Dressing the baby: The right clothes for every season
Your newborn is still so small and delicate, what is the best way to dress it? Our tips will help you further. Find out here which clothes are easy to put on and which little tricks will make it easier for you and your baby to put them on. We will also tell you which baby clothes are best for on the go and depending on the season.
How to dress a newborn
It’s not that easy to dress newborns. Newborns are not yet comfortable dressing and changing their clothes every day and are skeptical about the whole thing. Getting dressed is stressful for the little ones, they may cry and be restless. And even for parents, the daily ritual is not always easy to cope with. However, a few things can make this process easier for you:
- Prepare everything: Prepare the clothes that you want to put on your baby before you collect your child. Before you begin, you should make your baby feel like you’re there for them and that you’re in control. Then gently place your hand on his tummy, look at it carefully and stroke it. Through this “ritual” they will soon understand that it is now time to get dressed.
- No interruptions: You should dress your child as soon as possible. You should avoid interruptions, for example because the phone rings or your baby prefers to play. After a while, your baby will notice that getting dressed is an independent process that ends quickly. If you want to avoid your child getting a little cold while getting dressed or changed, you could think about buying a radiant heater. In this article you will find a selection of the practical devices.
- Move baby little: Move your baby as little as possible when getting dressed, as this will prevent additional restlessness and stress. A nursing pillow can help you with this, as it gives your child more support when getting dressed. Newborns in particular feel comfortable on nursing pillows, as they are reminded of the security in the womb.
- Never leave baby alone: Make sure you never leave your child alone on the changing table . The risk of it falling down due to a wrong movement is not very great at the beginning, since babies are not yet able to turn around independently. However, it is difficult to identify when a child begins to move more. So always stay with your child to avoid falling off the changing table.
Dressing succeeds with this clothing
Your baby prefers light and soft materials. It needs freedom of movement and must not feel too constricted. But the choice of clothing can also make dressing the baby easier or more difficult:
- Wrap bodies and wide necklines: clothes that you have to pull over your baby’s head don’t like it at all. Such clothing gives him the so-called “tunnel feeling” because it gets dark for a moment and your child cannot see his surroundings. Wrap bodysuits are particularly suitable for the first few months, as you don’t have to pull them over your child’s head. If you do have to pull one or two items of clothing over your baby’s head, you should keep the collar open as much as possible and pull it over your baby’s head from behind. Our tip: long-sleeved wrap bodysuits in a set of 5 from Tup Tam made of 100 percent cotton, which we found on Amazonadvertisementat great value for money. Classic baby bodysuits have to be put on over the head, but they are still very practical. They don’t slip and cold air doesn’t get through to your baby’s skin thanks to the fully closed garment. Depending on the season, there are bodysuits with different arm lengths.
- Romper: Your baby usually feels most comfortable in a romper, because nothing can slip. Make sure that it can be buttoned at the bottom and ideally also on the sides. Rompers that have to be put on and taken off awkwardly when changing diapers or that lie under the baby as “cloth sausages” are rather impractical.
- Avoid shirts and blouses: Shirts, blouses and other items of clothing with buttons are best kept for special occasions. They are less suitable for everyday use because the small buttons make it difficult for the baby to get dressed.
Dressing your baby for summer
Bodysuits and rompers are best for your baby in summer . It is available in long-sleeved and short-sleeved versions. Depending on your needs, you can put a cotton shirt over your child. If you don’t want to wear a romper, light cotton pants are also suitable, if you want it to be very chic, a skirt or dress is also suitable. In summer you can leave your little feet free. If it gets a little cooler, you can put socks on your baby . It is important that you make sure that your child is protected from the sun. A suitable sun milk for infants – our recommendation: the baby sun cream LSF50+ from eco cosmetics, which is perfect for sensitive baby skin –advertisement and a hat protect baby’s sensitive skin and ears. Also make sure that your child lies in the shade in the stroller.
Dressing the baby for the winter
So that children are wrapped up nice and warm in winter, but also do not overheat, the so-called onion layer method is suitable for them . You simply put several layers of lighter to warmer clothing on your child. Of course, it must not become a “Michelin man”. Therefore, make sure that the different layers do not affect comfort and that your child can continue to move and turn easily. Thanks to the many layers, your child can easily put on or take off a piece of clothing if they are too warm or too cold. Discover cool baby clothes for winter at littlehipstar now and benefit from an exclusive 9% voucher (code: Momasquad9) for purchases of €150 or moreadvertisement.
Neck test: is the baby warm or cold?
You don’t feel whether your child is too warm or too cold on their hands, but on their neck. Your baby’s hands and feet cannot yet be supplied with blood “under their own steam” and therefore often feel cold, although the body temperature is otherwise perfectly fine. The so-called “neck test” therefore provides you with more reliable results. If your child’s neck doesn’t sweat and the skin in this area isn’t cold either, you can assume that your baby is dressed warm enough, but not too warm. You can find out how you can put the onion layer method into practice here:
- Dress in layers: For example, dress your child in a fitted top and tights over the bodysuit. Tight-fitting clothing retains body heat better than loose-fitting clothing. A romper suit or two-piece suit made of soft material is suitable for this. If you go outside in winter, a fabric made of cotton or flannel, which stores additional heat, is particularly suitable.
- Jacket or snow suit: A well-lined jacket and trousers or a snow suit for babies should definitely be worn over this. The snow suit has the advantage that it does not slip and therefore always warms the whole body. Of course, it is a bit more difficult to put on and take off.
- Thick socks: If your baby wears winter pants and not a romper with feet, you should think about thick socks. For newborns, there are often little woolen shoes that are easy to put on, like our favourite: the CELAVI baby woolen shoes made from 100 percent wool (found on Amazon),advertisementand similar.
- Mittens: Don’t forget your hands either. If your child is still very small, mittens are best, because not only is it very difficult for you to get your little fingers into the gloves one by one, but it also means stress for your child. It is generally an advantage if the gloves or mittens are connected by a cord that can be pulled through the jacket so that they do not get lost.
- Hat: A warm hat is just as important in winter as a snow suit, boots and gloves. Since children, like us adults, give off most of the heat through their heads in winter when the rest of their bodies are wrapped up warm, it is important to protect them with a hat. It doesn’t matter whether it’s a cotton, fur or fleece hat, the main thing is that it fits, so it’s neither too big nor too small and it keeps you nice and warm. So you can simply try out which hat your child feels most comfortable with.
- Scarf : Scarves are not suitable for very young children. Your baby’s neck is still very short and a scarf would unnecessarily restrict its freedom of movement. Instead, you can use a thin bandana that you wrap loosely around his neck.
Every beginning is difficult – even when getting dressed. But if you follow the tips above and have a bit of patience, getting dressed will soon become a wonderful shared experience for you and your baby, and your child will be properly dressed and comfortable even on outings.
Dressing the baby for the night
Sleeping bags are ideal for babies to sleep in. Baby sleeping bags such as the Schlummersack model, which you can use all year round and are available in various sizes and patterns on Amazon, are particularly suitable .advertisementBecause the little ones can’t just kick the sleeping bag away and don’t cool down either. To avoid overheating, you should not dress your baby too warmly. A short-sleeved body under the sleeping bag is perfectly adequate for the summer. In winter, long-sleeved but not too thick pajamas are recommended.
Dressing the baby for the baby carrier
Your child has the perfect heat source in the baby carrier thanks to your body heat. Make sure your feet and head are kept warm and protected from the sun in summer. The baby should not be overdressed. Light sweaters and pants that allow a good spread-squat position are suitable. Experts advise putting on a jacket over the baby in the cold seasons. So you are both perfectly protected from wind and weather.