Seasons
How to dress a baby for winter in Pakistan
Layering a baby for Pakistan’s winter: what to wear indoors, outside and at night, the right room temperature, and how to tell if they are too hot or cold.
The short answer
Dress your baby in thin layers you can add and take off, with about one more layer than you are wearing. Take hats and outdoor layers off as soon as you come indoors, and judge their temperature by feeling their chest or the back of their neck, not their hands or feet.
This follows guidance from the NHS and the Lullaby Trust, a UK safer-sleep charity.
Indoors, during the day
- First layer: a bodysuit with poppers.
- Second layer: a knit set (a top with joggers) or a warm sleepsuit.
- Third layer, if the room is cold: a cardigan or sweater you can take off when it warms up.
- Feet: socks or booties, or a footed sleepsuit.
- No hat indoors. The NHS and the Lullaby Trust both advise taking hats off inside.
Going out in the cold
- Add a hooded jumpsuit, sherpa suit or snowsuit over their indoor layers, with a wool or cotton hat and mittens.
- Take the outer layer and hat off as soon as you are inside a warm house, car, bus or rickshaw, even if it wakes them. This is NHS advice.
At night
- Keep the room at about 16 to 20°C if you can, the range the NHS and the Lullaby Trust recommend. A room thermometer helps.
- Dress them in a warm sleepsuit, and use lightweight blankets or a baby sleeping bag rather than a heavy quilt or razai.
- No hat for sleep.
- Never let a baby sleep next to a heater or fire, or with a hot water bottle or electric blanket (NHS).
- If you use a gas heater, don’t leave it burning in a closed room overnight: gas heaters can build up carbon monoxide. Warm the room before bed, then add a layer instead.
Too hot or too cold?
Feel their chest or the back of their neck. Hands and feet are usually cooler, and that is normal. If their skin is hot or sweaty, take a layer off; if their chest feels cool, add one.
Winter differs across Pakistan
Lahore, Islamabad and Peshawar have cold nights from December to February, Quetta and the northern areas are colder still, and Karachi stays mild, often needing only a cardigan in the evening. Dress for the room they are in, not the calendar.
What to look for in winter baby clothes
- Knit sets in waffle, ribbed or cable knit for daytime layers.
- Footed sleepsuits for nights.
- Hooded jumpsuits in sherpa or fleece for going out.
- Ribbed cuffs, so sleeves and legs stay down when they wriggle.
- The fabric on the label: the NHS suggests wool or cotton rather than nylon for layers like cardigans.
Sources
NHS, “Sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS)”, reviewed 25 November 2025; NHS Best Start in Life, “How to dress a newborn baby” and “What to buy for your newborn baby”; The Lullaby Trust, “Room temperature”.
Quick answers
How many layers should a baby wear in winter?
As a rule of thumb, one more layer than you are wearing, in thin layers you can take off. Feel their chest or the back of their neck to judge.
Should my baby wear a hat indoors in winter?
No. The NHS and the Lullaby Trust advise taking hats off indoors and not using one for sleep, to avoid overheating.
What room temperature is best for a sleeping baby?
About 16 to 20°C, according to the NHS and the Lullaby Trust. If the room is colder, add a layer of clothing rather than a heavy quilt.
Is it safe to leave a heater on in the baby’s room?
Keep a sleeping baby away from any heater or fire, and don’t leave a gas heater burning in a closed room overnight. Warm the room before bed if you need to, then add a layer instead.