January Baby – how to Choose Clothes for your Baby Born in January?
The first step is choosing the size. Given that winter clothing might be needed in our climate even until April, when making a purchase, you should consider that a January baby will be comfortable in a winter overall for three months. As it’s challenging to predict a newborn’s length and weight, even within the same family, there’s no single, universally applicable sizing rule. The most sensible approach is to base it on children’s average length and weight charts. Since we’ve already established that a January baby will need an overall for about three months, it’s worth noting that the average three-month-old is 62 cm long.
Next, there are 3 options for making your choice:
The average newborn is 51 cm long. If you want the outerwear to fit your child perfectly right from birth, we recommend size 50, and you can then gradually increase the size as the baby grows.
Choose a winter overall with fold-over cuffs in size 56, and as the child grows, also purchase gloves and booties. Lenne baby overalls feature fold-over cuffs that can be used until the child reaches the length specified for the overall. As they grow longer, gloves and booties can be added.
The third option is to choose size 62, as this provides plenty of room for dressing, and even a slightly larger newborn can enjoy the newly purchased clothes for longer. The downside of a larger overall, however, is that when coming home from the hospital, the overall might be too big, and new parents might feel that “the baby is drowning in the overall”.
What to Dress your Baby in?
Mothers always want their baby to be warm and are therefore very careful when dressing their child. However, perceptions of dressing babies can differ drastically, because the conditions parents create for outdoor sleeping are so varied.
Some use a lighter stroller that allows air to circulate freely, while others prefer a stroller or cover that retains warmth so effectively it could be considered hermetic. There are homes where the child sleeps on a glazed balcony, and homes where the baby dozes off for a nap to the sound of the sea breeze. All these details change the child’s dressing needs, because babies’ sensitivity to cold can also be totally different.
It’s important to simply check the child regularly to ensure they are comfortably warm and not too hot. The best way to do this is by feeling the skin in the neck fold – the skin should be warm, but not moist. There’s also no need to panic about cold hands, as this doesn’t necessarily mean anything bad immediately, but it does signal that the child needs additional warmth as soon as possible.
Although the cold and crisp air is charmingly characteristic of a Nordic winter, it should be enjoyed with caution. After nine months of basking in a cozy warm womb, the baby now needs to start breathing icy winter air – this requires a bit of adjustment and adaptation. With a tiny newborn, it’s definitely advisable to spend the first few days indoors, and during cold weather, you might want to wait a week before going outside. Before venturing outdoors, it’s a good idea to accustom the baby to sleeping by an open window, and then – if the child is of normal weight and healthy – start with short outdoor excursions. Initially, it’s advisable to limit outings to up to 20-minute bursts, and only if the outdoor temperature is not too low. At temperatures below -5 degrees Celsius, it’s still sensible to stay indoors with a newborn.
The ABCs of Outdoor Sleeping in Cold Weather
For a baby napping outdoors in cold weather, a sheepskin or extra blankets are not necessarily needed if you dress the child in:
In warmer weather, layers should be reduced. To start, you can forgo the winter sleeping bag or remove the merino overall. In a mild winter, when the temperature is between zero and five degrees Celsius, only cotton indoor clothes, a merino wool hat, and a winter overall are sufficient.
Recommended Gear for Outdoor Sleeping in Very Cold Weather
But What if the Baby Sleeps in the Car Seat in the Car?
In that case, fewer layers are sufficient for the child:
How to Safely get from the Maternity Hospital to the Car with a Car Seat?
Since the baby is not yet accustomed to the outside temperature when leaving the maternity hospital, they will need slightly warmer clothing for the first trip than for subsequent car rides. The clothing itself is already warm, so there’s no need to set the car temperature too high. Dress the child in:
when moving to the car, add a winter sleeping bag or other windproof winter clothing to block the wind
By following these simple tips, you can ensure your baby is comfortably warm while adapting to the new world, and you will have done your best to help your January baby gradually get accustomed to the winter frost.
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