If you’re anything like me, you’re not exactly the biggest fan of winter.
I’m more of a summer girl; I love going for nice walks in the warm weather, and just all-around enjoying the outdoors when it’s nice outside.
But the winter isn’t fun. I don’t like the wind or cold, and if I could have it my way, I’d just hibernate indoors all winter with my iPad.
Things got even more stressful for me when I was facing my first winter with my son Alex. I was worried that he was going to be cold and I wouldn’t know it, or even worse, that he’d get sick – and it would be my fault.
Luckily, the winter really wasn’t a big deal, and although we had a few bumps along the way, it wasn’t that bad.
I thought that since I’m now a seasoned veteran of surviving the winter with young kids, and I thought I’d put my experience to good use and give some (hopefully) useful advice to all the other first-time parents out there!
Keeping warm in the chilly cold.
The biggest thing I worried about that first winter was keeping Alex warm. Luckily, it isn’t all that hard, thanks to the magic of layering up!
The rule of thumb is this: for every layer you’re wearing, give one more to your little one. So, for example, if you’re wearing 3 layers, give them four.
Our winter gear looked something like this:
- A cute onesie
- A warm sweater on top
- A winter jacket
- A good, warm blanket
The blanket is my secret weapon, and they’re so awesome in the winter. Since they’re easy to remove, they make the perfect companion to layering; if your child gets too hot, you can just take it off.
Just make sure to get a good blanket made of warm, natural fabrics. Avoid synthetics!
Making the nursery a comfy place to sleep.
It just so happens that night time is a different story altogether.
Why is that? Because it turns out that you’re not supposed to use blankets in cribs. Experts believe that they can be attributed to an increased risk of SIDS!
Needless to say, I was pretty shocked and worried to learn that, and wanted to find out a better way to keep Alex warm during the cold nights in our house.
We did two things:
First of all, we got him a cute little sleep sack. In particular, we got him the HALO, and it was like a wonder blanket. They’re perfectly safe to use unlike free blankets, and they have the added benefit of calming them and making them sleep better. Bonus!
We also got a small space heater to put in the corner of the room. Frankly, I wasn’t a big fan of this, but since our nursery room turned out to be more drafty than we’d anticipated, it was really the only option.
Just be sure to keep an eye on the temperature in the room; you don’t want it to be too hot!
Itchy, scratchy and downright dry air.
Another problem we ran into is the dry air in our house. Waking up with icky, itchy skin was a common occurance, and it turned out to be caused directly by the lack of humidity in the house.
I learned that dry air has another awful side-effect: it can make you get sick easier.
How so? Well, apparently viruses thrive in dry air, and therefore it’s much easier to pick one up, especially if you have a weaker immune system like a young child.
What we did in this situation was get a couple of humidifiers to put in the nursery and our bedroom. They work by filling them up with water, and then the humidifier disperses the water into the air as a fine mist, raising the humidity levels and making it much more comfy to live in.
The only downside is having to refill them every so often, but I got my husband to do that job.
If you get a humidifier with a humidity level checker, you’ll be able to make sure it doesn’t get TOO humid (which can cause mold). If yours doesn’t come with one, I’d recommend getting one extra, just to be safe.
Making car rides as warm as can be.
Going for car rides is another story. Just like all other things “baby”, you’re also supposed to be careful when combining bulky winter duds with car seats. Apparently studies have shown that the bulkiness can reduce the protection offered by the seat if you get into a car accident.
On top of that, blankets can turn into suffocation hazards if stuck under the straps of the seat.
All in all, as long as you keep these two points in mind, there isn’t that much to worry about when it comes to riding in the car. You might want to check out sites like Etsy for a cute car seat liner, though. They add a warm, cushiony layer that works well during long rides.
Chapped lips: a common struggle.
Alex got some pretty bad chapped lips. We all know babies drool, and the runny noses of winter combine with that drool to make a chapped lip machine.
I went and got him some Burt’s Bees lip balm, which is supposed to be good and natural stuff. I actually like to use it myself!
Lip balm helps protect the lips by keeping them moisturized as well as repairing the damage already done. Just go get some!
Sunscreen in the winter?
Did you know that sunscreen is important in the winter?
It came as a big surprise to me, but it’s true.
You’re supposed to put sun block on any area that will be exposed to the sun. So, if their little hands are going to be exposed, be sure to put a light coat of sun block on them.
Statistics say that getting 5 sunburns will give you an 80% higher chance of developing melanoma. That’s scary stuff, so please use sunblock all the time, even in the winter.
How to help when they get sick.
The worst thing that happened that winter is that Alex got sick. It was stressful and heartbreaking, and I wish there was some way we could have avoided it.
Watching him having a hard time breathing and being all stuffy was so awful to watch. We took him to the doctor, and he gave us some great advice.
First of all, he told us to get a nasal aspirator. But not the typical old aspirators you might have seen, that are plastic and blue and you use with your hands. He recommended something called the Nosefrida, and it’s awesome.
The way it works is that you put one end of what’s basically a long hose in your child’s nose, and you suck on the other end. The suction clears out the nose, and the boogies get stuck in a filter in the house. You can just clear the hose out in the sink, and it’s super easy to use. And it works really well.
You can also use saline drops, which are found at any pharmacy. They’re just salt water, and you put a drop or two in each nostril and it helps clear the hardened boogies right out.
In Conclusion
I really hope that this advice makes it easy for you to get through the cold and nasty winter! If you have any advice you’d like to share, please let me know in the comments!
Jennifer Taylor is a coffee-addict, part-time blogger and full-time mama of two wonderful kids. You can find her blog at MomTricks or follow her on Twitter, Facebook and Pinterest!
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Danielle is the owner of Today's the Best Day. She strives to provide creative and uplifting content in order to enrich the parenting experience for women everywhere. Danielle hopes to help you and your family to make every day the best day! 
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January 2, 2016 at 3:34 pm (8 years ago)Thank you very much for the precious words you shared. Actually I have a ten month old baby. I find your advice very helpful. I do the same as you to survive winter with my little Yucef. In addition I give my baby honey, pure and organic honey, I add it to his milk every day in the morning. It helps a lot and improves his immunity.