Feeling stuck in the house too much this winter? Wanting to go out for your usual walk but don’t know how to handle the baby in the rain?
Having a December-baby had me in that position. On one hand, I was ready to get out of the house for a bit and begin moving my body again after postpartum and getting extremely sick. On the other hand, I had a newborn baby and it was rainy and cold.
Babies need fresh air but how cold is too cold and how many layers is too many layers? It’s raining?? Forget going outside all together.
I had so many questions and concerns and I didn’t want to not go outside and take walks but I didn’t want to hurt the baby.
After a lot of research and dealing with our second winter, here are some things that made getting outside during winter a lot easier.
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Infant Seat Rain Cover/Stroller Cover
These covers are absolutely amazing even if you aren’t walking frequently but need to carry a baby in and out of the car on a rainy day. Errands became a lot easier when I wasn’t worried about him or one of his blankets getting soaked.
Obviously we started out with the infant seat rain cover but once we moved him out of the infant car seat, we needed a way to keep the rain and crazy cold wind off of him on our walks.
This Stroller Rain Cover has been SOOO NICE to have as it has allowed us to get out of the house even when it’s nasty outside.
We have noticed that when he’s fussy or really tired but not wanting to snuggle in then going on a walk instantly calms him. It’s also really nice because the majority of the time he falls asleep on the walk and stays asleep for longer then when I rock him to sleep and lay him down in the bed.
For Infants – Jumper
Depending on the area you live in, you’ll have different requirements obviously and if it’s really cold and even snowy where you are you will need something really thick and fuzzy like this Infant Snowsuit.
However if you aren’t dealing with as extreme cold but it’s definitely still chilly and a half then something a little thinner like this Footed Jumpsuit will be just fine.
For Toddlers – Jacket
They do make toddler jumpsuits if you’re planning to be out in the snow and cold like this one
But otherwise they’ll be plenty warm in just a thick jacket. There are even thinner options like this Windbreaker as spring gets into full swing and the wind becomes more of a problem than anything else.
Thick Fuzzy Blanket
This goes without saying but these Fuzzy Blankets have been suuuuuuper nice to have and do a really good job at keeping him warm and they’re cute so I wanted to include them in here.
Beanie
For the days that we put him in a lighter jacket for one reason or another we would use a beanie to keep his head warmer than the thin hood would have.
Mittens
I don’t know about your kid, but my kid did NOT want to keep his hands under the blanket so mittens were essential to keep his hands from freezing.
I don’t recommend gloves until they get older because it’s a pain to get all their little fingers into each of the little holes for the fingers. It’s doable but a pain.
Clip On Toy
We keep a toy clipped on his stroller pretty much always and it is an easy way for him to have something he can’t throw on the ground and potentially lose if I didn’t see it happen. I can’t find the exact one we have but this Giraffe Toy is a really cute option.
You could also get these multipurpose clips to keep binkies and bottles from falling on the ground as well.
Gloves For Yourself
I had to include this one because I did not think about it at first. You can’t really put your hands in your pocket if you are pushing a stroller so your hands are quite susceptible to the cold. I invested in some gloves that also work with using my phone and I don’t use them every time but I have used them quite a bit more than I ever used gloves before.
Just explore and figure out what works for you and doesn’t. A lot of things on this list I figured out through trial and error and you will too. Give yourself some grace and keep in mind that the first outing is the hardest. It will get easier each time you do it and it will quickly become second nature.