What this is about
The old rule says to dress your baby in one more layer than you are wearing. It sounds simple until you stand in the hallway holding a bodysuit and wondering what counts as a layer.
Does a cotton sleepsuit count as one layer or two? Do socks count? What if you run hot and your partner is always cold?
Start from what an adult would wear to be comfortable standing still in the same place, then add one light layer, because a small baby loses heat faster than you do. If that adult is in a T-shirt and a sweater, your baby wears a bodysuit, a sleepsuit and a cardigan. Treat it as a first guess to get out the door: ten minutes in, the back of your baby's neck tells you whether it was right.
What counts as a layer?
A layer in this rule means an insulating piece over the chest and torso.
Good: A sleepsuit is one layer
A one-piece sleepsuit counts once, however much of your baby it covers. With a bodysuit under it, that makes two.
Good: A cardigan is the usual extra
It is light and opens down the front, so it comes off quickly when the sun comes out.
Not good: Socks don't count
Like pants, they cover the legs and feet but add no warmth over the chest.
Not good: A hat doesn't count
The weather decides the hat. It keeps the head warm on a cold or windy day, whatever your baby wears underneath.
Good: A blanket counts, twice if folded
Tucked over the lap in the stroller, a blanket counts like a cardigan. Folded double, it counts as two.
Good: A footmuff counts
A warm footmuff takes the place of a layer, so on a cold day the fleece and the booties stay at home.
You warm up on the walk
A brisk walk warms you up quickly. You are moving your body and pushing weight, while your baby sits completely still in the stroller and catches the breeze.
If you run hot, or your partner always feels the cold, think of the people waiting at the bus stop. They are the adult the rule means, standing still and dressed for today's weather.
Baby in the stroller: how warm to dress?
When you want to skip the mental math and see specific clothes, use today's feels-like temperature as your guide.
4–7°C39–45°F
When one more layer does not apply
In hot weather, the extra layer is the first thing to go. From about 24°C (75°F), one thin layer is enough, even for a newborn.
In a carrier, you are the extra layer. Your torso warms your baby, so from 15°C (59°F) down, leave off the jacket a stroller baby would wear.
In the car seat, the warmth goes on top. A puffy coat or snowsuit flattens under the harness in a crash and leaves the straps loose, so your baby rides in thin layers, with a coat or blanket laid over the buckled straps.
Indoors, start again from what you'd wear in the room. Take off the hat and the outdoor layers as soon as you're in a warm shop, bus or home, even if it wakes your baby.
Questions parents ask
How long do babies need an extra layer?
There is no date when it stops. It matters most in the first 3 months, when a baby loses heat fastest, which is why newborn outfits run a step warmer. After that, keep it for whenever your baby sits still outside. A toddler who runs around warms up the way you do and often needs no extra layer while moving.
How many layers is too many?
More than one light layer over what an adult needs is usually too many, and your baby shows it: a sweaty neck, damp hair or flushed cheeks mean a layer comes off. A baby is safer a little cool than too warm, especially asleep.
How many layers should a baby wear at night?
At night the room decides, not the weather outside. A sleep bag counts as a layer, so most nights that means a bodysuit or sleepsuit under a sleep bag whose TOG suits the room. How to dress a baby for sleep has the outfit for every room temperature.
Does a swaddle count as a layer?
Yes. A swaddle counts like a light blanket, so use a thin one and keep the clothes under it light for the room.
My baby's hands are cold. Does that mean another layer?
Not on its own. Hands and feet run cooler than the rest of the body, and that is normal, so go by the neck. Baby's cold hands and feet explains why.
My baby was born early. Does the rule change?
A baby born early or small may need one more layer until reaching the weight of a full-term baby. Follow what your baby's medical team advises, and see how to dress a newborn for the first months.
