Dressing 1YR-old for Bay Area winter

Light rain jacket and some rain boots will be fine! He will only be just walking this winter so you could even skip the rain boots, since they will be outgrown in a second. Just have a dry pair of shoes in your bag. No winter boots or snowsuits needed for the Bay Area. Remember, babies can't sweat to cool down so err on the side of bringing an extra layer or two to put on if they seem cold, versus starting off in ALL the layers.

One thing to add: my husband takes him out at around 7 am in the morning to walk the dog. On winter mornings I need a winter coat and boots, otherwise I'm freezing. Is thin rain jacket really the only thing that's needed for a baby? Does anyone else walk with their babies in the mornings? What do they wear in winter?

It helps to know where you are from, to understand what the word "cold" means to you. It's all relative! Bay Area winters are not that cold, but it does rain from time to time. I lived on the East Coast, which is VERY cold, and the Bay Area is very warm and temperate in contrast. That said, I run very cold, and am always freezing no matter where I live, and when my son was 1, I dressed him in the winter in a long sleeve t-shirt, a sweater or sweatshirt, and a light jacket. In the mornings, if it was cold, I put a hat on him, or pulled up a hoodie over his head. I carried a light blanket in the stroller so I could tuck him in for long stroller rides. Other kids his age were running around in a short sleeved t-shirt, so it just depends on your child. Dress him in layers, stick your finger down the back of his neck. If it's cold, add a layer. If it's hot and sweaty, remove a layer. Don't buy those big puffy jackets as a one year old will overheat in that (and they can't be washed!), and you most definitely do not need a snowsuit. You can maybe use a raincoat, but honestly, babies who turn 1 don't spend a lot of time running around in the rain, and raincoats are slippery and makes your kid hard to pick up and carry.

A one year old who is just learning how to walk will probably not need rain boots, as they are clunky. Early walkers need very soft shoes that give them lots of feedback of what the ground feels like. Indoors, they do very well barefoot or in soft slippers so they can feel the floor. I second the suggestion to carry a second pair of shoes, as little kids get their shoes wet all the time. As your child gets much older though, I would recommend the UGG rain boots. Hands down the best rain boots for preschool and up. They are easy to put on and take off, and they do not have fabric on the inside. Other rain boots that have a warm cozy inside layer are for East Coast weather, and you don't need the insulation here. The problem with the cozy lining is that once the inside gets wet (which always happens with children), it takes days for the boot to dry.

Don't buy too much! Just get one or two items and see how your child does. They grow so fast, he might outgrow all the stuff you guy for him before you realize you didn't need it.

Unless you're in Tahoe, no need for a snowsuit. I dressed my own infant/toddler in overalls with a long sleeved shirt and sweater, or maybe a little shell/puffer if rainy. It's not typically all that rainy and you can find inside play areas. You barely need gloves. A hat would be good. The tough part is going to be shoes bc young kids are generally best left in very unconstructed shoes. But rainboots are always very popular! Remember that babies run hotter than you - ask your pediatrician. They don't get as cold as we do. Also remember that you'll either be carrying him in a BabyBjorn thing (so he'll be warmed by you) or in a stroller (so you can bring a blanket) and won't walk for more than 20-30 mins, max. Their attention spans are SHORT. You won't be spending hours outdoors like with an older kid. And when he's old enough to run ... he'll be doing that, and will be very warm!

I agree with the advice of the other East Coaster (I am also from the East Coast and do not find a "winter" coat, like one might wear in Tahoe, is necessary in Oakland). We like to have a good medium weight jacket (like a lighter puffy coat) for the winter for our toddler, and a lightweight fleece jacket for days that aren't as chilly. I find that, just like adults in the Bay Area, layering is your friend! We would also use a blanket in the stroller, and a beanie to help on those colder mornings. 

If your child isn't walking yet, waterproof boots wouldn't be necessary, but once they start walking, those soft soled shoes will get soaked very easily. You may be able to get through this winter without buying boots - maybe wait and see when they start walking and pick up a pair then. I would also wait until they are walking well to get rain gear. If they aren't walking, they will be protected from the rain by the stroller, an umbrella the parent is carrying, etc. Despite spending a lot of time outside, we weren't often out in the pouring rain with our baby until she could walk well and enjoyed playing in the rain.

