Hellobee

With what they’re calling “historic winter blizzard” Nemo set to hit the New England area today, we thought we’d share our winter gear necessities!

C H L O E  –  1 5  M O N T H S
P E N N S Y L V A N I A

Chloe was born at the end of October, and our first snowfall was when she was eight days old! We weren’t entirely prepared and I remember my husband running out to Kohl’s to buy some warmer, fleece clothing. She slept in a lightweight, shortsleeved onesie with a fleece sleeper over top. We never put blankets in the crib with her, although I did wrap blankets around her if she was in the Rock n Play or in my arms. We also had several fleece snowsuits that got us through the even colder months. We had lots and lots of hats, too!

We had a carseat cover like this that we used all through winter and early spring. It was an absolute necessity for us!

This year, we have a warm winter coat, gloves, hats and fuzzy boots (I admit, I’m a sucker for baby Uggs). We will be adding a jumpsuit and waterproof boots to the list soon, so she can warmly play outside this winter!

L I T T L E  Y – 1 7  M O N T H S
T E N N E S S E E

I’m finding our winter essentials to be a humidifier and lotion to keep Little Y’s eczema under control. The air in the house gets soooo dry with the heat on!

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J A C K  J A C K  –  9  M O N T H S
U T A H

Beyond clothes, we have a Weleda Baby Weather Protection Cream that is AMAZING. It’s worked really well to prevent windburn and chafing from clothes around the face.

C H AR L I E  –  3  Y E A R S  ,  2  M O N T H S
O L I V E  –  1 6  M O N T H S
N E W  Y O R K

It’s been a cold winter here in New York! In addition to the winter gear guide listed here (and we use all of those things except for the baby bunting), my winter essentials are:

– Boogie Wipes, eucalyptus oil, Vicks Baby Rub, and the Nose Frida. Though these are cold essentials, my kids are always getting each other sick throughout the winter!
– Uggs for mama –  With all the layers we have to put on the kids and ourselves, I have no time to bother with socks. Uggs are comfy, warm and help me get out the door quickly.
– Aquaphor – For everything from protecting chapped faces to lip balm, diaper cream, hand cream, etc.
– For Charlie – snood scarves so they stay put and waterproof gloves to play in the snow. We’ve been doing a lot of playing in the snow this year!
– For Olive – scarf and a snowsuit. Since she’s not walking, we just stick her in this snowsuit and she’s nice and toasty and good to crawl around on the playground. It comes with a hood and has the option to cover her hands and feet!

J A M E S  –  4  ,  J  O E  &  N  I C K  –  3  ,  L I L L Y   –  1 5  M O N  T H S
C A L I F O R N I A

I think in California there isn’t much to winter. I had to buy some closed toed shoes and some sweatshirts. Oh we do have rain gear. Each kid has a slicker and some boots. I use Aveeno baby lotion for chapped skin.

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C A L I F O R N I A

I’d agree, it’s tough for a California mama to come up with enough for a guide!

For our girl I have : Fleece pajamas for those chilly California nights (we actually did have one night when the temperature dipped into the high 20s and I didn’t know what to do with myself).

Humidifier – Since we’re always running the heater, this helps keep some moisture in her room.

A winter beanie, boots, and Aquaphor is a must!

N O E L L E  –  2  Y E A R S
C A L I F O R N I A

1) Fleece footie pajamas – Her blanket never stays put in the middle of the night, so this gives us peace of mind that she’s warm and cozy with or without a blanket!

2) EMU walkerville shoes  – I picked this up for a great price on Babysteals and she’s been wearing it all winter long! It’s so easy to put on, stays put, and is lined with good quality fleece. Easily our best winter purchase of the year.

3) Sleeveless puffer vests – She had a couple of these that we rotated all winter long. It was perfect for layering and kept her core nice and warm without restricting her limbs.

4) Coconut Oil – This has kept her dry skin sooo soft and hydrated all winter long and doubles as a rash cream. It’s as natural as it gets too.

5) Humidifier – This is a must, especially with all the colds we’ve been having!

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M I N N E S O T A

Fleece one-piece bunting: since snowsuits are a no-no for the car, we have been using a fleece suit instead. I love it because it’s warm, it has a hood and the option to cover or uncover hands and feet. It’s from Lands End, but was actually a hand-me-down from a friend. Columbia has a nice collection of fleece suits.

Rugged bear fur-lined moccasins: they are warm and really easy to get on. With a functional tie, they stay on too! I found mine on Zulily but can’t seem to find them anywhere else. I almost bought the Minnetonka infant mocs, so they’d be a great alternative.

