Winter attire

T

TungBB

Registered User
Lately I have been getting comments that my 8 mths baby is underdressed when I bring my baby out. Every time.
It is starting to get to me. I am beginning to think that way too.

I usually clothed her in long sleeves and pants. If I am carrying her in a carrier, that will be it. If she is not in the carrier, I will add on a jacket or vest.
Is that insufficient? I know that it is much lesser compared to other babies/kids I saw on the streets.

My questions are:
How do you dress your babies, at home and outdoors?
How do you dress them for naps and bedtime?
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Hi

I usually dress my girl w a thermal top which I got fr m&s then a long slv top. If really get cold, I will add on a wool sweater before putting on a jacket.
 
Same dilemma. A well meaning grandmother tapped my helper's shoulder indicating my 6 month old is underdressed indoors.

Question is: is your baby comfortable? Are his/her feet & hands warm? If your baby is, then then there is no need to cave in to the pressure as you will find that on the flipside, locals do tend to overdress.

But if you do have to rug up, my rule of thumb with my 4 year old & 6 month old is one additional layer for outdoors. I always peel of their coats, cardigan, sweater indoors. They now wear one long sleeved top & jeans for indoors.

Remember, it will still get colder so we're slowly layering up for the colder weeks ahead rather than piling up now or our kids will look like the Michelin man by end of December/January.
 
It's pretty typical for local Chinese people to make comments about how "under-dressed" babies are. As long as you're using your best judgement as a parent and your child is not cold (has cold hands/feet/shivering etc.) however you dress your child is fine.

My son was born in the Northern North America in the middle of the winter. It was cold. Inside was heated but we still took him outside--even as a newborn. When we got back to Hong Kong, the weather here felt very warm even though it was February. We got lots of "dirty looks" and comments from local people (especially the old women in our village) about how cold our baby must be and how under-dressed he was. He NEVER got ill that entire year--not a sniffle...funny thing is he only got ill when we went back to North America at the end of the year for a trip.

The children's doctor in HK (local HK Chinese, himself) we used to take my son to who is one of the top doctors in HK (serves on many medical boards here) told us flatly, "HK people over-dress their children. If your child is sweaty and you need a towel to soak up the sweat off their back--your child is over-dressed. How you are dressing your baby is just fine."

It's all about perception and no matter how you try to explain it you'll still get those looks and comments. I just smile and thank them and keep doing what I'm doing. Mother knows best. :)

How do we dress our children? We dress our children in layers--both for the 4-year-old and the 8-month-old. T-shirt or onesie on the bottom, long-sleeved shirt on top of that with trousers (corduroy for the baby), sweat shirt on top of that and socks--worn inside and outside the home (because I think that warmth starts and ends in the feet and head). Inside our flat it is really cold because of how our flat is built--the plaster just holds the cold and doesn't insulate well at all. But, when we go outside and the sun is shining it's actually warm sometimes (maybe with a cool breeze) so then our children can be "unlayered"--down to a t-shirt or onesie with trousers if needed.

If the baby is being carried in a carrier (Ergo) then usually the most she has on is a long-sleeved onesie and maybe a vest--otherwise she gets way too sweaty. Nowadays in the mornings I'm sending my son out with a mircofleece jacket, stocking cap and thin gloves but by noon he's just wearing his long-sleeved school uniform dress shirt and the microfleece.
 
Well I'm still taking my 16 month old out in short sleeves so I think you're probably ok ;) She runs warm and since I KNOW that, I dress her appropriately for her, and anyone who says anything just gets ignored ;) Yesterday, I had her in tights for the first time this winter with a short sleeved dress on top, and she was actually a bit too warm!!
 
Actually I'm also quite worried abt my girl being 'under-dressed' cuz this is my first winter here with my 6 mth old... and i'm not sure how shd i dress her if we go out.. whether i shd get her a body suit or 2-piece (so that if she feels warm, i can still remove her jacket).. till now i still have not gotten her winter clothings..
 
i had a kid come to class last week (24C) and the kid had 5, FIVE, layers on! it was ridiculous. the poor kid could barely walk he was so weighed down with clothes!

the rule of thumb for a baby: what you would wear plus one layer. any more than that is just too much.
 
I've basically been told same as what carang says.

In summer, dress the baby like you dress yourself.

In winter, dress the baby in an additional layer compared to yourself.

Mind you, my last 2 were born just before the Midwest winter, but still my doctor said I was overdressing them (it's hard when it's -20).
 
