Today I saw many little girls decked out in colorful princess dresses topped by puffy marshmallow-like snow coats and mittens wandering around the Magic Kingdom while their fathers insisted on braving the unseasonably cool Florida weather in flimsy T-shirts and light coats. Dressing kids (and their fathers) in cold weather is always challenging, especially as they get older and seem to “forget” their coats as they leave the house. Even when kids are too young to complain that they are too warm or too cold, there are ways to gauge whether your child is dressed appropriately for cool weather.

Infants are particularly poor at regulating their own temperatures. In general for cool weather, dress a baby in one more layer of clothing than you are comfortable wearing.  Another good way to keep a newborn from losing too much heat is to keep the hat on for a couple of weeks. It’s not an old wives tale; people do lose heat mostly through their heads. 

However, beware of over swaddling.  Over heating has been suggested as a factor in death from SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome). For more risk factors of SIDS please visit our post about SIDS . If your partner insists on keeping the house the temperature of a sauna and you are sweltering all year, then dress your baby in a simple onesie. Just as infants have difficulty regulating body temperature in the cold, they also have difficulty regulating their temperature in heat. In general, if you are cold, your baby feels colder. If you are warm, your baby feels warmer than you do.

Sleep always seems to bring out red cheeks and sweaty heads in toddlers. Are they too hot or cold? As you peek in on them after tucking them to bed, feel their hands and cheeks. Warm (but not flushed) cheeks mean they will be comfortable even if their hands are a bit cool.

For older kids, simply dress them the same way you dress yourself. Make sure areas prone to frost bite such as toes, ears and fingers stay warm. Do not re-warm nearly frostbitten  areas  by massaging. The rubbing action causes more injury. Instead, place the area in warm water. For more information on signs of frostbite and when to seek help, visit our post “Baby, it’s Cold Outside”.
  
How to decide your kids are too cold in Disney? They won't ask to go on Splash Mountain or eat ice cream.

Naline Lai, MD with Julie Kardos, MD
©2010 Two Peds in a Pod℠