How to dress your baby for cold-weather pram walks

Quick answer: Dress your baby in one more layer than you're wearing. For a pram walk, put a coat, snowsuit or blanket, a hat, mittens and bootees over their indoor clothes. Feel their chest or the back of their neck to check their temperature, and take the outer layers off once you're somewhere warm.

What parents need to know

Pushing a pram warms you up, but your baby is sitting still. The NCT points out that on a brisk walk you'll probably get warmer than your baby, so they may need more layers than you'd guess from how you feel.

Getting too hot is a risk too. The NHS says small babies aren't good at controlling their own temperature, and that babies are better off a little cool than too hot.

Building the layers for a cold walk

Start with what you're wearing indoors and add one layer. The NHS gives an example: if you're in a t-shirt and jumper, your baby might wear a vest, a sleepsuit and a cardigan or jumper. Before you head out, the NCT suggests adding a coat, snowsuit or blanket, plus a hat, mittens and bootees.

Lightweight blankets are easy to add or take away as the temperature changes. Keep in mind that a folded blanket counts as two.

Checking their temperature while you're out

Babies' hands and feet often feel cool, and the NHS says that's normal. Check their chest or the back of their neck instead, which is what the NCT recommends.

• Hot or sweaty: take off a layer.
• Body feels cold: add a layer.
• Carrying in a sling. Your body heat warms your baby, so they need fewer layers than they would in the pram.

Indoors, on the bus and in shops

The NHS advises taking off hats and extra clothing as soon as you're indoors or in a warm car, bus or train, even if it wakes your baby. So when you get on the bus or walk into a café, take off their hat and the coat, snowsuit or blanket.

The same goes for a baby who is poorly. The NHS says most babies who are unwell or feverish don't need extra clothes.

Taking the coat off before the car seat

The NCT says snowsuits shouldn't be worn in a car seat, because thick padding makes the safety straps less effective.

1. Strap in indoors. Put your baby in the car seat inside the house, without their coat or snowsuit.
2. Check the harness. It should be snug enough that only one or two fingers fit between the harness and your baby's chest, as Child Car Seats explains. Your baby's clothes also affect how snugly the harness fits.
3. Cover for the walk out. Lay a blanket over the top of the harness while you carry them to the car.
4. Remove it in the warm. Take the blanket off once the car has warmed up.

Frequently asked questions

Does my baby need a hat on a cold walk?

Yes. The NCT includes a hat, mittens and bootees in its list for going out in cold weather. Take the hat off once you're indoors.

Should my baby wear the same layers at night as on a walk?

No. The NHS says to use a sleepsuit with a sleeping bag or lightweight cellular blankets, and to avoid thick, fleecy or padded blankets. A room temperature of 16 to 20C is comfortable for sleeping babies.