Tips to dress a newborn

Newborns arrive with plenty of smarts, but one thing they haven’t yet mastered is regulating their own body temperature — that happens at about six months. 

Meantime, it’s up to you to keep your little bundle bundled just right when you step outside — not too warm, not too cool. 

Here’s how.

• Dress your newborn in the same number of layers you’re wearing yourself, plus one. So if you’re heading out for a walk in boots, warm socks, jeans, a sweater, coat, hat, gloves, and a scarf, your baby should wear the equivalent, which, at his size, amounts to a toasty inner layer, a snowsuit or bunting that covers his hands and feet, and a hat.
• Layer it on. The layered look is precious on a new baby — but it’s also practical.
• Babies need a hat outside. A lightweight hat with a brim protects your baby’s head from the sun in warm weather and traps the heat he needs when it’s cool — making it a must-have outdoor accessory in just about any weather.
• Babies need an extra layer. Your brand new cutie usually needs about one light layer more than you do. That might mean a light sweater for him on a T-shirt day for you or a toasty inner layer under his bunting when you’re working a parka. His plus-one can also be a blanket or his stroller’s rain cover, which will keep out the elements and keep in some heat.
• Never over bundle. Babies dressed in too many layers, though, can overheat easily. So strip those layers off as soon as you’re indoors — whether you’ve come home from an outing or stopped off at the mall and even if your sweetie is snoozing.

But beware of overdoing it, particularly when you’re indoors — like at the mall or in a warm car. Babies dressed in too many layers (of blankets or clothing) are at greater risk for overheating and for SIDS. If you’ve been out, remove your critter’s winter clothes as soon as you come inside (yes, even if he is asleep!). 

Do a neck check. The easiest way to tell whether your baby is too warm or too chilly is to reach under his clothes to check his arms, eyes, or the nape of his neck. Those little hands and feet are soft to squeeze, but they’re always cool to the touch in young babies making them an unreliable temperature gauge. Make adorable photos of your cute baby, upload to the App. Write how you dress him/her.