Cold Weather Babywearing

By:  Holly Harmon

It’s nice to get out of the house in the winter, but it can seem like a chore
when the weather is cold and you have a little one to keep warm. I’m no pro at
babywearing yet, but I’ll explain what has worked for me and my 21 month old plus
some tips I found online.

If your only going to be outside for a few moments, running from the car to
the grocery store, or the like, a warm hat is sufficient, in my opinion. I will also just
throw my coat over Zayden while I freeze on the way into the store. If he’s on my
front I like to put my hood on his head (this is great if it’s raining or windy and you
don’t mind getting a little wet). If it’s really cold and we are wrapping I will just wait
until we are in the store to wrap him.

For colder weather, I found it’s all about layering and fabric choice. If your
not allergic, wool and flannel will become your best friends in the colder months.
We just spent about a month is the mountains in Colorado and I really enjoyed being
able to wear Zayden for walks around town, shopping, to the post office, and to
skiing.

On really cold days Zayden was in his snowsuit (with wool socks a silk
weight underlayer and wool sweater), a hat and a balaclava. He would also wear
mittens, or on the days he refused – his snowsuit has flip over mittens on the sleeves.
On those days I had on my ski pants, and on top I had an undershirt, wool ski shirt
(Smartwool), and my warm winter coat; Zayden was ridding on my back in our Two
Mama Designs Carrier. I was able to carry him on my back, plus my ski’s, it was a
work out but fun!

One day like this he unexpectedly fell asleep and I ended up burning up in the
sunshine while he napped. I hate to admit this, but I accidentally woke him up trying
to get my coat off, I was so hot! I broke the cardinal rule, never wake a sleeping
baby, whoops…. lesson learned – only wear your winter coat underneath if you sure
your baby will stay awake or sure you won’t get too hot.
A few things I’ve figured out that have helped a bunch:

  • When he’s on my back, I reach behind and pull his shirt down, I need to do

this on his front (near my back) and sometimes on his back, if the shirt gets really
bunched up. Depending on how you get your kiddo on your back this may not be a
problem.


  • Babylegs! Whoever thought these things up was a genius! I like to put on a

pair under whatever pants he has on – extra warmth this way, but the real benefit is
when his pants ride up, the baby legs stay down! You don’t have to go buy a pair of
Babylegs, you can chop up an old pair of warm tall socks J
Strangers. You know those people that are always staring and asking
questions, find a nice one and ask them to put your litte one’s hat back on, they’ll be
happy to. 

  • Snacks. All toddler wearing in our lives ALWAYS involves snacks.

Good luck mamas and stay warm!

I love this picture because it really shows how fabric choice can be helpful. Zayden
is in his snowsuit and I have on a wool shirt and a flannel shirt. It was cold enough
to want gloves and a hat, but since we were tromping through the snow I was warm
enough.
Here, you can tell we had on a lot of layers, and it started to snow. We weren’t out
for long.  🙂

On the gondola going skiing.


What are your favorite cold weather tips?  Add them in the comments and stay warm!

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