7 things all parents of winter babies know to be true
Wait, I have to dress my baby in five layers and then stand in a cold, wet playground? Winter!
If you’re the parent of a bub born in winter, you’ll know all these feels! Here are seven things all parents of winter babies know to be true:
1. Night feeds are longer, darker and colder
When you’re pregnant in winter, you know you’re in for a long spate of cold night feeds. So you buy the nice expensive feeding chair – but what you should really be buying is one of those cheap, fluffy, polyester bathrobes. They’re not sexy, but they will warm your heart when you’re hunched over your newborn at 2am and the winter night is blowing through the cracks under the door. This bathrobe will be your friend two, three times a night, and your baby will look impossibly cosy snuggled up inside it with you.
2. Wet slides are no fun
There are ways around a wet swing, or a sodden roundabout. But rain-soaked slides are kind of sad, because no one ever has the foresight to bring a towel to the playground. Instead, you have to wait for one poor kid to go down that slide and clear the way for everyone else. Hopefully your child will only do this once and know better for next time.
3. Birthday parties are loud
The truth is, you always have to hold winter birthday parties inside. As nice and sunny as the park looks in the morning, there’s always the chance of winter rain, and nothing ruins a birthday party like winter rain. This is okay though. With a winter baby, you become very well acquainted with all those indoor play centre party plans (hint: they’re always the best parties anyway). Just be prepared for things to get LOUD.
4. Clothes are trickier
Tiny size-zero puffer jackets and gold metallic ankle boots look great. But it’s a whole other thing wrestling them onto babies and toddlers. Winter-baby-dressing takes exactly five times longer than any other season. There are singlets to consider, and tights, and those super cute socks that always go missing after a day. Once the work is done however, it’s always worth it. Nothing cuter than an Instagram post of a baby in a beanie.
5. Toilet training can wait
There’s a reason why everyone starts the potty training in summer. It’s just easier. In winter, there are far too many layers to get through in that two seconds before the toddler pees himself. So, best to save this piece of work for the warmer months, when you can handle accidents on the grass, not the couch. Until then, we relax with the pull-ups.
If you are keen to forge ahead with toilet training in winter time though, here are some great tips to get the job done.
6. Exercise is challenging
Even if you’re feeling ready to start doing some post-baby exercise, it can be tough to motivate yourself on a dark winter day. And despite all those promises you made to push the pram through the cold, wet park tomorrow, Netflix gets the better of all of us. Thankfully, lots of gyms now have excellent creches – so even if it’s hailing outside, there is the promise of one blissful hour to yourself in the gym.
7. Where is everyone?
If you find yourself standing in yet another empty winter playground with your baby, you’re not alone. Even though you are alone. It’s just that time of year, when parents hibernate and kids go crazy indoors and families dash off to Noosa for two weeks. When the jasmine starts to bloom, everyone will be hitting the slides again.
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