Stuff rookie moms should know for the cold weather ahead

This jacket extender that can be worn over a pregnant belly, and later, over a baby in a front carrier is so clever.

It is essentially a pie-shaped piece of insulated weather-proof fabric with zippers on both sides.

A pregnant woman zips it with the wide part of the triangle at the bottom to make room for her belly. A babywearing person zips it with the wide part of the triangle at the top to make room for her baby’s head and body, now worn on her chest.

Bridge the Bump, from Toronto, CA, makes this product. When you buy it, you indicate the type of zipper your winter coat features, and your extension will come with adaptive zippers for both sides.

For stroller walks, I love the Bundle Me bags by JJ Cole. We had a sherpa-lined Bundle Me for the infant carseat. They come in escalating levels of warmth, up to “polar”. Lucky for me, we don’t need polar-level stroller insulation. It looks like this.

I got a sneak preview of the version that’s new for 2016, an adorable cable-knit sweater style (with a matching hat!), but didn’t get a picture of it. (See their Facebook post with a picture of it.)

I am also a fan of the skip*hop footmuff, which features this cool grey fabric. This one has an outer layer that snaps off (look closely at the picture), so it is good for very cold weather and can be toned down when it’s not quite so cold.

Don’t stay indoors, rookie moms. Going outside builds your confidence and combats the isolation that comes with a new baby. See our list of 52 things to do with your baby for more inspiration.

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Whitney

RookieMoms.com co-founder Whitney lives with her husband, son, and daughter in the San Francisco Bay Area where she writes about parenting, crafts, and activities that moms can do with babies in tow. She and Heather also publish 510Families.com, a site for East Bay parents.