Are you shopping for the coming baby and still wondering, do newborns need to wear hats?
We get it, shopping for a newborn can be challenging when you do not know what to buy.
The huge collection of baby rompers, towels, socks and diapers seems enough.
But is it really enough? Are there pieces of clothing that one should add to the list of shopping, like hats?
Given that your lovely baby undoubtedly looks absolutely precious wearing a hat. Many parents wonder if newborns even need them.
Before you start adding all the cute baby hats to your shopping list, here is everything you need to know about babies, hats, and whether you should let your newborn wear one.
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Do Newborns Need To Wear Hats?
Who doesn’t love baby hats? Like newborns, they are small, cute, and look adorable.
However, are they actually a necessary item for newborn babies? The short answer for this is no.
Until as recently as 2008, it was believed that human beings lost most of their heat through their heads.
That is why it was such a big deal that newborns had to wear hats to retain the familiar warmth in the womb.
However, this myth was debunked by a study available in the British Medical Journal.
Instead of using hats to regulate a newborn’s temperature, doctors started recommending skin-to-skin contact between the mother and the baby within minutes of giving birth.
Even when newborn babies are given hats at the hospital, this is not necessary.
The outside world may be colder than the inside the womb, but their body temperature will get back to normal the more they have skin-to-skin contact with you.
Due to this, the baby’s body temperature will regulate itself to match yours.
Another reason that some doctors discourage wearing hats for newborns is that it gets in the way of bonding between the mother and the baby.
Newborn babies have a particular smell that triggers a mothers’ bonding instinct, and a hat obscures that.
The scent causes a rush of oxytocin to flood your body, and this is how pleasurable feelings about your baby are born.
This scent also signals to the mother’s body that the birthing process is over for the placenta’s safe expelling from the body.
However, hats can be very helpful for keeping your newborn warm if skin contact is not possible, such as if your baby is sick or was born prematurely.
You need to consider that your newborn can overheat if they wear hats all the time, especially indoors.
Signs of overheating include your baby’s skin feeling feverish, vomiting, confusion, and a rapid heartbeat.
Ensure that they are not wearing hats inside and never let them sleep with one on.
Covering a baby’s head during sleep greatly increases the chances of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS).
Hats can also fall off your newborn’s head while they sleep and become a choking hazard.
However, when you’re outside, you can dress your newborn in a hat if it is cold and the temperature is less than 55 degrees Fahrenheit.
You can also use a light hat to protect them from the sun’s rays, but be sure to keep a lookout in case of overheating.
Newborns are very fragile, and you need to consider many things when it comes to caring for them.
When it comes to clothing choices, what’s necessary depends on many other external factors, like environment and temperature.
Hats may not seem like much of a big deal, but many parents still wonder do newborns need to wear hats.
No matter how cute your baby looks in one, make sure that you follow the hat-wearing tips for newborns so that your baby can stay healthy and safe.
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Nurse Practitioner at Venus Med Spa
