Winter Days Out With a Baby: What to Pack and What to Leave in the Car
*This is a collaborative guest post
A changing-bag list for cold, muddy, long days out.
There is a moment on every winter day out with a baby when you realise you have either packed far too much or forgotten the one thing you need. For me it was usually both at once: a changing bag so heavy it made my shoulder ache, and no spare socks.
Winter days out are still worth it, though. Fresh air, a change of scenery and a warm drink in a garden centre café can rescue an otherwise long week. The trick is packing well, and using the car as a second store cupboard so you are not carrying everything on your back.
Here is the list I have settled on after a few winters of trial and error.
In the changing bag
This is what goes everywhere with you, from the car park to the café to the woodland walk.
For changes
- Nappies, one more than you think you need
- Wipes and a small changing mat
- Nappy bags for anything wet or worse
For warmth
- A hat that covers the ears
- Mittens, ideally attached to the coat so they cannot escape
- Spare socks, because somehow they always come off
For feeding
- Whatever your baby feeds with, plus a muslin
- Snacks for older babies, in a pot that does not leak
For you
- A flask of something hot
- Hand sanitiser, because the café sink is never as close as you would like
In the car
This is the stuff you do not need to carry, but will be very glad of when you get back to the car cold and slightly muddy.
A full spare outfit. Winter outings come with puddles, leaks and the occasional dropped hot chocolate. Keep a complete change in the boot, including a vest, a spare pair of babygrows and a warm top. Babygrows with a zip are the easiest to change in the back seat of a car, especially with cold fingers. Brands such as Love to Dream make zip-up babygrows for exactly this reason.
A spare outfit for you. It feels excessive until the day you need it.
A towel. For wet babies, wet dogs and wet seats.
Extra layers. A thick cardigan, a fleece and a spare blanket for the pram, so you can adjust if the weather turns.
A bag for wet things. Muddy wellies and soggy clothes can go in here on the way home.
Feeding when it is cold
Feeding out and about in winter takes a little more thought than in summer, mainly because nobody wants to unzip a coat in a freezing car park. A few things that have helped me:
- Plan feeds around the café stop. If your baby feeds roughly every few hours, time the warm drink and the feed together, so you are both somewhere warm.
- Wear layers you can open easily. A cardigan over a vest top is much easier than a jumper you have to pull off.
- Keep a muslin handy. It doubles as a cover, a bib and an emergency mop.
If your baby is having formula, a flask of freshly boiled water and pre-measured powder in a dispenser is easier than carrying made-up bottles. Follow the guidance on your formula for making up feeds safely.
Dressing your baby for a cold day out
Dressing a baby for winter is mostly about layers. Several thinner layers trap warmth better than one thick one, and they are easier to adjust when you go from a frosty walk into a warm café.
A simple formula that works for most cold days:
- A vest or bodysuit as a base layer
- A babygrow or soft outfit on top
- A warm outer layer, such as a pramsuit or snowsuit, for outside
A word on car seats: bulky coats and snowsuits should come off before your baby goes into a car seat, as they can stop the straps sitting snugly. Pop the coat on top of the harness once they are buckled in, or use a blanket over the top.
When you head inside, take a layer off. Babies can overheat quickly in warm cafés and shops, so check the back of their neck and remove a layer if they feel hot.
Ideas for winter days out
Some of my favourite winter outings with a baby are the simplest ones:
- Garden centres, for the café, the Christmas displays and the warmth
- Woodland walks with a carrier or an all-terrain pram, for fresh air and very few other people
- National Trust properties, many of which have winter light trails and baby-friendly cafés
- Farm parks, which are often quieter out of season
- Libraries and museums for the days the weather wins
Keep it short, keep it simple
The biggest lesson I have learned is not to over-plan. Babies have their own timetable, and winter days are short. Two or three hours out, a warm drink and back home before the light goes is a perfectly good day out.
With a well-packed changing bag and a car boot stocked with spares, you can relax and enjoy it, knowing that whatever happens, you have probably got it covered.
