I get very frustrated when I see children and especially babies who are underdressed. I am not exaggerating when I say that approximately 80% of the children I see are underdressed. These children are out and about in 40 degree weather with no hat and only a light coat (no hood). In grocery stores they are sitting in the shopping carts with no socks and no shoes. Babies are dressed in a thin onesie without anything else. I am not sure why. That’s certainly not how to keep your child warm.
Perhaps the child’s mother or father is simply unaware of the critical nature of warmth. Perhaps the child’s parent does not care. Perhaps the family honestly cannot afford to purchase warmer clothes. Whatever the case is, most children are not warm enough physically which can lead to a whole host of other problems.
Today I would take a quick moment to help parents better understand the importance of keeping your child(ren) physically warm.
How To Keep Your Child Warm
Let me start with some basic science when it comes to child health through warmth. Stay with me here.
Humans have skin. Animals have fur. Animals grow a thick coat of fur to deal with the colder winter months. Humans do not. So we must compensate for our lack of fur.
The human body is designed to maintain a temperature around 98 degrees. If you walk outside naked and it is 55 degrees, your body will immediately send its 98 degrees of heat out into the 55 degree air in an attempt to match the temperature of the outside air. Trust me – this is basic science. Obviously we do not walk around naked in freezing weather – at least we shouldn’t. We use clothes as the means of keeping our body temperature around 98 degrees.
Children have an accelerated metabolic rate and typically feel warmer than they really are. They also are developmentally unable to accurately determine if they are warm or cold until approximately the age of nine (9). So sending a child outside with no hat and/or no coat is a major issue in cold weather. It also presents an issue if your child is indoors and underdressed. Bare feet and short sleeves are not considered acceptable in a house with an ambient temperature below 80 degrees.
How To Tell If Your Child Is Cold
Simply feel their hands and feet with your own hands (if your hands are cold, rub them together first to warm them up a little). Then feel your child’s chest, forehead and stomach. If their hands and feet are cooler than these areas, your child is not dressed warmly enough. You need to check many, many times per day. In addition, if your child is acting over stimulated, “wild,” or out of sorts, lack of warmth may be the issue. A child’s body pulls heat away from the extremities and sends it to the vital organs in an effort to keep basic body functions going. Frenzied movement is the child’s way of trying to warm up their limbs.
How To Dress Your Child For Cold Weather
Think layers and think natural fibers like cotton and wool! (Silk is good too but better in spring/fall versus winter). Two layers will probably be sufficient indoors and three layers for outdoors.
When I lived in Northern California, I liked to use a pair of wool long underwear as my daughter’s first layer. These are the long underwear I purchased. I then put a long sleeve shirt and long pants over these. She then had on a thick pair of wool socks. These are my favorite wool socks.
If we headed outdoors I put on a wool coat, a wool hat, gloves, and a pair of wool leg warmers. Simply Merino, Woolino, and Ella’s Wool are all great brands! If it is really cold, I will put on her outdoor puddle pants which are very warm and snuggly and great for repelling water.
My girl was very rarely under dressed. If she did begin to feel too warm (sweaty palms, flushed cheeks), I would simply take off her wool long johns and add a thinner undershirt in its place. Although I prefer wool, you do not have to use this material. 100% cotton thermals are fine too. These cotton thermals are adorable! You just really want to stay away from synthetic fibers like nylon and polyester.
If you have a newborn or infant, you want to make sure that you dress him/her warmly from the start. I got a lot of conflicting information about how to properly dress an infant. I wasn’t sure whether to use a knit hat, to keep booties on at all times, to use sleep sacks, etc…
Unfortunately, I had my poor daughter underdressed for the first 6 months of her life. I am lucky that she did not develop any serious medical issues. Failure to thrive, poor weight gain, fussiness, difficulty sleeping, and decreased appetite are all related to lack of warmth.
My advice for dressing your infants is to invest in two or three pairs of wool sleepers/pajamas (see brands above). Your baby can wear these 24 hours a day either under additional layers of clothing or as standalone pieces. Wool clothes are usually very generously sized and should last for the first 9-12 months.
If Your Child Has Difficulty Sleeping It Could Because Of What They Are Wearing!
Many children are put into their crib or bed with only a fleece sleeper or a thin pair of pajamas. Babies and toddlers generally do not keep blankets on them and will be too cold if only dressed in one layer. Add a pair of thermals or wool long johns under your child’s pajamas or invest in two good pairs of heavy wool pajamas.
My daughter alternated between two layers and one pair of heavy wool pajamas. She stayed very warm at night during winter and that is saying a lot since I didn’t run our heater and it was about 58 degrees at night in our house! Make sure your child has socks on at night if he or she is not wearing a pair of feeted pajamas.
