# babywearning in cold winter



## sbgquilt (Jan 7, 2005)

My dd is 5 months and winter is coming to MN. I have been wearing her for long walks all summer/Fall and I want to keep going as long as possible. Looking for tips for how to keep her warm and happy. I usually carry her in a wrap around carry (ellaroo) in front facing in or out, but am wanting to start a back carry, too.

Thanks.


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## woobysma (Apr 20, 2004)

I went for daily walks with ds last winter w/o much trouble. The wrap will keep your babe pretty warm. 2 things I did:

don't do a face-out front carry because the wind can be a bit much on her cold face

when using a wrap or front-pack, I would use one of my fleece pouches as an extra layer - I put the wrap around my middle(like a girdle), push it down over my hips, put ds in the pack, then pull up the pouch so it covered his body (also keeps your back warm so you're less likely to strain something in cold weather)

have fun on your winter walks!


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## Skittles (Sep 4, 2005)

If you have wool clothing on your child, your wrap will be plenty, even for MN winters! Wool from inside out, incl wool hat! Untreated wool does not itch either!


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## Quindin (Aug 22, 2003)

Well, since I have had the same old winter coat for ages and need to get a new one anyways, I am planning on getting a 2-in-1 coat this time. It doubles as regular and BW coat for either front of back carrying!!! I am still trying to decide which one to get though.

But I agree that a fleece bunting + wool clothes should be enough to keep your baby warm in a ver cold winter as long as she is wrapped on you


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## sbgquilt (Jan 7, 2005)

Some follow up questions for you awesome mamas:

1. What is a baby wearing jacket and where do I find one?
2. So, if the baby is in all wool and I'm wearing her, she'll be fine. Question -- what am I wearing? If I'm wearing a jacket is the wrap outside the jacket?
3. What is a good source for wool things for a baby -- clothing, hats, mittens?
4. Is a fleece hat just so inferior to a wool hat that I shouldn't even consider it?

Thanks!


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## Quindin (Aug 22, 2003)

Here is one example of a BW jacket: http://store.peppermint.com/felix-pera-coat.html

Question #2 - I had a similar question on TBW. I have seen pics of mamas in Germany and Scandinavia with a baby wrapped outside their jackets. The baby wears a baby bunting in that situation. I am leaning towards a big or BW jacket though. I just find it nonsense to waste the extra warmth mama and baby would have without big jackets separating them.

Question #3 - When I lived in Denmark, I noticed that most babies wore thin wool/silk blend long underwear and that kept them extra toasty. They cost A LOT here in the US though







The great thing about wool is that it wicks moisture away from you if you end up sweating, so you don't feel uncomfortable and cold later.

Question #4: Wool is always the yummest material and warmer IME, but fleece works fine too + it is easycare and cheaper


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## rzberrymom (Feb 10, 2005)

I've been wondering the same thing. DH and I joke that to keep warm with the Ergo, we need the leftover arms from all those down vests we see people wearing.


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## emsstacey (May 3, 2005)

I think that wearing the coat over the wrap would be easiest. Maybe a warm fleece pullover or wool sweater, then wrap, and then coat...that way you could pull your coat over your child if you needed to.

There are several babywearing coats...the one Poli linked to, Japanese Weekend makes a few I believe and there are also some ponchos. www.childrensneeds.com has one or two.


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## zeddogs (Jul 5, 2005)

You can also make your own insert for your existing winter coat:
http://www.kiddiesgames.com/jacketinserts/

This way you don't need to buy a too-large winter coat. I plan to make one right away to wear over my son this winter. I only wish I had discovered this pattern back when I was pregnant!


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## jacket_inserts (Oct 27, 2004)

Just a quick reminder that babies are less able than adults to fight off hypothermia and frostbite, and even less so when they are immobilized in a carrier, possibly with straps limiting the flow of blood to the extremities, etc. They may feel like little furnaces when you wear them but in really cold weather and without an external source of heat, things can get downright dangerous, especially if the baby is separated from you by insulation layers (fleece pouch, your coat, baby winter outfit, etc.). Bundling the baby in her own insulation is fine if you will be in and out a lot, e.g. from indoors to the car and vice-versa repeatedly. But if you will be walking outdoors in below freezing temperatures for any length of time, you should consider sharing your own warmth with her by using some sort of babywearing coat option (and extra large winter coat, your regular winter coat with a custom-made insert as proposed on my web site, or one of the specialized coat-and-insert systems that allow back-carrying). The colder it is, the more essential the warmth-sharing becomes. With these coats, you can also often wear the baby dressed for indoors and walk out by just throwing on the coat.

There are obviously lots of different opinions on what to do for winter babywearing. Whatever option(s) you decide to try, be sure to have a way to check regularly that your baby remains warm (feeling both the neck and the extremities) without removing her insulation.

Good luck.

Stephane


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