Keeping your Baby Warm during Winters

Motherhood has often been described as the most intreaguing aspect of human evolution much like a miracle. However, with the pleasures come the pains and challenges. Keeping your baby warm, toasty and comfortable during the cold winter months may not make the list. It is still something you should plan for as a doting mommy. We bring you some thoughtful suggestions on how you can keep that perfect smile on your baby's face regardless of how the mercury behaves:

Unusual as it might sound, we will start off with a don't instead of a do because this is important. Never cover your baby with either a blanket or a comforter like the way you cover yourself. This will keep horrific situations such as suffocation, asphyxiation, and Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, also called SIDS, at bay. If you reside in a climate controlled environment or use a heater or a blower to keep the room warm, dress your baby in a zippable one piece jumper body suit made of soft material such as fleece, flannel, or light weight wool with a cotton undershirt or t-shirt underneath. These zippable jumpers come with hoods and loosely fitted matching mittens and socks which provide an added layer of protection. Babies tend to get hot very quickly which makes them cranky and grumpy. Since every baby is different, you will need to do a little bit of experimenting to strike that perfect balance between the right room temperature and the right clothing. If you must cover the baby, use a zippable blanket with plenty of leg and hand room for the baby to move. If you are unable to find a zippable blanket, use a light weight baby sheet through which the baby can breathe easily in the unlikely event that she gets entangled in the sheet. The crib happens to be the baby's comfort zone and personal territory. Line it with soft fabric and always keep a vigil while the baby is asleep.

We know this is easier said than done. There are situations and circumstances when you must take your infant outdoors. How you dress your little one for the outdoors depends largely on how long she will remain exposed to the elements. If the exposure to freezing temperatures is for more than three minutes, dress your baby from head to toe very warmly. The ensemble should include a cap, gloves and shoes, not just socks. Your baby's body behaves differently than yours when it comes to temperatures. Babies get cold or hot very quickly. If you are going to be out in the open only when you are getting in and out of a car which has heating, dress your baby in a body suit plus a zippable blanket or a jacket that you can remove once the baby and you are comfortably settled in the car. Always carry your baby's blanket or jacket with you because anything can happen on the road. Your heater may quit working, your car may malfunction, or at worst, you may run out of gas.

If your baby is in day care, her winter clothing needs will be a little different. Check with your day care manager about climate control and ask for specific clothing instructions. Make surprise visits, especially during winters, just to make sure that your baby is indeed comfortable. Toddlers, both when they are at home and at day care, know how to pull of their socks in minutes. Socks that are not too tight and yet aren't easy to pull off are ideal under such circumstances.

It goes without saying that dressing and undressing your baby during frigid temperatures calls for some careful planning, time and effort. Some day, when your baby is a teenager or even an adult, you are going to look at the baby pictures you took during cold Sunday afternoons and fondly remember those moments when your little one chose to tug at every piece of clothing you used to dress her.