The weather has been getting colder and colder! Babywearing is a wonderful way to keep your baby warm and snug on cold days! The warmth of your body is one of the best ways to keep your baby warm.
Staying Warm with Front Carries in a Wrap or Sling
- If you're using a woven wrap, try a carry like Front Cross Carry that is easy to pop baby in and out of.
- If you're using a stretchy wrap, try a carry like Pocket Wrap Cross Carry that is easy to pop baby in and out of.
- If you're using a ring sling, set it at about the right setting so you won't have much adjusting to do later.
- Pretie your wrap or put on your sling before you leave the house and put an oversized jacket overtop. A maternity coat or a spouse's coat often works really well.
- When you get where you're going, you can sit in the back seat for a moment and put baby in the carrier. If you have a small car (or can't sit in a backseat b/c it's full of carseats!), just stand outside for a moment and pop baby into the wrap or sling. Then zip your oversized coat over both of you. Zip the jacket as high as you can get it, but be sure that you can always see your baby's face.
Staying Warm with an SSC or Mei Tai
- Just like with wraps and sling, when you do a front carry, you can put baby in the carrier and then zip a large coat over both of you.
- With front or back carries, you could also put both you and baby in a warm jacket or fleece bunting and then put baby in the carrier.
- If you're just running into the store, carry baby and the carrier into the store and put them in when you get in the door. That way you can do it without rushing.
- Consider using a fleece bunting that folds over the feet entirely. Not only are they adorable (look at that cute little guy above!), but they are wonderfully warm and toasty and won't ride up.
Staying Warm with Woven Wrap Back Carries
I wouldn't recommend back wrapping over top of a heavy coat (on either you and baby). For one, it's hard for the wrap to stay put on a slippery coat. Plus, it's more difficult to feel to be sure you've got a great seat. It's also tough to be sure that baby's coat doesn't ride up and cover their face. If you're using a wrap, it's easiest and safest to do a front carry and zip baby over you. However, you could do a back carry and then put a special babywearing coat or poncho over both of you.
Special Babywearing Coats
- You could wrap baby or put baby in a mei tai or SSC and then cover both of you with a special babywearing jacket or poncho. There are tons of these on the market (ergo, peekaru, etc) and there are also loads of ways to make them yourself.
- You could purchase a big poncho or oversized fleece jacket and basically cut a second head hole for baby.
- Click here for loads of DIY babywearing coat/poncho ideas! This link is from the babywearer and you need to create a screen name (quick and free) to be able to view it.
- You'll probably get some hilarious comments out and about, but you and baby will both be very warm.
General Tips if Baby is under your Jacket
- Put a hat on you and baby!
Dress baby warmly, but not too warmly. Baby will be under the carrier and under your jacket. I usually put my baby in a onesie and warm socks with warm footie pajamas overtop. If it's really cold, sometimes I put another pair of socks and/or shoes on top of the footie pajamas to keep those little feet warm. - If you'll be outside for a while, Rock-A-Thigh socks are a wonderful way to keep legs warm when the pants ride up. Another option is using babylegs over the pants so they cover the bottom of the pants/top of the shoes.
- If your jacket won't zip very high on baby's back, you can bring a warm blanket and tuck that around baby overtop of the carrier.
- Wear a scarf. I always find that my chest and neck get really cold when I can't zip my jacket all the way up. A scarf helps keep me warm. Just be careful that the scarf never blocks your baby's face.
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