Obviously babies are born during every season of life. Every single day. But I do believe that babies born in different seasons, do require some special gifts, depending on their expected due date. Here, I will cover some of the best gifts for babies that are due to be born during the coldest part of the year, so anywhere between December and February. I know that in different parts of the country and even the world, temperatures differ.. but I am mainly focusing on the Northwest part of the United States…. since that’s where I live and am most familiar with.
1. SnowSuit
I think everyone is pretty much familiar with the baby snowsuit. It’s basically a must have if someone is going to be having a baby in the winter. Or actually, depending on the thickness of it, one could actually start using a snowsuit probably from the end of September to the end of March or so depending on the temperature of where they are located. The snowsuit is awesome. You basically put the baby in there, and can be pretty certain that the infant will stay very very warm. There are SO many different kinds of snowsuits to choose from, that there’s almost no end to what you will find. I’m pretty simple, so I just go with the basic kind. I do prefer mine to be cotton, at least on the inside. Cotton is just a nice, soft, fluffy natural fiber. I prefer it to all synthetic fibers. Especially when the material will be coming in contact with a new baby… I prefer the outside of the snowsuit to also be a nice, soft material. Something that will be pleasant to touch… not too rough or firm. I mean, the baby will be carried around in this snowsuit, so it just makes it nicer if the material isn’t irritating.
2. Car Seat Cover
Although I prefer the snowsuit to protect my babies from the cold during winter months, I know a lot of mothers who choose the car seat canopy instead. Basically, the car seat canopy is like a blanket that lines the car seat, but then it also covers the baby from head to toe. Some come with a cute little “window” opening for the face or you can just unzip it and lower it if you want the baby to not be fully concealed. The great part about the car seat cover is that you don’t have to dress the baby too warm. You pretty much keep them dressed comfortably for room temperature and the cover acts as a very warm blanket/protector from the cold. The car seat covers are typically made of sturdy weather-resistant material on the outside while the inside is lined with soft fleece.
3. Blankets
Baby blankets are SO adorable!! Now a days, there are like a million different designs to choose from. One can go crazy choosing blankets. Lol. Don’t go overboard, but I do believe a newborn baby should have more than just one blanket. I think 3 seems like a great number to me… 1 for everyday use at home, 1 for use out of the home, and 1 in case 1 of the others gets dirty… you have a stand by until you get around to doing laundry. Maybe you don’t need 3. But how can you resist such cute, useful items!?
4. Hats
Hats are always useful! Especially when its freezing cold outside! Parents want to make sure to always have the babies head nice and warm.. but not too hot… Babies heads get cold as they loose heat from their head very easily especially when out and about. I think simple cotton hats are great to have for the baby at home if you don’t want to have your thermometer set up too high. A few thicker hats are great for going out… A mom won’t always get around to buying fancy hats, but I think she’d definitely appreciate getting some as gifts.
5. Sleep Vests or Sacks
I think we’ve all heard plenty of times never to have any blankets or anything like that lying around the baby’s crib due to the many dangers it can cause. So how do you keep the baby warm without overheating the house and yourself? Sleep vests or sacks! Yep! I believe moms appreciate receiving these as gifts at their baby shower… but not too many lol… The sleep sacks are great. You just dress the baby to a nice comfy room temperature and then put the sack on. It’s like a blanket that is “attached” to them and thus should not pose any kind of risk.
6. Swaddle Blankets
This is of course optional and depends on whether the baby will like to be swaddled or not. There are many different types of swaddle blankets including lightweight, organic, cotton and knitted. I think the new mom might enjoy trying some of these out and seeing whether or not her baby will like to be swaddled. This can also be used instead of a sleep sack since it’s like actually having a blanket wrapped snugly around the baby.
7. Socks and Mittens
I think this is kind of a no brainer, but some people simply don’t realize that the baby might need socks & mittens. Some 1st time moms might not know that the little thin mittens are great for every day use to protect the baby from scratching itself while waving its hands uncontrollably. I know now a days there are plenty of little onesies or outfits with the little mittens attached, but its great to have a few loose pair of mittens for those occasions when the outfit does not come with the attached mittens.
8. Onesies
I know that during the warmer months, most parents tend to have their baby comfortably hanging around the house in a simple onesie. But I don’t think many people realize that onesies are so awesome during the cold months! Whenever I had babies in the winter, I always, always, always made sure they had a nice comfy onesie underneath whatever cute outfit they were wearing. No one saw the onesie, but it was always there protecting them from an unexpected chill. It always made me feel like my babies were just that much warmer because they had a nice cotton onesie on.
9. Outfits
No matter what season the baby will be born in, it needs clothes. It’s just that during the cold months, long sleeved outfits are much more preferred to short sleeved. It might sound dumb to actually point out the short vs long sleeve issue… but trust me. I’ve gotten several adorable outfits that my baby has not worn solely for the fact of the short sleeve. In the winter, I like to keep babies nice & warm… including their little arms… thus long sleeved outfits are great gifts for babies due in the cold season.
10. Essential Oils
I know. This is a weird one. It took me several years into becoming a mother to find out the wonderful benefits of having essential oils around the house… especially during the winter months. I learned that Lavender essential oil is amazing at helping the baby relax and helps them have a more restful night…I basically just put a few drops into their bath water… mmm. The smell is amazing! I also like to have Eucalyptus Oil on hand…during the winter, when people are sick, I also put some into the bath water or into the humidifier and it really helps everyone feel better. I think this would be a really cute, handy baby shower gift to get!
