What I Learned About Winterizing a Baby in New York City
It's not as simple as you might think
New York Dearest is a weekly newsletter about daily life in New York City. This is just for fun, I’m trying not to overthink it, hope you enjoy!
Two weeks ago, we flew to the West Coast to visit family for the holidays, and it hit me just how wildly different baby essentials are depending on where you live. In the suburbs, a car seat is a necessity. Getting baby from Point A to Point looks something like this: house to toasty car, car to locale.
But city life? Whole different ball game. Caroline, at four months old, had only been in a car seat three times before the trip: on the way home from the hospital (in a taxi, she’s a city gal through and through!), for a day trip to the apple orchard, and the Uber ride to the airport.
That’s it. Most of the winter gear I packed for our trip sat idle until we got back to NYC.
Turns out winterizing a baby in New York City is a whole different animal. Gone are the days of slipping out the door in five minutes flat. Now, bundling up my baby feels like a part time job!
The Biggest Challenge (in my opinion):
The biggest challenge for me was figuring out how to properly dress Little C for the temperature roulette that awaits every time we leave the apartment. NYC winters are brutal, but it’s not just the cold—it’s the constant shuffle between freezing sidewalks, overheated subway cars, frosty streets, and overly warm cafés. The stakes are high because, let’s face it, no one wants to roast the baby.
Quick word before we dive in: I am floored by the high cost of baby gear. Like what! Most of the outfits I buy for C are like 30 inches long (at most). To offset the mind-boggling prices, I only purchase 1-2 high quality items per category (base layers, pjs, jackets, etc.) and plan to leave them behind in my will (joking?). I’m mentioning this just in case you’re wondering why the prices are so dang high (same!)
The Solution (my current winter setup + photos)
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