Newborn Mittens and Hats...Are they necessary?

brittneyandadam · July 2014

We're having babies in September...meaning for most of us, it'll still be in the 70's and 80's. Are hats really necessary? How about those mittens that keep the baby from scratching themself? If you did use the mittens, how long did you use them?

ashleyb1114 · July 2014

We used mittens with my DD for the first few months because she would scratch the crap out of herself. I personally liked the shirts that had mittens on the end once you fold it over. (Does that make sense? I feel like I'm wording it wrong) I do realize that September will probably be warmer so it may be too hot for those this time.

We used hats too but she was born in March, so it was cold obviously. I think this time I won't use hats much unless it gets chilly or something. They never seem to stay on anyways- but maybe that's just because my DD has a big head.

chardonnay24 · July 2014

Mittens were necessary for my kiddo, who clawed himself in the face on a regular basis. It was hard for us to trim his nails after we cut him at about 5 days old. We used mittens for at least the first month. Hats are cute but they never stayed on the head. I didn't even use them much for my February baby.

MrsKasel10 · July 2014

Both, but especially hats. I also like the NB shirts with the fold over sleeves vs mittens.

AnulaG3 · July 2014

My children were born in Switzerland where they don't recommend mittens at all. They say hands are one of the first things the baby interacts with and this interaction is good for the development. We didn't mind a few scratches here and there.

babyd143 · July 2014

DS1 wore hats as a newborn for the first couple of weeks, never did the mittens.

ashaw512 · July 2014

Both! Newborns loose most of their heat through their heads so even if it's 70 they still need it. I used mittens for a few days then she wouldn't keep them on, she always found a way to get them off but it just keeps babies from scratching their faces and you.

Ciardasully · July 2014

I've wondered this. Thanks for posting!

Irisheyes1247 · July 2014

We never used the mittens, and not usually the hats either. I had a late Oct and a mid-Feb baby. We kept our house pretty warm and they wore hats or bonnets to go outside.

T&HLove · July 2014

We never used mittens, but definitely used hats.
It has been known to start getting chilly around Oct here.

Djcieply · July 2014

We didnt really use mittens (just tried to use the shirts that folded over their hands) and only used hats when we were going out of the house in the winter, DS was born at the end of Oct. Those cotton hats that come with outfits never fit him right, I got a crocheted hat that fit him better and he wore that when we were out and it lasted all winter.

Those mittens are so big when they are newborns they look like big paddles on the ends of their arms, so I used newborn socks instead of the mittens when he was wearing a shirt that didnt fold over his hands. The socks never seemed to stay on his feet but they stayed on his hands just fine.

an02102 · July 2014

never used hats or mittens and I had a december baby.

JackieB15 · July 2014

Unless your baby is scratching their face I wouldn't use the mittens, a lot of babies like to suck on their hands and if they do you don't want to have those mittens on.

portentosa · July 2014

DS was born January 1st so we had both, but we ditched the mittens within a week. He was a warm sleeper and really didn't like being overheated... plus DH kept the thermostat WAY too warm those first couple weeks. Hats weren't necessary in the house, but we were out and about a lot from 2weeks on and hats were a must to keep his bald head warm. Hats still are a must really, my fair skinned light eyed child needs all the protection from the sun he can get.

ETA: Clipping DS's nails was scary the first time (I pinched him on one finger and felt horrible) but was overall not that hard once I got the hang of it.

SingleMom31 · July 2014

We didn't use either inside with DD1. Our house is pretty warm though. When we went out though, we did wear a winter hat - it was Dec and cold here.

Just a tip - if you don't want to try to cut their nails, you can use a nail file. They're so thin and small that it goes pretty quickly.

lizshort96 · July 2014

With DS, my MIL kept rolling his sleeves w/ built in mittens back then I'd go over and roll them back down. I fail to see how she could be oblivious to the bleeding slash marks on his cheeks. Poor kid still has scars on his face. His nails were so soft I couldn't file them and too nervous in the first few days I didn't attempt cutting them. This next one will have a bassinet sign in the hospital similar to "Yes I have 10 fingers, please keep them covered" As for the hats, it was December so yes.

teenybean · July 2014

Babies love their hands for self soothing, can't bear to use mittens at all. The few scratches they got here or there heal in no time with no lasting scarring. I know some babies do scratch themselves, but I'd do wait and see.

Hats if its cold absolutely! But I had one kid who was a hot head literally and sweated through everything and ripped his hats off at days old and refused to nurse if one was on. The other not at all and it was so nice to be able to put one on in cold weather.

total special snowflake here

amom2four · July 2014

With my youngest dd, I could not find mittens in local stores for the life of me and she was scratching the daylights out of her face. I did my best to file her nails at first and once I was able to do a shallow bath, I just peeled her nails off after soaking her fingers for a minute. Nail clippers scare me with such tiny targets. I am also guilty of biting my kids nails when they were teeny. Hats will depend on where you are at. We will be in a mild season with rain coming soon after birth but I am also not due until 9/29. I like hats because my kids are fair skinned and I'm cautious about sun burns.

MrsLaLaBug · July 2014

Mittens, absolutely. Hats, not so much. IMHO.

cornflwr33 · July 2014

I wish it'd be in the 70s..... Live in Maine and it'll start cooling down but I love the fall!!!!

Bella2425 · July 2014

No to mittens. DS was a finger sucker and I felt bad taking that away from him. I've also read that most babies like to interact with their hands and to keep them uncovered. I had no issues clipping his nails to avoid scratches.

Meh on hats. The newborn ones never fit his big ol noggin. We just bought a small winter hat for when we took him out of the house (November baby)

emmylu30 · July 2014

DS was a July baby so never needed hats and we also did not use mittens. I highly recommend baby nail files in the first few weeks/months to prevent them from scratching their little faces(I plan on bringing to the hospital with me to file LO nails) and agree with PPs that many newborns find comfort in being able to suck on their hands which they can't do with mittens.

brittneyandadam · July 2014

cornflwr33 said:
I wish it'd be in the 70s..... Live in Maine and it'll start cooling down but I love the fall!!!!

I'm in upstate NY...and Sept here is always a continuation of summer...at least through mid month. October is when we start to see highs down in the 60's

BabyMayinMarch · July 2014

Scratch mittens were a must for DS, he would scratch himself so easily. Hats were rarely used.

an02102 · July 2014

With ds, I used a very warm shower cap style car seat cover, so even going out in the winter he did not need a hat. I had a knit one I would use occasionally but he would be so sweaty I gave up.

kristiedh · July 2014

We received both some hats and mittens for our shower so we will use them if necessary. But even if it will still be warm when baby is born, it's very windy here so I might use hats when I take the little one on walks in the stroller and stuff