@moosette113@canavara If I knew I was going to be wearing baby I didn't bundle her up, just footied jammies and into the wrap. Because the Boba was so warm I didn't think she needed extra layers between both of our body heats and the wrap material. I just wore my regular jacket open over it.
Oh geez, I'm no help with baby wearing and keeping the baby warm. DD was a July baby and it was usually 100+ and I was worried about the opposite. I think this time around I'll do footed PJs and maybe a hat.
Going off of temperature question, how hot/cold should Baby's room be? I was told 70 degrees is the best temp for Baby to sleep, but that seems so cold to me! Maintaining 70 degrees in FL is quite an expensive feat, even in "winter".
Me: 33 DH: 38 Married: 1/10/15
1st Pregnancy EDD: 1/1/17 Born 1/10/17 Team Green turned Blue!
2nd Pregnancy EDD: 11/6/18 Born 11/09/18 Baby Boy!
3rd Pregnancy EDD: 12/?/21
Children are like casseroles; it takes a lot to mess them up.
Going off of temperature question, how hot/cold should Baby's room be? I was told 70 degrees is the best temp for Baby to sleep, but that seems so cold to me! Maintaining 70 degrees in FL is quite an expensive feat, even in "winter".
I agree. 70 degrees is chilly to me. I kind of just winged it and if I felt comfortable, then DD had one extra layer on. Since babies can't have blankets, DD would wear footed pjs and a halo sleep sack at night.
like others have said you will get toasty from body heat. I remember putting my DD in a fleece zip up and she got a heat rash. So after that I kept her in cotton long sleeves (and sweater sometimes) and long pants, socks/booties and a hat. I would bring a blanket to wrap around her if I felt she needed more. But I live in the pacific nw so we are not talking blizzards and constant below freezing here.
I don't ask a whole lot of questions over here, but I always love reading the advice so thanks to everyone for being so awesome!
We had that great babywearing thread a while back, but I didn't see this specifically addressed. How bundled up should baby be in the wrap during winter? I don't want the little one to overheat (or get into a bad position because there are too many puffy layers), but everyone here keeps telling me I need to get a full snowsuit for the newborn. I guess it probably depends somewhat on what jacket I'm wearing and how much I can zip that up over LO.
So, I really strongly disagree on the snowsuit advice, if what people refer to as snowsuit is the puffy full body coat that I'm thinking of. There is no reason that a newborn should be in one of those - you likely will not be bringing the baby in the snow for prolonged periods of time and for traveling in the car seat, a puffy coat of any kind is actually dangerous because it would compress if God forbid there were a car crash, which could cause more internal injuries. For the car seat, a fleece bodysuit and a fleece car seat cover would be plenty. I agree with PP that for baby wearing, normal clothes *should* be fine while the baby is in the wrap, but if that's not enough you would be able to tell because the baby will be so close to you. I'd recommend bringing a fleece suit with you the first couple times just in case, but I think you'll probably find that it's not necessary, especially if you are wearing a coat yourself.
ETA wanted to add a picture of what I mean by a fleece jumpsuit - this is one of the ones we used for DD last winter. This is actually a little puffier than I preferred because of the lining; she had another one that was just thick fleece with no lining that was better for the car seat but that's packed away right now. This one worked in a pinch if her other one needed to be washed or something. And like I said, you'd probably find that these are way too warm for baby wearing but if you feel that baby would be cold otherwise you could of course give it a shot.
@moosette113 we used to have someone on the board, early on, who knew a ton about baby wearing. I'm trying to remember who it was so I can tag her here... Does anyone remember who it was?
