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Good or bad?

Baby coats are BAD?

3K views 22 replies 12 participants last post by  Dani-1995 
#1 ·
Someone just told me that you should not use coats for babies because it will most likely just make them colder. Is that true? This makes me wonder why anyone would ever use them. :confused:
 
#2 ·
If the weather is very cold...they are fine..what I have heard is not to over use them or heat lamps since baby need to develop her internal temp control...(im sure there is a fancy name for it lol)
 
#3 ·
My babies wear coats. In fact, I take them off because my babies get overheated.

Sounds like one of those unsubstantiated things floating around. If you get cold a coat keeps you warm and layers trap heat and insulate from cold. Maybe ppl let their babies out in too cold temps because they think the coats will keep them warmer than they will?

I don't buy that coats are bad in the cold.
 
#4 ·
These are the coats I have, not really coats just an old shirt:
 

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#6 ·
Well, it is supposed to be 30 degrees and snowing here in the next few days. I just don't want to make them colder. What should I do?
 
#7 ·
if they hunch and shiver ..use them : ) should be fine...Like Jen vis said..when its warmer..remove them..Im sure they will be fine : )
 
#8 ·
That cold she should have a coat! I'd put booties on, too, but the warmer you keep them artificially, the longer it takes them to regulate their own temp. I have the time to fuss over my babies so I'm more likely to over do it. :eek:
 
#9 ·
Im an over doer too...: ) better a bit too much than not enough..she looks tiny so the sweater should be fine for her...plenty of time after it warms a bit to start eh internal central heat....
 
#10 ·
My kids are less than 2 weeks old and I'm a HUGE worry wort (its clinical, I swear) and when it dropped to 28 degrees here a couple nights ago (from 40+) I watch those babies like a hawk for signs of chill. They didn't seem to need it, played, slept, ate, pooped, played some more, so I figured they were fine. I'd just watch them and if they need it, dress em up.
 
#11 ·
good rule of thumb..let the goats tell us what they need...: ) but for us worry warts its hard lol
 
#12 ·
My central heat is out and we had a cold snap right after the babies were born. The goats had to be moved out of the master bath because the hay for mamma was really exacerbating my asthma (which is worse 'cause I'm 8 months preg) and back into the laundry room. My 15 y/o son went in his room to find a pair of footie pajamas and two extra quilts on his bed with a note that said, "Babies need the space heater more than you, bundle up or take a sleeping bag into your sister's room. Welcome to adulthood! " :p

And for some reason he thinks I love the goats more than him...
 
#14 ·
Yes, "coats" can make them colder. Goats keep warm by puffing up their fur...the air between the hairs makes a nice insulated "blanket" for them. If they have on a coat or a sweater it keeps the hair flat, reducing their natural ability to keep warm. We get sub-zero temps here and I never use coats on kids and very rarely use heat lamps. Healthy kids with good, draft-free shelter and adequate bedding do not need supplemental heat in most cases.
 
#15 ·
It's not that coats or even heat lamps are "bad" but you need to know when they should be used. I only use sweaters on kids immediately after birth and only once they are totally dry...if they need them. By that I mean that if it's 5* and the kid is shivering, I'll put a sweater on it.
I don't use heat lamps but this year I had to break down and use a 90 watt standard bulb in a brooder shield as my one doe decided to spit out 2 tiny kids, each had a sweater as well as the lamp because the temp outside was 15* and they needed to be kept warm as keeping them inside as bottle babies was not an option due to my work.

Kids need to acclimate their body temps to the outside temps... keeping a coat on them all the time does not allow them to do so and it also crushes their fur, preventing them from fluffing out to create the insulating layer they naturally have between their skin and hair coat.

A chilled baby uses more energy from it's food to keep warm than it does using that food to stay healthy and grow.... watching to be sure they aren't shivering ensures that they are warmer than you think :)

Most of my deliveries are in mid February and the temps have varied from below zero to mid 40's and I've never lost a kid yet as I am there with each birth to dry them well and get them eating :)
 
#16 ·
Wouldn't a loose fitting sweater help insulate without crushing the hair down?

My goats mostly only wear clothes because I think it's cute. They live in the house and I haven't lived anywhere particularly cold, so it's not an issue for me. So I'm just curious for curiosity's sake.

Would the breed of goat or climate they were raised in affect the usefulness of a coat or sweater because of the density of their hair?
 
#22 ·
I judge by if I need my jacket zipped up when in their barn. If I can leave it open or not one at all then I don't put one on then but if I need to zip it closed then I put a jacket on them. Normally if I need my jacket zipped up(typically 30-40s) they are staring to huddle together. My goats have been in Arizona for three years now so they are more sensitive to the cold then they used to be.

I should also note I will put a coat on an adult too.
 
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