What this is about
A winter outfit starts with the clothes your baby wears at home, and warmth goes on top as the air gets colder: a warm fleece and a warm jacket first, then in real cold a pram suit, which US shops call a snowsuit.
Several thin layers work better than one thick sweater, because they come off one at a time when you step into a warm shop. When clothes get too thick, your baby can't bend the knees and soon starts fussing.
A baby under 3 months needs a little more, so the pram suit comes out sooner, below 8°C (46°F) rather than below 4°C (39°F), as the newborn's own table shows.
How to layer your baby for winter
A winter outfit is three layers, each with its own job, one over the other. A hat and mittens then cover the parts the layers leave bare.
How to layer your baby for winter
Soft next to the skin
A bodysuit, pants and socks: the clothes your baby wears at home. They stay on underneath all day, indoors and out.
Holds the warmth in
A warm fleece over the home clothes keeps a layer of warm air around the body. It is thin enough to keep on in a warm shop.
Keeps out wind and snow
A pram suit or warm jacket goes on top and stops wind, snow and wet. It is the first thing to come off indoors.
Covers the bare parts
The layers leave the head and hands open. A warm hat over the ears and mittens close those gaps. With a jacket instead of a pram suit, booties cover the feet.
Baby in the stroller: how warm to dress?
Cold wind strips warmth much faster than still air. For a stroller walk, always dress for the feels-like temperature rather than the thermometer reading on your phone. It already accounts for the wind chill, so there is no need to guess or subtract degrees yourself.
4–7°C39–45°F
How cold is too cold for a baby outside?
Most winter days are fine for a walk with a warmly dressed baby, newborns included. At about −26°C (−15°F) feels-like or colder, bare skin starts to freeze within minutes, and that is the day to stay in.
Below 0°C (32°F) feels-like, choose a short loop that keeps you within about five minutes of home, and look at your baby's cheeks and fingers along the way. Head back if the skin loses its color. A thin layer of wind cream on the cheeks before you leave helps keep the cold wind from drying them out.
How long can a baby stay outside in the cold?
No set number of minutes fits every winter day, and one trip around the block is a perfectly good outing. Head home sooner if the wind picks up, the mittens get wet or your baby seems unhappy. On a snowy day, a dry pair of mittens in the basket saves the walk.
You warm up pushing the stroller, while your baby sits still and makes far less heat, so go by your baby, not by how you feel. Against the wind, pull the canopy forward or turn a reversible seat away from it. Keep the opening itself clear, because a blanket over the stroller keeps fresh air from getting in.
Save the winter suit for the front door
Change the diaper and put the indoor layers on first, fleece included. Leave the pram suit, hat and mittens by the front door until your own coat and shoes are on.
If a baby waits in a warm hallway in a fully zipped winter suit while you hunt for keys, the sweating starts within minutes, and damp clothes feel much colder outside. Put the warm outer layer on as the very last step before you open the door.
Keep the hats by the door too: a knit hat for cool days, and a lined winter hat that covers the ears for cold ones.
As each layer goes on, smooth down sleeves and cuffs underneath. A bunched sleeve inside a tight cuff pinches the skin and makes a baby miserable long before the weather does.
Hands, feet and neck: where the cold gets in
In the stroller, hands and feet sit still, so they feel the cold first.
Mittens with long cuffs
Babies pull mittens off. A long cuff that reaches over the sleeve is harder to tug off, and it keeps the wrist covered when your baby reaches out. Clip mittens to the sleeve, never on a string, which can wrap around the neck.
Booties with room for the toes
Thick socks need room inside booties, because a tight fit squeezes the blood flow that keeps feet warm. With the warm socks on, the toes should still wiggle, and a footed suit shouldn't pull tight over them once your baby sits with bent knees.
Skip the scarf, because its loose ends can catch or pull tight around the neck. A jacket or pram suit zipped to the chin covers the neck, and on windy days a balaclava covers the neck and ears in one piece that small hands find hard to pull off.
Into the warm: shops, buses and the car
A winter walk often leads from a 2°C (36°F) sidewalk into a 22°C (72°F) grocery store, bus or café. Open things up the moment you're inside, or the sweating starts there instead of in the hallway.
A warm shop
Take the hat off, unzip the jacket or pram suit and fold down the top of the footmuff. Staying longer, at a friend's or the doctor's? Then the outdoor layers come off altogether.
On the tram or bus
A full tram or bus in winter is warm. Take the hat off and open the zips once you're on, then close them again a stop before yours.
Coming home
Fell asleep on the walk? Take the hat and outdoor layers off in the hallway anyway, even if it wakes your baby. Indoors, a nap needs only indoor clothes.
For the car, the pram suit or puffy coat comes off before you fasten the harness. Its padding flattens in a crash and leaves the straps loose, so your baby rides in thin layers with a blanket over the buckled straps. The coat test shows whether a coat is thin enough.
Questions parents ask
Does my baby need a snowsuit?
For stroller walks below 4°C (39°F), a pram suit keeps it simple, because one piece covers the back, wrists and ankles with no gaps. A warm stroller footmuff can do the same job for the legs, with a jacket on top. Use one or the other: a pram suit inside a winter footmuff is usually too warm.
What should my baby wear under a snowsuit?
A long-sleeve bodysuit, warm pants, warm socks and a warm fleece. The suit takes the jacket's place. Skip a hooded top, because the hood bunches up behind your baby's head.
Do cold hands mean my baby needs another layer?
No. Cool hands and feet are normal because a baby's circulation prioritizes the torso. Check bare skin at the back of the neck or the chest, under the collar of the suit. If it is warm and dry, your baby is comfortable.
How should my baby sleep in winter?
Dress for the bedroom, not the weather outside. In a room at 16–20°C (61–68°F), a 2.5 TOG sleep bag over sleepwear suits most babies, with the head bare. In a colder room, the extra warmth goes under the bag, not on top as a blanket. How to dress a baby for sleep has the outfit for every room temperature.
Can I carry my baby in a carrier in winter?
Yes. Your body warms your baby, so the outfit under your coat or a carrier cover is thinner than in the stroller, and the pram suit stays at home. Dressing a baby for the carrier shows how.
How should I dress my baby at home in winter?
Go by the room thermometer, not the season. At 20–21°C (68–70°F), a long-sleeve bodysuit and light pants are plenty, and hats come off at the door. Baby clothes indoors has every room temperature.
Cold signs that need medical help
- Skin that turns white or pale gray, blisters, or stays numb or painful after warming.
- Shivering with unusual sleepiness, limpness, or poor response.
- A baby who remains cold or does not respond normally after moving indoors.
Move indoors, remove wet clothes and warm your baby gently against your skin. Do not rub cold skin or use direct heat. Call your pediatrician if pain or numbness continues after warming. Call emergency services if your baby is unusually drowsy or does not respond normally.