My hospital with my son actually gave me a small fan with a clamp that they put on my bed. He was born in July and oddly I was freeing constantly but that fab was the best thing ever. I even got to take it home!! We had it in his room after we moved him there cause his room was really warm. I made a huge list of stuff to take and ended up forgetting nosy of it or decided against it. Best things to have, extra clothes for you and baby and significant other, maybe some shower stuff, brush, plenty of hair ties if you can't stand your hair in your face when you're stressed lol, camera and socks, omg socks. I didn't realize how cold my feet got! Thankfully we live just up the road from the hospital, so I sent my fiance home for lots of stuff, but I was also there for 4 days with my son. I hope this time she maybe decides to come on her own lol
Also my MIL bought me 2 different witch hqzels and her and my youngest SIL told me to take a few pads and put the witch hazel on them and stick them in the freezer for a bit, just enough to be cold. It felt sooooooo good for the swelling and made me less self conscious about smelling funny cause the witch hqzels were scented. Thayers brand is what she got. Once I got home the best things I found to have were comfy clothes and plenty of healthy snacks. Stool softer helps a lot and drink lots of water, especially if BFing. May sound silly to say, but I had such a hard time remembering to drink and eat too. Thankfully my parents live in the same apartment building and checked in on me constantly. But we're looking at buying a house and moving about 15 minutes away so I really need to remember this time lol
@MaryNog, @Briala was offering up really great advice in the babywearing thread but I know she's working hard to keep baby in as long as possible right now at the hospital (I hope you're hanging in there!!!)
Thanks everyone for the input! Given our current living situation in the city, it makes sense to forgo the stroller for the time being and wear baby everywhere. So it sounds like normal clothes, plus maybe a sweater, a good hat, and making sure the footies and hands are covered, will be best for keeping LO happily wrapped.
Going off of temperature question, how hot/cold should Baby's room be? I was told 70 degrees is the best temp for Baby to sleep, but that seems so cold to me! Maintaining 70 degrees in FL is quite an expensive feat, even in "winter".
68-72 is best for sids. I always err on the side of too chilly vs. too warm as overheating can be more dangerous.
Since Christmas is a short time before we're all due, are there any fun dad-related presents for the Hs out there? I know mine is really hard to buy for, and I would like to get him something that he can look forward to with the baby.
@moosette113 We're also planning on baby wearing everywhere (or, at least, for the most part). One thing friends have recommended to me is dress baby in similar clothes (excluding outerwear) as what you need to wear, plus one light layer. Also, as PP have said, try to find a coat that you can zip over baby.
@PMForbie living in Phoenix, I can tell you there's no way we'll be keeping our house at 70. No one would be able to afford that & with AC that's freezing. I think this is definitely a regional question.
@sweetyjenj I don't know if there is a general rule of thumb, but my baby was fussy as heck if she was too hot or too cold. I'd check her feet too, if they felt hot or cold I'd adjust her layers.
A/C down to 70?!?!? What a treat.................. Even as a Floridian that would make our house so cold! I am interested in knowing also about how to know if a baby is hot or cold. Also, what about fans in the room? Every room in our house has a ceiling fan (is that a Florida thing? LOL). We keep ours in our room going at "low" at night to at least move the air around. Baby will sleep in a bassinet by our bed at first so I am imagining ceiling fan on is a no-no? Right?
Me: 26, DH: 31 Diagnosed with Hashimoto's 06/17
BFP #1: 05/11/16 DD born 01/01/17, Happy New Year TTC #2: 01/2019 BFP #2 09/24/19--Ended in chemical pregnancy BFP #3 07/02/2020 Due: 03/10/2021
I remember worrying bc my daughter's hands were always pretty cold, especially at night. I though she needed more layers but learned it's normal. I would touch her cheeks for indication. Mine seem to run warm a lot!
Hi Guys! Sorry to be jumping in as basically a stranger (I started off on this board reaaaally early on, then backed away due to having a toddler, getting a second masters degree, and having a fairly new career)! I have been following the board for the last couple of weeks to try to catch up, so hopefully you will allow me to jump back in! I will just say as far as room temperature for babies... I remember my baby care class saying 68-70 was the optimal temperature, and I remember thinking YEAH RIGHT, I will freeze to death. However, postpartum hormones and breastfeeding made me so much warmer than I ever thought. It actually ended up being DH that was freezing. We found that with the temp. right around 70, DD1 slept awesome. She is still that way. Cooler temps for better sleep. January in Nebraska might be a whole different thing though!
DS was a summer baby and our air is usually set to 74/76. Also in FL and definitely can't afford to keep the house at 70! He either slept in a long sleeve onsie and a sleep sack, or just footie pajamas. Even in winter here the footie pajamas were fine.
