Are baby hats necessary?

supersarah77

Every "coming home" outfit I see posted seems to have a matching hat. And, every hospital newborn photo I've seen the babies are wearing those little knit hats. Do they really need to wear a hat, and if so, why? 

juliet73537

Yes - I believe b/c a lot of heat is lost through the head and baby is used to being cozy and warm - so it helps them adjust to the outside world.

lindsaymarimen

We registered for a handful of thin cotton hats. I keep hearing you should always dress them in one more layer of clothing than you would dress yourself in. Also, I plan on having my air conditioning on in the car and house in July when she arrives. I wou

Aurora317

Sorry, couldn't help but immediately think of this:

ETA: Grr, TB won't let me embed the video. It's a clip from The West Wing when Toby meets his twins for the first time. Link is below to view on YouTube.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uk8

JilllyBean

Does the hospital usually give you a hat? I know ours does

queenbone

We live in old houses which tend to be cold, so I feel like it is best to keep the hats on them with they are infants. DS1 was born in early Sept and I still kept him in hats most of the time.

kcox123

Yes, at least the first couple days. They have a lot of trouble regulating their own body heat at first... even in the summer...

[Deleted User]

kcox123:

Yes, at least the first couple days. They have a lot of trouble regulating their own body heat at first... even in th

luvmyducks

Babies can't control their body heat and heat leaves from their head.  

Aiylin

Crap and here i thought it was just a bad fashion statement hospitals universally imposed on us! lol. Sorry peanut, didn't want you to have hat hair, but looks like there's no real choice.

supersarah77

I'm surprised , even in July! We don't have central air at the house but I guess I'll be packing a hat in the hospital bag.

meltoine

Our pedi explained when DS1 was born that only NICU babies actually need hats, because full-term newborns actually do okay regulating their body temp.  But, over the years, it's become standard practice to put hats on all NBs out of habit of putti

ellewoodsSC

Those hats can be so cute.  I think they are recommended for the first few days after birth, especially if you are running a/c or live in a cool climate, but they should not be sleeping in hats at home or wearing them when not directly supervised.

Avalyn

I just watched a video where a doctor said babies lose their body heat 5 times faster than adults, that's why you need to keep them warm with extra layers.
(just think about it... babies are small. there is less padding between their innards and th

Bkuhman

As a STM I say yes they are. Without them the heat escapes their tiny bodies so hats and socks keep them warm.

new2011mommy

JilllyBean:

Does the hospital usually give you a hat? I know ours does

My hospital gave us a couple hats. M

Carrie3102

meltoine:

Our pedi explained when DS1 was born that only NICU babies actually need hats, because full-term newborns actually d

MIZCNEL

I'm not bothering with the hats in july even in the house or car. It's july and it'll be HOT the only thing she'll have is a headband when or if we go out.

PrimRoseMama

Yes, its recommended. However, DD HATED anything on her head. I'm talking freakout every single time we tried to do one. We don't live in a cold climate and so we decided it wasn't a battle we wanted to fight. To this day DD will shriek like you are

coffing2

We used them in the hospital with DD but I really don't recall using them at home any. She was also a July baby.