wal-Mart. or check at a consignment store.

My dd is toddler stage now but when we put our car seat in before we had her, we went to Ministry of Transportation to double check it to make sure it was in tight enough. I was SO glad we did this as the man who checked it is well known around Town for doing a really good job and he was able to move the seat around an inch or two on each side and my dh thought he had put the car seat in pretty tight.

My mum told me to put an extra layer on baby than what I'm wearing and wrap a blanket around her when we are outside. Plus a hat and mittens.

And in my childcare class they told us that if you stick a finger under babys clothing at the back and feel the back of their neck you should be able to tell if she is too warm or still cold. :wink:

My midwife told me - the same as I would wear plus another layer and perhaps a blanket.