@nolemama24 we also keep the ceiling fan in our room on low and DS slept in the pack n play in our room for the first 6 weeks. It never seemed to make him too cold. This being a January baby we will probably just see how the temperature is day to day. Nothing like 50 degrees one day and 80 the next. Gotta love FL! Lol
@nolemama14@nolemama24, I got married in January and the day before my wedding, it was 55 and raining then the day of it was 75, sunny, and only a few white puffy clouds! Florida is crazy in January! LOL
Thanks to all with the advice! I never realized it was related to a SIDS issue, so I guess we'll err on the side of caution and keep it closer to 70. Thank goodness this is the beginning of the year and not July-September!
Me: 33 DH: 38 Married: 1/10/15
1st Pregnancy EDD: 1/1/17 Born 1/10/17 Team Green turned Blue!
2nd Pregnancy EDD: 11/6/18 Born 11/09/18 Baby Boy!
3rd Pregnancy EDD: 12/?/21
Children are like casseroles; it takes a lot to mess them up.
@katesmama0706@nolemomma14@PMForbie I am soooooooo relieved about the ceiling fan! I love having ours on! I will also err on the side of caution and turn the air down some for when baby comes. Also, Florida moms... I agree about the unpredictable weather! It doesn't matter anyways if it's chilly in the morning, by midday it gets warm.
Me: 26, DH: 31 Diagnosed with Hashimoto's 06/17
BFP #1: 05/11/16 DD born 01/01/17, Happy New Year TTC #2: 01/2019 BFP #2 09/24/19--Ended in chemical pregnancy BFP #3 07/02/2020 Due: 03/10/2021
@rdh33 I got the Liliputi Babywearing Mama Coat: https://www.liliputibabycarriers.com/babywearing-mama-coat It has a separately sold insert panel that helps it convert to the maternity/babywearing coat. It seemed like a really nice option because it apparently can be attached to both the front and back of the coat so you can wear LO on your back once they're a little bit older and still wear it.
In the winter, we set the thermostat to 66. In the summer, it's set to 76. The bedrooms are 2 degrees warmer than that. If we kept her room at 70 degrees in July, our bill would be insane.
Week 28 a wondering how you all knew when your baby had "turned"? All of sudden im less wide in the stomach and now im having trouble catching my breath when i had no issues before. Sometimes i swear thats hes in the doing the whole mime in a box thing trying to stretch me out. Owwwww!
@BriannaE129129 your doctor can confirm by pushing around on your belly, but as for telling at home you'll probably start to notice a change in belly shape/ location of kicks. It kind of sounds like you might be right, baby turned on you. He might turn again a time or two before settling down for good but if he's really hurting you at this point you can probably get him to knock it off by pushing back on him.
I had my son in Phoenix in December. Even though it doesn't get cold there, you definitely won't have the AC on in January! Our house was usually around 80 degrees and he did just fine. We usually had him in plain cotton long sleeved, footed sleepers, but we had a few fleece ones foe when it got too cold. I'm having this one in Vermont, so it will be a whole new ball game!
Also, regarding fans: babies LOVE to look at ceiling fans. It is definitely ok to have them on, and it will probably be your babies first BFF.
For the S+TMs who work outside of the home, did you have your older children continue going to daycare while you were on leave?
DD is a creature of habit and she LOVES school (what she calls daycare), so I'm thinking we will leave her in while I'm off. But maybe I'm not thinking through it all the way? What did you do and what are you planning this time around?
YES! I did this with my last maternity leave and will again for this one. In the end I feel it's better for both. The baby gets 1:1 time they wouldn't otherwise get, it gives you a bit of a break, and keeps the others in their routine.
Regarding crib bumpers. I know they are unsafe to use, but are they ok to use after i dunno, 6 months? A year? Or are they unsafe to use AT ALL? My grandma keeps asking me to get one, and if I explain to her why I wont be using one, I have a feeling she will just say it's silly.
@AlicjaB they have mesh breathable bumpers we're registering for. We still won't use them until she's able to roll over on her own, just in case, but they're breathable and still keep their limbs out of the crib sides. It's not worth giving in just because your grandma keeps asking, IMO, but maybe the mesh ones will be a good fit.
