Best Winter Clothes for Newborns

The week after our daughter was born in 2007, our county was hit by a level one snow emergency. Businesses and schools were closed. Snow blew over the roads, and temperatures hovered near freezing. It was a bitterly cold February, and as brand new parents, we focused a lot of energy on keeping our little one snug and warm.

Obviously, we stayed in as much as possible. For the first six weeks of her life, the only place she went was the doctor's office. After that, we avoided public places to keep her away from as many germs as possible until her immune system developed.

Since we did have to take her outside eventually, we discovered the best outdoor gear to keep her warm. Our JJ Cole Bundle Me was by far the most useful cold weather gear we owned. It's a little sleeping bag that can be used in a variety of car seats, strollers and travel systems. There are zippers on both sides and holes for the car seat belts on the back. Lay the Bundle Me in the seat and pull the safety straps though. The baby can then be buckled in and zipped up for warmth.

It's great because it stayed in place better than a blanket, and we could unzip one side and fold it back so our baby girl didn't overheat in a warm car or inside if we detached the car seat and carried her in. It's also recommended for children up to 12 months, so we were able to use it for two winter seasons. An unexpended bonus for me was that when our daughter kicked off one of her cute yet useless baby shoes, it stayed in the Bundle Me and didn't get lost.

When she was a newborn, we did either cover her with a blanket inside the Bundle Me, or layer a sleeper in the next size up over her outfit. By the next winter, when she was 9 to 12 months old, we dressed her in a coat, and zipped up her legs in the Bundle Me. It's roomy enough so that we could layer as necessary, yet still have room to get her in the car seat.

The Bundle Me comes in a variety of colors, and it's machine washable. The only downside for us is that we used it so much that the zipper on one side broke, so we had to replace it. It also doesn't go over the head, so our daughter still needed a hat. The JJ Cole Bundle Me retails for about $40, and can be found at online retailers and baby superstores.

To keep our daughter warm at home, we used a wearable fleece blanket. There are several brands on the market that retail for $20 to $30, and are for babies up to 6 months. Most are sleeveless pouches that zip up the front.

We chose Halo SleepSack fleece blanket, which comes in several sizes and styles. Loose blankets are dangerous, and by layering the SleepSack over her cotton sleepers, she would be warm at night. Another trick we used was to stretch a blanket over the bassinet without actually touching her body to block the cold air at night.

The only drawback is that with the baby's legs contained the pouch of the blanket, she can't be buckled into a swing or bouncy seat. For that, we tucked a blanket around her - a thin receiving blanket that can buckle right in with the baby worked best for us.

While the receiving blankets that we received as shower gifts turned out to have some uses - lining the travel crib or sliding under a lap belt of the swing - the scratch mittens and lightweight cotton hats didn't. The hats wouldn't stay on, and the elastic on the scratch mittens dug into our daughter's skin. The only hat that actually stayed on was the nylon knotted into a hat that the hospital staff put on almost as soon as she was born. If the hospital gives you one, keep it for those first few days at home.

If there is an outdoor, fleece-type hat for newborns that actually fits, we never found it. We ended up with the smallest hat at the store, and we slipped it on as we walked outside so that she couldn't wiggle it off before we got to the car. Our Bundle Me eliminated the need for mittens, until she was coordinated enough to pull her hands out.

At times, it was a challenge to get our daughter bundled up to go outside the winter she was born. Fortunately, like winter, that stage didn't last forever. Winter babies can warm your heart on the coldest days of winter. By using these tips, you can keep your baby snug and warm until summer.