Dressing a Newborn for Spring Weather

At Well Supported Family home base, we live in New England. And New England has fun things called seasons. Spring officially starts in March but let’s face it, it doesn’t feel like spring until May! The weather in spring on any given day could be in the 30s or in the 80s! Babies [newborns especially] are not experts at regulating their temperature. They can get too cold or too warm much easier than we adults do. When you are dressing a newborn for spring you want to focus on:

Layers and Checks Layers:

Layers:

For newborns I love putting a short sleeve or sleeveless onesie under everything. A typical outfit may look like a onesie with light pants and a light sweater, with a light blanket to put over a stroller or carseat if the wind picks up.

Checks:

Visual checks:

Even if you feel like your baby is dressed appropriately, you want to be sure that you know how to check their body temperature. First you want to look for visual signs of being hot or cold.

• Red flushed cheeks [hot]
• Sweating [hot]
• Blue lips [cold]
• Shivering [cold]

Physical Checks:

Then you want to feel them:

• Ears- they should feel cool or neutral. Very hot or freezing can indicate general body temperature
• Hands/feet- cool is fine, cold can indicate that they can use another layer
• Neck/torso- for infants this is what you should be paying most attention too. If their chest is damp/sweaty or cold to the touch then their clothing/environment could use a change so they can be more comfortable.

Bedtime:

Dressing a baby in the spring at NIGHT! Be aware that your AC/cooling system may kick in. A temperature of 68 with heat and a temperature of 68 with AC can feel very different. Be sure to sneak in during the night to do some temp checks on your baby. There are multiple weight/tog sleep sacks and swaddles that we love depending on the temperature of your room. In addition to being safe, baby will sleep better if they are at a comfortable temperature.

Cars:

WARNING: Cars get hot. Hotter than you think and faster than you think. Never leave your baby alone in a car in the sun, even to just run into the house. They can overheat very quickly.

Tips:

• Dress your baby appropriately for the length of your car ride.
• Utilize the angles of the vents so that air can reach the back seat
• Consider the benefits of having a car mirror to be able to check in on your baby

Want tips on how to transition back from warm weather into cold? Click here.