How to keep your child warm during cold weather but also year round really comes down YOU! As a parent, it is YOUR job to ensure the health of your child by making sure that they are dressed properly for all weather conditions. Do not leave clothing choices up to your child because they will probably not pick an outfit that is appropriate for the weather. There is no reason that your 1st grader should be walking to and from school in shorts and a short sleeve shirt in February. It is simply not going to keep their body warm enough. I understand that getting children dressed can be a battle but try to make it fun and keep your attitude loving and positive.
Also, make sure that you are dressed appropriately as well. If you are running around barefoot and without a jacket in December, your children will surely pounce on you with the “but you aren’t wearing a jacket” routine. Telling them that you are a grown up and therefore don’t have to wear a jacket is not effective. Children model our behavior so model proper attire!
And that’s it for how to keep your child warm! Remember to put some socks on those feet and a hat on that head!
Anonymous says
Layers have made a huge difference for us! I
myself have started dressing in layers in the last few years and I’m so much warmer…funny how that works!
Another tip I learned about detecting temp in young children. If your own hands are cold, then put your childs hand to your cheek instead of feeling with your hands.
Every child is different but I can tell you that my first child runs way colder than my second child. My second child has been way healthier as well. This could be because of a number of changes, dressing more warmly, switching to organic, not over vaccinating, avoiding tylenol when ill etc etc.
Looking forward to more posts! Tracy
Jess says
I have a 3 year old and a 3 month old and I have been underdressing my children.
THANK you for informing me of my mistakes.
Tomorrow they will have socks and pants.
I am learning so stinkin much from you.
Rob says
Actually, I can tell you…never determine the temperature of your baby by the hands and feet. As a Paramedic, I can tell you they are the last areas to recieve blood flow, so they will always give you a false reading. I am naturally a hot person…even in snowy winter I am hot…but my feet are cold.
However overdressing has serious consequences…these are lives, not dolls to dress so it is cute. If you are looking at other people thinking their kids are underdressed…you probably have an issue that needs to be worked on…meaning you are a little over obsessed. Childrens bodies are far more stronger than adults…their hearts pump faster and they breathe more. They should wear 1 layer more than you and remember be careful always wanting to cover the areas your body naturally uses to exit heat.
Too warm and babies can suffer nightmares…bad sleeping sessions and general panic as well as one of the main causes of SIDS. I have seen deaths of over dressed babies but never have I heard of a baby a little underdressed going to a store and dying.
Listen to your kids…not that over cutesy thing inside. My son even as an infant told me when he was cold or hot.
Carrie says
Thank you!!!I’ve been saying this all along
Christine Galanti says
Pediatricians and experts in the U.S. will tell you that most babies are overdressed. They are correct. Overdressing a baby at bedtime in particular has been found a contributing factor in crib death (SIDS). In cool or cold weather, of course cover your little one. Wool is an excellent choice. I love wool. You don’t need to bake your baby in the summer.
Ignore the advice of well meaning strangers who probably believe that a baby can catch a cold from having cold feet.
Babies hands and feet feel cool to the touch normally, even when the baby is warm enough. This is not a sign that you need to bundle up your child.
Janette says
This “scientific” analysis seems very relative to your own temperature. It sounds like you may be cold most of the time for some reason? If I kept my house at 80 we’d all be lethargic and sweaty and cranky; and we live directly on the chilly North Atlantic. I hope no one reads this and overdresses newborns or young babies according to your advice. Overheating is a very dangerous thing as well as hypothermia. If most of the kids you see look underdressed perhaps you should see the doctor.
Sierra says
After reading everything you have to say about the matter I now believe that you are giving out false and possibly dangerous information with no sources to back this information up. I live in Southern California and it’s apparent from your writing that you live in a much colder climate than I do. I will not listen to your advice if you think children need to be in minimum 80 degree weather to justify short sleeves, especially indoors. That is flat-out dangerous advice. If you think “most” people are underdressing their kids then it’s far more likely that you are overdressing them. Comparatively speaking, overdressing even a little bit is far more dangerous than underdressing.
I’m not saying that underdressing isn’t a problem. I am saying that your advice is incorrect and that you have no sources whatsoever for your facts. Please, if you want people to take you more seriously you should cite tons of sources for others to check for themselves.
Jennifer says
Hi Sierra! Thank you for your thoughtful comment. Here are the books where I gleaned the information that inspired this post:
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https://amzn.to/2Ln0ugL
Zehr says
Merino wool garment is dry, fold it carefully to avoid a center crease. You should never hang an Alpaca or Merino wool sweater as it’s weight will stretch the garment out of shape. Instead, lay these garments flat in a drawer or on a closet shelf.
Brenton Chen says
It is very helpful for kids to wear a hat and socks to warm them up during cold weather.