Anonymous for Oct 23 has it exactly right. Long sleeves, a little fleece jacket (ideally with cute animal ears on the hood!) and a hat for cold days. That plus a cozy stroller blanket will be plenty. Over the last few years we've had good cozy fleeces from Hanna Anderson, Carter's and Patagonia (all gifts). All three were great! No need to spring for Patagonia. 

We did a rain suit for my daughter's 2nd winter when she was nearing/newly 2. We could have done one a year earlier, but I only recall there being a few times that I really wished she had one. Your child can play in the rain without a rain suit--just bring an extra change of clothes and shoes. No need for a snowsuit, snow boots or mittens unless you're going somewhere like Tahoe. 

Best wishes for a warm, happy and occasionally wet & muddy kid!

Hi - I have found that Merino wool (or mix Merino/Silk) is really amazing as a base layers or single layer. Merino wool is thermo-regulating so it adjusts to your baby temperature. It’s also pretty low maintenance since you have to let it air out in between uses without having to wash it constantly.

Like most high quality stuff, it’s not cheap but unlike your typical baby clothes you can use it longer. For example I bought a onesie, a combo top-legging and a one piece overall which is made for 74cms (Danish brand) and my son has been wearing it since his 6 months old, he is now 17months old and I still fits him.

I bought brands like Disana and Dilling when I was living in France, it’s less common here but you can find other brands.

My kid did outdoor preschool through the winter and they recommended wool or synthetic long underwear top and bottom, a regular outfit over it, and rain pants and a rain jacket. Bogs rain boots have been our favorites. That was for spending ALL DAY outside in the rain and it worked great. I've loved having rain boots and pants for both kids (2 and 4 now) so they can play and fall on their butts and puddle jump and not get soggy. The pants were the big revelation. In my experience snow stuff isn't great for rain and is warmer than needed. I've got some tiny rain boots you can have if you wanna pm me :)

I recommend waterproof shoes, a fleece, and maybe a light down coat with a hood as well. We also got a full body rainsuit that is great for playing outside/at the playground on or after rainy days. We have Bogs rainboots, which are great. I recommend looking for second-hand stuff because they are going to grow out of them in 5 minutes and they aren't cheap. Try Poshmark if you don't have a local second-hand children's shop. Target had some toddler fleeces and coats 50% off last time I was there.

My kids have a lot of different outer layers. Rain coat, a fleece jacket, a hoodie, and a light-weight puffer jacket (I love the ones on Primary). The older ones mostly just wear a hoodie or the puffer jacket. But my 18 month old and 4 year old mostly wear the fleece as it works well with their car seats.

For shoes, they just wear their regular shoes when they're that young. The older ones have rain boots they wear infrequently.

They all have one knit hat and light pair of gloves but also infrequently wear them.

If your baby is going to be in a stroller a lot, you can get a muff (we have one from when we lived on the east coast and still use it). But a light blanket would also work if you're worried about them not being warm enough.

Walking at 7am in the winter can be chilly! We took our 1 year old for 1 hour walks with our dog at a local park around that time when she was the age of your little one. For reference for my recommendation:  We live pretty close to the water and it gets chilly AND windy here in the winter, and I also run cold, even after living in New England for years. I still wear hoodies most days until temps get above 70-72. Our daughter also runs cold. She ended up in the NICU just after she was born for being too cold, and once again before we left because we couldn't get her warm enough with the supplies we had in the room.

I highly recommend a fleece Columbia onesie/bunting with a hood and fold downs for feet and hands. It goes on right over whatever they are wearing, and I found it to be perfect for what we were doing 99% of the time in the winter, and helpful for when she was learning to walk and growing like a weed (the fold down hands and feet make the size really adjustable, and it runs slightly large). We would usually just pop it on over her pj's and socks. When she started walking, we used sock shoes (basically socks with full rubber bottoms) over her socks and left the feet of the bunting open. We were also carrying her in a baby bjorn until she was walking and staying awake on our walks, when we switched to a backpack. Before we switched to the backpack, she was usually cozy enough to fall asleep in the carrier, and it was how we did our first nap of the day. If she had been in a stroller, I probably would have used an additional puffy coat layer to ensure her core stayed warm and had a little more windproofing, and when we switched to a stroller around 14 months, I did end up doing that a couple of times during really windy and chilly days. If you're looking for something for just switching between the car and daycare/the house, a raincoat or a zip-up sweatshirt or fleece jacket would probably be plenty. We kept our little in long sleeve onesies, or long sleeve shirts and fleece pants inside in the winter with socks.