Thanks, I just know I will constantly hear it. Definitely not using it at first no matter what anyone says, but waiting til the baby can roll over makes sense.
@AlicjaB I think my son was around 6-7 months when we put the mesh bumpers on. At that point he was rolling everywhere and I didn't want him getting anything caught between the slats
Re: Ask a STM+ Week of 10/17
Me: 33 DH: 38 Married: 1/10/15
1st Pregnancy EDD: 1/1/17 Born 1/10/17 Team Green turned Blue!
2nd Pregnancy EDD: 11/6/18 Born 11/09/18 Baby Boy!
3rd Pregnancy EDD: 12/?/21
Children are like casseroles; it takes a lot to mess them up.
As far as room temp I always kept it around 70-72. Footed Jammies and a fleece sleep sac and she was just fine!
*TW*
TWIN LOSS 7.2.15
BFP 9.7.15 CP
BFP 12.31.15 MC 2.28.16
BFP 10.14.17 CP
BFP 3.10.18 D&C 4.13.18
all the time
(credit to: https://www.instagram.com/lucyknisley/ -- she's a new mom who's a comic artist and does a lot of FTM comics about her son)
like others have said you will get toasty from body heat. I remember putting my DD in a fleece zip up and she got a heat rash. So after that I kept her in cotton long sleeves (and sweater sometimes) and long pants, socks/booties and a hat. I would bring a blanket to wrap around her if I felt she needed more. But I live in the pacific nw so we are not talking blizzards and constant below freezing here.
ETA wanted to add a picture of what I mean by a fleece jumpsuit - this is one of the ones we used for DD last winter. This is actually a little puffier than I preferred because of the lining; she had another one that was just thick fleece with no lining that was better for the car seat but that's packed away right now. This one worked in a pinch if her other one needed to be washed or something. And like I said, you'd probably find that these are way too warm for baby wearing but if you feel that baby would be cold otherwise you could of course give it a shot.
Does anyone remember who it was?
Thanks everyone for the input! Given our current living situation in the city, it makes sense to forgo the stroller for the time being and wear baby everywhere. So it sounds like normal clothes, plus maybe a sweater, a good hat, and making sure the footies and hands are covered, will be best for keeping LO happily wrapped.
Married: 8/11/2007
DD: Born 2/3/17
BFP#2: 5/3, EDD 1/10/19
Diagnosed with Hashimoto's 06/17
TTC #2: 01/2019
BFP #2 09/24/19--Ended in chemical pregnancy
BFP #3 07/02/2020 Due: 03/10/2021
@nolemama24 we also keep the ceiling fan in our room on low and DS slept in the pack n play in our room for the first 6 weeks. It never seemed to make him too cold. This being a January baby we will probably just see how the temperature is day to day. Nothing like 50 degrees one day and 80 the next. Gotta love FL! Lol
@nolemama14 @nolemama24, I got married in January and the day before my wedding, it was 55 and raining then the day of it was 75, sunny, and only a few white puffy clouds! Florida is crazy in January! LOL
Thanks to all with the advice! I never realized it was related to a SIDS issue, so I guess we'll err on the side of caution and keep it closer to 70. Thank goodness this is the beginning of the year and not July-September!
Me: 33 DH: 38 Married: 1/10/15
1st Pregnancy EDD: 1/1/17 Born 1/10/17 Team Green turned Blue!
2nd Pregnancy EDD: 11/6/18 Born 11/09/18 Baby Boy!
3rd Pregnancy EDD: 12/?/21
Children are like casseroles; it takes a lot to mess them up.
Diagnosed with Hashimoto's 06/17
TTC #2: 01/2019
BFP #2 09/24/19--Ended in chemical pregnancy
BFP #3 07/02/2020 Due: 03/10/2021
Sawyer Ryanne due Jan 1, 2017
Also, regarding fans: babies LOVE to look at ceiling fans. It is definitely ok to have them on, and it will probably be your babies first BFF.
Jan17 Sept Sig: Pumpkin Spice gone too far
Married: 8/11/2007
DD: Born 2/3/17
BFP#2: 5/3, EDD 1/10/19