Winter is upon us! The chills leave even the toughest and the bravest with their teeth chattering, so the little ones need that much extra care. Extra measures need to be taken to ensure baby doesn’t feel the sting of winter. Here are a couple of tips for mommies to ensure their little ones stay snug and warm throughout the season.

Keep Baby Covered

• Babies can’t regulate their own temperature, and it is easy for them to lose their body heat, especially through the hands feet and head.It’s vital to get warm items such as socks, booties, mittens and caps (preferably made out of natural fibres) to keep these sensitive areas covered.
• Mommies need  to watch out that they don’t get carried away with too many warm clothes as this will cause sweating, which will in turn lead to colds, coughs and rashes.
• Instead of having baby weighed down by being wrapped in heavy blankets, try a snow-suit. This will do the same job without the many unnecessary, and uncomfortable layers. Don’t let baby wear this on its own, though. Put the snow suit on over normal warm cotton clothing.

Massage

• Give baby a warm massage using baby oil before they bath. This will stimulate the blood vessels and generate heat in the body.

Baths

• A neat trick to try is to run the hot water for a while before you take baby in for a bath. Let steam fill the room to create a nice warm environment for baby.
• Make sure not to overdo baths or let baby soak too long during a bath. This can add unnecessary cold to the baby. Give the baby sponge baths where possible.
• Wrap your  baby in a hooded towel when you take them out of the bath.

Skin care

• Winter may bring about unfavourable skin conditions such as chapped lips and cheeks, and even windburn. The number one trick to avoiding all of this is to moisturise, moisturise, moisturise. At least twice a day, smooth some fragrance-free, hypoallergenic lotion, cream, or ointment on your baby’s cheeks. And put some made-for-baby lip balm or ointment on your cutie’s chapped lips.
• Sunscreen should also be a regular part of your little one’s winter skin-care regimen.

Blankets

• Receiving blankets, fleece blankets. These are all a must to keep baby warm. Fleece and cotton are also very good fibres that retain heat.