Baby Legs: I put them on under his pants, especially if we’re going out for walks, because his pant legs always ride up exposing his bare legs. The baby legs give an extra layer of warmth while protecting his skin from the cold.

Baby blankets: Even though he’s 11 months old, we are using the bucket seat more and more just because I don’t want to subject him to waiting in the cold to get in/out of the car seat – so blankets while going to/from the car are important as well as covering him up while we wait for the car to warm up. We use three blankets we love: a DIY minky blanket I made, a soft plush blanket from Skip Hop or the beautiful organic cotton toddler-size blanket from Little Hip Squeaks via Etsy.

L I L’  C B  – 3  Y E A R S ,  3  M O N T H S
M E T R O  D C

– Fleece footie pajamas! At almost 3.5 years-old, Llil’ CB still won’t keep a blanket on while he sleeps. He loves wearing “footie jammas” and at first, I thought they’d be trouble with being potty-trained, but it hasn’t been an issue. He just unzips, keeps the arms and legs in, stands and…goes.

–Toddler Gloves. Last year, Lil’ CB was so frustrated with mittens and wouldn’t keep them on. These gloves are a tad big (they fit 2T-5T), but they do their job!

-Warm, easily wipeable and washable jacket. My mom got Lil’ CB this jacket last year and he’s been wearing it for the last two winters. It is warm, reversible, washable, and it’s easy to wipe off all the gunk he gets on it (especially after he rubs against a dirty winter car!).

W E E  S T R O L L E R  –  1 2  M O N T H S
V I R G I N I A

Little M was born in December and we live in Virginia where the winters are fairly mild, but still cool enough to need winter gear. Plus, we keep our house very cool. Some of our much-used gear includes:

1. Bravado nursing tanks for mom – it is far more comfortable to nurse him when I don’t have to expose bare skin to the cold!

2. Fuzzy Merrel slip-on shoes for mom – so much easier to slip on shoes to take the dog for a quick walk than to try to bend over to tie boots with a baby in the Ergo/carrier.

3. Warm blankets – I made Little M a few blankets before he was born. They were great for wrapping around him in his infant car seat since you can’t use bulky layers in a car seat. Now we keep one in the car and I put it across his legs when I strap him in, and he sleeps with another at night. I made far more than I needed — two seemed to be plenty.

4. Long sleeve onesies – we layer long sleeve onesies under everything.

5. Fleece PJs & fleece sleepsack / fleece swaddlers – Little M sleeps in fleece PJs layered over a long sleeve onesie with a fleece sleepsack on top. When he was new we used the A+A swaddle and then put a fleece swaddle on top for an extra layer of warmth. We only had him in a onesie to make night time changes easier

6. Ergo carrier (or the Beco Gemini, which friends RAVE about) – When the sidewalks are covered with salt and sand, I like to pop Little M in the carrier when we take the dog out for a walk. Plus, our body heat keeps us both warm!

7. Zutano “ears” hats – Little M slept with this hat on for his entire first winter. I have several now because they’re just so cute.

8. California Baby sensitive skin baby wash – we do baths nightly as part of our bedtime routine and this wash doesn’t dry out Little M’s sensitive skin.

9. Thin, but warm winter jacket – we didn’t use a jacket during his first year, but we’re using one this year. I like that this one has a hood, which he can’t easily rip off and that it’s thin enough that the car seat straps can tighten down all the way.

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N E W   Y O R K

For mama, I’m addicted to these Keen slip-on shoes. They’re warm and waterproof and amazingly comfortable. I’ve worn them every single day since having the baby because I can put them on while holding the baby.

For baby I really love our Jolly Jumper carseat cover. It’s safe because it doesn’t go IN the car seat, but it keeps the baby sooo snuggly. I might not get black next time as it’s a magnet for dog hair and the salt from the car shows up easily if I accidentally rub the seat against it.

B A B Y  S C R I B B L E  –  5  M O N T H S
G E O R G I A

Robeez are the best. I know they are quite expensive (mine were a gift!) but maybe there are some “inspired by Robeez” that are less costly? Anyway, most booties and socks fall off, so he wears his for every outing. Just enough structure to be warm, but not enough to affect his feet! And since they are soft they expand as he grows.

O W E N – 2  Y E A R S  , 3  M O N T H S
E L O I S E  –  1  M O N T H
P E N N S Y L V A N I A

Slippers for the little ones: We’re a no-shoe house, so I like to change Owen into house slippers when he gets home. I like the LL Bean animal ones (he had the bear ones last year and the moose ones this year).

Saline: This goes along with Mrs. Bee’s cold supplies list. I find the saline spray to be really helpful in helping to unclog little noses.

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What are your winter gear necessities for mom and baby?