Everyone has different tolerance to cold weather, and this applies to babies/kids too. My 1yr old is always sweating but my 3 yr old likes to dress warmly and asked to put on his jacket. so, to answer your question, for the last few days:
in the house: (1yr) sleeveless onesie, long sleeve T, pants. (3yr) long sleeve undershirt, long sleeve T, pants
outside: same as above plus thin/thick jacket depending on temperature, socks/shoes
bed/nap: (1yr) sleeveless onesie, long sleeve pj, thin grobag. (3yr) long sleeve undershirt, long sleeve pj set, thin blanket (which he doesn't really use)
 
When the weather gets cooler my 22mo LO is dressed in long-sleeved cotton top & pants@home When out he wears slightly thicker cotton/polyester/corduroy(depending on weather temp) with/without jacket &/ leg warmers occasionally For outdoors similar with
windproof jacket & pants
Our sg pd advised us to avoid overdressing the baby as their body system is not as developed as adults' on heat regulation They are prone to feeling warm more easily than cold and cold hands and feet are not necessarily accurate indicators The back and chest are good areas to check with our fingers We found that to be reliable so far in our case The main caregiver should know best whether a child needs more dressing or not
It's weird to see kids here being wrapped up like dumplings and yet sweating away with hanky hanging from the back of their necks...Several times I've also seen poor young babies in prams being dressed in thick layers displaying much discomfort with another blanket on top of them...
I guess it's one of the cultural differences I would just go with whatever I think is best for my LO, just as what others think is best for theirs, though not necessarily in the same way 
 
true, cool hands/feet are not necessarily good indicators of whether the baby is cold or not. just as you wouldn't judge if a baby has a fever by touching their feet/hands, you check their body/torso/trunk rather than their extremities

that said, if i have cold hands/feet, i feel cold all over... but then again, i have poor circulation....
 
Not sure if it holds true for children or babies but up to 30% of body heat is lost through hands and feet and 40% escapes through the head. This is necessary to regular temperature. So, if one is truly cold, sealing off those exits can often be enough to keep warm. So, before, I start putting layers on my child, I make sure his or her head and feet are covered adequately and then readjust from there. But, our flat is cold, as I said so we have to wear more indoors than when we're outdoors.
 
Thanks everyone. I guess many people in Hong Kong do wear too much. Even for adults. I was out and in short sleeves today. I saw many adults in jackets, some even with scarfs.
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i had a kid in class today:

1) undershirt
2) thermal "jumper" type thing
3) button down shirt
4) fleece
5) thick, down-filled winter coat

this was a 5.5 year old, so not like his internal thermostat hadn't set yet.... it is utterly ridiculous, in my opinion.
 
Just ignore them. It was 20 degrees outside this afternoon. And tonight (as 3 separate people told me) it's going to drop to a "frigid" 15 degrees! LOL. This is summer weather is some parts of the world.
The rule is that your baby should wear one more layer than you do comfortably.
Today, I went out in a short-sleeved dress and a cardigan. My baby went out in a long-sleeved onsie and a cardigan, with a little hat and shoes. I don't care what the grannies in the park say.
Also, if your kid is really cold, he / she would cry and tell you. Also, his / her hands and face will be cold to the touch.
If your kid is comfortable, then leave it.
Years ago, when my parents were bringing us up in Canada, the doctors used to warn them against over bundling us up.
 
My 6 month old absolutely hates a coat or jacket so what I do when we're is put on tights or baby legwarmers on her (with a dress or skirt), a top (usually onesie that are either long sleeve or short sleeve), cardigan, and beanie hat that will cover her ears. Then she's bundled up in very cozy warm wool blanket & if it's really cold an extra thermal blanket. She's always warm and easily sweats more than that. She would kick her blanket when she gets too hot. I cannot keep on layering her as she gets rash when's too hot. She's just a warm-blooded baby I guess. Also, she gets really happy when a cool/cold breeze blows on her face. That's how I know she's warm enough & doesn't feel chilly & can appreciate a little bit of coolness in her surroundings. Her neck, chest, hands are warm. Her cheeks always feels cool when touch. We were in the middle of a Chicago winter when I was pregnant with her & I guess, she's just born to love cold places like me. Locales tend to overdress that's all.
 
Yesterday afternoon we went outdoors it was so nice out there After which we went indoors, we walked past a granny who mumbled 'wear so little' seeing both of us in 1 layer w/o jackets and my boy in tshirt & pants Oh well we were so comfy I guess it must be similar luks they get from me seeing them & their kids wrapped like dumplings
Overdressing could result in potential fever as heat gets trapped in the babies' bodies more easily, and also making them less capable of dealing with coldness with overdependence on excessive dressing which might make them fall sick easier.
 
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