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Most newborns don't need a snowsuit. A newborn spends almost every winter outing in a car seat, a stroller or a carrier, and each of those has a better option than a one-piece snowsuit. In the car seat, use normal clothes with a blanket or cover on top. In the stroller, use a bassinet or a cover that zips around them. In a carrier, your body heat and a carrier cover do most of the work.
A bunting bag can be handy in the stroller, but it should never go under a car seat harness.
Quick answer by situation
| Where your baby is | What works | Skip |
|---|---|---|
| Infant car seat | Normal clothes and a thin fleece, harness snug, then a blanket or a cover made for your seat | Snowsuits, bunting bags and padded inserts under the harness |
| Stroller bassinet or lie-flat seat | Warm one-piece, hat, the bassinet's own cover, a rain cover when it's wet | Loose blankets near the face |
| Carrier | Normal clothes, hat, booties and a carrier cover | A puffy snowsuit, which makes the fit loose, or your coat zipped over your baby |
| Out of the stroller a lot (older baby) | A snowsuit starts to make sense, usually from 6 to 12 months | Newborn-size snowsuits that fit for a few weeks |
In the car seat: thin layers, warmth on top
This is the one rule that doesn't bend. Puffy layers under a harness squash down in a crash, which leaves the straps too loose to hold your baby. Transport Canada's advice is to buckle your child in without the bulky layer, then add warmth over the top.
- Dress your baby in their usual clothes plus a thin fleece layer and a hat.
- Buckle in and tighten the harness. You shouldn't be able to pinch any slack in the strap at the collarbone.
- Tuck a blanket over the harness, or use a cover that goes over the seat.
- Warm up the car before you head out, and take the blanket off if your baby starts to feel sweaty.
About bunting bags and seat covers: anything that goes behind your baby or between them and the harness can change how the harness fits. Transport Canada warns that padded bags and inserts can re-route the harness or add slack, and that products not made by your car seat's manufacturer aren't covered by Canadian car seat standards. If you want a cover, choose one made by your seat's manufacturer for your seat. The Peg Perego Igloo Car Seat Cover, for example, is made for Peg Perego Primo Viaggio infant seats.
For more on winter car rides, see our guide to winter car seat safety.
In the stroller: the bassinet does the heavy lifting
For a newborn, a stroller bassinet is the warmest way to walk in winter. It's enclosed on the sides, it has its own cover, and your baby lies flat out of the wind.
- Dress: a bodysuit, a sleeper and a warm one-piece in fleece or wool, plus a hat. That's usually one more layer than you're wearing, which is the Canadian Paediatric Society's rule of thumb.
- Cover: zip up the bassinet's own apron or cover. If you add a blanket, keep it tucked low and well away from your baby's face.
- Wet days: in Vancouver, a rain cover keeps everything underneath dry. Damp layers lose their warmth quickly.
About footmuffs: a footmuff zips around your child in the stroller seat. Many are sized for older babies. The Cybex Platinum Footmuff, for example, is rated from 6 months to about 3 years. Check the age rating before you buy one for a newborn. If you plan to use the stroller seat from birth, look for a footmuff that the maker says works from birth with your stroller.
About bunting bags: a bunting bag is a zip-up sack with arms and a hood. It works in a stroller bassinet or lie-flat seat, as long as the stroller harness still goes through it properly. It's not for the car seat.
Our guide on dressing a baby for a winter stroller walk has layer suggestions for Vancouver rain and Ottawa cold.
In a carrier: share your warmth
A newborn in a carrier is already warm against your body, so they need fewer layers than in a stroller. Dress them in normal clothes, a hat and booties, then add a cover that attaches to the carrier. Don't zip your coat over your baby. Health Canada warns that a coat done up over a baby in a carrier can lead to overheating and suffocation, and that includes coat extenders and coats sold for babywearing. Wear your coat open or under the carrier instead.
The BabyBjörn Cover for Baby Carrier fits all BabyBjörn carriers and adjusts from newborn to about 2 years. It's windproof and water-resistant, but not waterproof. With any cover, keep your baby's face visible and their nose and mouth clear.
A puffy snowsuit is a poor fit in a carrier. It pushes your baby away from you and makes it harder to get a snug fit.
When a snowsuit is worth it
A snowsuit earns its price once your baby is in and out of the stroller a lot: playing in the snow, being carried between the car and the house without a car seat, or sitting up at the park. For most families that's somewhere between 6 and 12 months.
For a newborn, a snowsuit mostly gets in the way. It has to come off for every car ride and most feeds and diaper changes, and newborn sizes are outgrown within weeks.
Two habits that help all winter
- Check often for overheating. If your baby is sweaty or flushed, take a layer off, especially once you're indoors.
- Move sleeping babies when you get home. Babies often fall asleep on a cold walk or drive. Health Canada advises moving them to a crib or bassinet when you arrive, rather than leaving them asleep in the car seat or stroller.
Not sure what fits your stroller or car seat? Bring the model to our Richmond, Burnaby or Ottawa store and we'll help you work out what's compatible. Call ahead and we'll let you know what we have on hand that day. You can also browse stroller accessories.
Car seat section reviewed by Neo W., BCAA-certified Child Passenger Safety Educator at baby enRoute.
