Baby Chat with Jane

Welcome to Baby Chat with Jane, a regular column discussing noteworthy, baby orientated baby topics. Jane McAllister, the founder and owner of Dimples is mother to fourteen children (read her story here) and has a wealth of experience and advice she is only too happy to share. In fact, she loves nothing more than to ‘Baby Chat’.

"I love talking ‘Babies’ and would enjoy hearing your experiences and welcome you questions or comments."
Jane Anne

Email your questions and comments to info@dimples.co.nz

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Car Travel with Baby

My baby dislikes travelling in the car. Do you have any tips on how to resolve this?
Katherine Munroe
Sydney

We have a number of ways to make the journey more comfortable and pleasurable for Baby in the car. One option is to ensure Baby’s arms and hands are secure in a SnuggleWrap – this is achieved by laying the wrap in the car seat at neck height with the wings extended through the car seat straps, place Baby into the car seat with arms through the straps, secure buckle and proceed to wrap SnuggleWrap wings around baby.

Alternatively you can tightly tuck in a Dimples Baby Wrap over Baby’s arms and legs and down into the side of the car seat. This makes them feel snug and secure. Dimples Baby wraps are made with a little elastane giving them just the right amount of stretch to be able to achieve this.

Older babies may prefer to be transported wearing their sleeping bag. The Dimples SleepSac is made in such a way that it accommodates car seat straps. This is handy for when Baby falls asleep and you need to transfer them to their cot.

Hope this helps
Jane

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How to Dress Baby for the Changing Seasons Spring to Summer

We are excited to welcome you to the first of our new columns; Baby Chat with Jane. Jane McAllister, the founder and owner of Dimples is mother to fourteen children (read her story here) and has a wealth of experience and advice she is only too happy to share. In fact, she loves nothing more than to ‘Baby Chat’.
 
In our first column we are discussing the topical subject, how to dress baby for the changing seasons spring to summer.
 
With spring we are still experiencing some cooler weather but with some sunny spells thrown in the mix. This time of year can be hard to determine just what to dress baby in.
 
The well known rule of thumb; to look at how many layers of clothing you are wearing and then add one still applies here. What you need to remember is to adjust the layers accordingly as you would your own.
 
It is quite common for people to ‘over dress’ baby in too many layers. This is where Dimples Merino Wool is helpful as the natural properties of the wool are temperature regulating ensuring Baby is at a comfortable temperature despite the weather conditions.
 
This time of year we recommend our Wool Cotton blends, which have the lightness of a cotton fabric but with a little extra warmth provided by Merino Wool. In this fabric we offer four ranges, Wool Cotton, Wool Cotton Trim, Wool Cotton Blend and Wool Cotton Blend Marl.
Included within these ranges are SleepSacs , Snuggle Wraps and conventional wraps all of which are particularly beneficial for ensuring Baby is at a comfortable temperature while sleeping.
 
On those warmer days moving into summer we recommend dressing Baby in 100% Cotton. Cotton is a natural fiber, therefore it naturally ventilates. It absorbs body moisture and evaporates it to the surrounding air, thus allowing Baby’s body its natural tendency to breathe - keeping Baby cool in summer and dry and warm in winter. So, not only are babies more comfortable in cotton, they are healthier wearing it!
 
When outside we suggest wearing a wide brimmed sunhat to ensure Baby’s delicate skin is shielded from harmful sun rays. For added protection our long sleeved cardigans or organic kimonos are ideal as they keep the sun off little arms whilst not overheating Baby.
 
For warmer nights we suggest 100% cotton blankets and wraps as they add a touch of warmth. Our 100% cotton Sleepsacs are ideal for summer as they keep Baby covered but not too hot. We like to dress our babies in a short-sleeved bodysuit or if the weather is a bit cooler, a cotton baby grow. If the temperature drops we often use a Merino Wool shawl as a blanket. This works very well as it can be tucked in as a single layer and can be easily doubled to give extra warmth if needed.
 
In summer months we recommend regularly monitoring Baby’s temperature by feeling down the back of their neck to check if they are hot and sticky and also to keep an eye out for heat rash which is another indicator your baby is too hot.
 
If you are dressing a newborn baby we definitely recommend Merino Wool.  What we consider to be the ideal newborn outfit would consist of a long sleeve merino wool bodysuit over which a 100% cotton gown or baby-grow is layered. On your newborn’s feet we suggest Merino Wool booties as a lot of body heat is lost through the feet.
 
Whether your baby is newborn or older, what you need to keep in mind when dressing Baby is to dress them in layers which can come on and off easily. Dimples garments are designed with this in mind – generous necks, easy dome fronts and fabrics which have a little ‘stretch-ability’ to make dressing stress free.
 
I love talking ‘Babies’ and would enjoy hearing your experiences and welcome you questions or comments.
 
Until next time
Jane

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