elizabethadventuresblogHiking with your baby is such a beautiful experience but winter hiking can bring its own challenges and concerns. Although baby won’t remember all the outings you take together, you will. You’re creating important stepping stones in their life by exposing them to the outdoors and hopefully bonding by sharing something you love with them.
Knowing how to dress your baby for the elements in winter is so important not only to keep them happy and comfortable, but also making sure they are safe. Below is share all the important layers to have your baby wear to make sure they are warm enough on trail for winter hiking.
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Layers Are Key To a Warm Baby While Winter Hiking
Just like you will be wearing layers in winter, it’s important to have plenty of layers for your baby, especially because they won’t be moving and creating body heat like you are while hiking. Below are the layers we use on our winter adventures as well as a few extra accessories I pack and use as needed to make sure my son is always warm.
Base Layers
Base layers are such an important part of making sure your baby stays warm in winter. It’s important to be aware of the type of fabric they are wearing as well. Cotton does not dry quickly so if they get wet from the elements or a diaper leak, it’ll be difficult for their clothes to dry quickly. Stick to synthetic materials or better yet, wool if you can.
We have multiple wool sets from Iksplor that we love and they have kept my son warm through all seasons. Plus he wears them as his hiking clothes when it’s cool but not cold enough to need extra layers. You can shop our set, here, and use elizabethadventures for an additional 10% off regular and sale prices.
Mid Layer
For a mid layer we use fleece clothing most of the time as it’s quite warm on trail, perfect for winter hiking. I use a pant and top fleece set over my son’s base layers, like this one. I love that it’s a two piece like the base layers so I can easily change his diaper when needed.
We also use fleece jackets for when he really just needs a jacket on and not necessarily extra pants as well. I used this Columbia Sportswear fleece, which comes in a wide range of sizes and colors!
Another mid layer my son wore was his REI Infant 650 Down Coat. I loved this coat because it was warm enough to wear on cold days but not overly warm that he couldn’t still pair it with other layers.
Recap of my favorite products:
Outer Weatherproof Layer
This outer weatherproof layer is important at helping to keep your baby warm and dry in the crazy elements that come with winter hiking. My go-to layer for my son when it’s very cold is his Patagonia Hi Loft Down Sweater Bunting. It is water resistant, but not waterproof, which was fine for us since babies are mostly carried. He was never on the ground long enough for it to get wet enough to soak through.
If you’re looking for a more cost-friendly down bunting, Columbia Sportwear Infant Snuggly Bunny Bunting is a great option. It is similar to the Patagonia bunting with folds over hands and feet.
I also used this waterproofing wash to add an extra layer. A down bunting is perfect because they are extremely warm, have some waterproof ability and if it’s like ours, the hands and feet have the option for fold over.
If you’re looking for a completely waterproof layer, we use this Jan & Jul rain suit over whatever layers are needed for the day. A rain suit is better than a rain set because babies and toddlers love to roll around and really get wet. A rain suit doesn’t have that mid-section opening where water can get in. The downside to a rain suit is they are mostly sized for older infants and toddlers. This is why I invested in a high quality down bunting and added some waterproofing.
Recap of my favorite products:
Patagonia Hi Loft Down Sweater Bunting
Columbia Sportwear Infant Snuggly Bunny Bunting
Extremities
Gloves are so important for keeping your baby’s hands warm in the winter hiking months. I had two sets of gloves that I used, a lighter weight fleece pair and a weatherproof down pair. I used these fleece mittens all the time and loved the string to make sure we didn’t lose a pair if they fell off. For warmer gloves, I used the Columbia Chippewa II Mitten, which are more of a down glove. They don’t come with a string attached, but you can use these mitten strings to keep them secure.
A beanie is so important at helping keep your baby warm while winter hiking. So much heat leaves through our heads, so keeping their head warm will help hold in their heat. Any beanie you have will do just fine! This is a great set of beanies and if you want something warmer, these fleece lined beanies are great.
Next up are those little toes. Keeping your baby’s feet warm is really as important as they are farthest from their warm core. I always have my son wear a pair of wool socks, sometimes two if it’s really cold. If it isn’t overly cold or wet out, these fleece booties are the perfect next layer for cover their feet. They snap on rather than Velcro so they stay put so much better. If it was very cold out or wet, a down bootie is my go-to for keeping those little toes warm.
Recap of my favorite products:
Thing to Bring For Added Warmth While Winter Hiking
Hand warmers are a must have when winter hiking not only for adults, but especially for babies. They are such a quick way to get heat to any part of their body should they need it. I have had to put them in my son’s gloves and booties at times and they truly make a world of difference when needed.
Depending on the carrier you are using (learn more about the best carriers for hiking, here) a good carrier cover can make a big difference in keeping baby warm. I use an Ergobaby soft carrier which has both a clip-on rain cover and fleece lined covers you can purchase. Be sure to check out my guide “The Best Baby Carriers for Hiking,” to learn more. When I use my Osprey backpack carrier, I have this rain cover to help block the wind and keep my son dry.
Dressing Your Baby for Winter Hiking Reminders
- It’s always better to overpack layers than not have enough. Baby clothes are so small and lightweight it’s easy to pack all the layers above so you don’t have to worry about them being too hot or too cold on trail.
- Start with short trails close to home until you feel comfortable. My son was maybe 2 months old the first time I took him snowshoeing and I was definitely nervous and prepared to turn around early if we needed to. We did a lot of short hikes in town and close to home prior so I had a good idea on how to keep him comfortable prior.
- Dress your baby how you would dress to feel warm if you went outside and didn’t move around. You will create heat for yourself by hiking, but they won’t. If they are in a front carrier they may get some added body heat from you, but otherwise they are not creating any extra heat.
- Know what to look out for safety-wise when hiking in the winter months. Check out my guide “How to Be Safe Winter Hiking With Your Baby” before you go so you know what to look out for and how to keep your baby safe.
I hope this guide helps you with your winter adventures with your little baby. If you have any further questions or want to share your experience after, please leave a comment below!
Happy Hiking,
Elizabeth
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