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winter weather and infants

yoyo12345yoyo12345 member
in Minnesota Babies
Ok, so since winter will soon be upon us, here's a question from a southern transplant...

At what temperature/windchill do you stop leaving the house with your infant? I like to be out and about (and outside as much as possible), but after last winter (my first in the area)...yikes! I can't imagine leaving the house for ANYthing on some of those days with a baby, let alone walking around the neighborhood with the stroller.  My kiddo is currently 2.5 months old, if that's relevant.  I don't want to keep us cooped up unnecessarily, but I don't want to put him in any danger either...any advice?
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Re: winter weather and infants

  • meetmowmeetmow member
    What do you mean "Leave the house"?  Do you mean no longer doing outdoor activities or do you mean that your LO will in fact never leave the house?

    If you mean no longer doing outdoor activities I'd say we are pretty much there for me, however I'm always freezing and since I don't want to be outside I'm not taking my baby out.

    If you mean never leaving the house that would be never.  I take my kiddos with me where I go.  If it's cold we bundle up.  It's not like we are going to be spending massive amounts of time outdoors, it's usually a quick run from the car to the store.  They make a lot of things to keep your baby warm in their carseat.  I recommend the type of carseat cover that goes over it like a shower cap and not anything that goes under baby, that's unsafe.
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  • MesmrEweMesmrEwe member

    I think daycare's cut-off is somewhere in the 20's... But younger babies don't go out until the warmer winter days.  We go out and dress appropriately regardless of the temps.

    Use your judgment!  Also be aware those carseat "Bundle Me" things will null the warranty on the carseat in the event of an accident because the straps can't tighten tight enough...The ones that are just an elastic cover are fine, but the ones that go under LO are a no-go...

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  • TwinsCitiesMommaTwinsCitiesMomma member
    Next winter will be my first with LO, third living in the Midwest. Thanks for the info. Any other tips from the locals would be great!
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  • TwinsCitiesMommaTwinsCitiesMomma member
    Just thought of another question...how about the sleeping thing? I know you are not supposed to have anything in the crib with LO but then do you just rely on the heater and a sleeping sack to make sure they are warm on those below freezing days?

    I'm from CA so sorry in advance if this seems like an obvious question.
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  • RedDDDRedDDD member
    Im a transplant from CA as well but have lived here a little over 10 years now.  My DC is 15 degrees or more and they still go out (older kiddos) babies stay inside.  I am out and about all the time with my kids in the freezing weather we just run from the car to the mall or car to DC or car to store :)  literally....running :)  Unless its dangerous windchill we will go out and play in the snow or skate this year for sure.  One thing you learn about Minnesotans they enjoy the hell out of their weather rain/snow/ice/humid with 100degrees....whatever...Californians take it for granted :)  

    As for your second question.....I have always used a space heater in my babies rooms.  #1 it provides a white noise effect and #2 I use one that has a thermostat so I can keep their room a few degrees warmer then I keep the house.  I like to sleep in tons of blankets and jammies so I like my home on the cooler side.  Both my babies had a blanket in their cribs by 8 months.  They don't use it however to keep them warm.  Both my kids slept hot so they have always slept in long sleeves and cotton pant jammies.  So I guess it depends on if your kid sleeps hot or cold.  I would just play with different options till you find one that seems to work best for you.
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  • MesmrEweMesmrEwe member
    As for the second question... We used a blanket appropriately sized with both kids - those fleecy type ones or as they got older/bigger those ones you finish from the fabric section... DS sleeps with a fleece blanket even now. When they were super little we swaddled, and if it was really chilly we'd use a lightweight blanket made from flannel but as soon as they were old enough to break free of the swaddle blanket they got their own fleece blanket.   Both of my kids needed to feel warm, and DS needed the "snuggly" factor in order to sleep.  Use your judgment for what is safest FOR YOUR FAMILY.  The same holds true for things like crib bumpers, co-sleeping, etc. which are really hot-button topics here on the boards.  I would however caution against using a "Fireman's friend" (space heater) over just turning the temperature up a degree or two in the house!
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  • RedDDDRedDDD member
    my space heaters are not the cheap ones and have a thermostat and auto shut off.  I would advise against a horse shit space heater for sure but there are nice ones that are totally safe...IMO
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  • Amyface813Amyface813 member

    I have lived in places with "real" winters all my life but I don't have a clue how to tell if my baby will be too hot or cold. How can I tell? Obviously if his little hands or feet are cold or if he's sweating I will get it but beyond that...??? Of all the things to worry about with +/- three weeks left this one has me worrying. I may be a crazy person...

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  • kmos816kmos816 member
    Amyface813 said:

    I have lived in places with "real" winters all my life but I don't have a clue how to tell if my baby will be too hot or cold. How can I tell? Obviously if his little hands or feet are cold or if he's sweating I will get it but beyond that...??? Of all the things to worry about with +/- three weeks left this one has me worrying. I may be a crazy person...

    @Amyface813‌ the rule of thumb is to dress your baby as you would dress plus maybe an extra layer (my LO is like her daddy and is warmer in general). Cold hands and feet don't necessarily mean your baby is cold- check the back of the neck to determine. Hope this helps- I was super worried about this too but you'll figure it out!
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  • TwinsCitiesMommaTwinsCitiesMomma member
    There are also some monitors that tell you the temp of the room- if that is helpful. This will be my first (baby and real winter) so I am worried about the same thing.
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  • yoyo12345yoyo12345 member
    Ok, so...winter carnival with a baby...would you? Or too cold?

    When we went last year to look at the ice sculptures it was -20 deg with the windchill, so we only spent maybe 30 minutes outside.  I don't think I'd take kiddo out if it was that windy, but if they're bundled I guess I'm just not sure where the cutoff should be.  I don't want his little face to get too cold!
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  • TwinsCitiesMommaTwinsCitiesMomma member
    edited December 2014
    Hi chicks!  What type of baby lotions/shampoo/creams are you using?  I've heard good things about Burt's Bees, The Honest Co and California Baby but wondering which is best for winter weather? I'm a FTM and this will be my second winter in Minn,

    Also, what do you do about the dry weather at night?  Do you put a humidifier in the room?  How do you know if it's working?  I have been waking up with super cotton mouth at night so we got a humidifier but had to test out the settings a couple of times before I've been able to sleep comfortably.  Not sure how the baby would be able to tell me which setting is the best when he gets here-lol.

    @yoyo12345- I would probably wait until about 3-4 months to go to the winter carnival with a baby but again, haven't lived in the area that long so I'm interested in what others reply.
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  • kmos816kmos816 member
    @TwinsCitiesMomma‌ I use coconut oil like Acers said! I use it on her face and bottom... Diaper rash cream tends to make it worse, she has sensitive skin! We only do lotion at bathtime and just use Johnson and Johnson because I got some at one of my showers! We didn't use lotion on C when she was a newborn though as we were told not to so her skin could learn to moisturize itself. I think we started using some around 4 months? We use a warm most humidifier- I didn't do too much research on it...just picked one up at babies r us. I would start out at a lower setting and if your LO starts to sound congested you could turn it up.

    As far as the winter carnival.... I'm a huge baby myself and don't like being outside very long at all in the winter when it's freezing outside. Personally I would consider taking my LO (she's 7 months) if it was in the 20s..... And I wouldn't have taken a newborn. I would check with your pedi they probably would have a good answer!
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