Winter Newborn Care in Pakistan: Keeping Babies Warm in the Northern Areas
From Gilgit to Chitral, keeping a newborn warm means light layers, a cap, safe sleep, and heaters that won't fill the room with carbon monoxide.
Winter Newborn Care in Pakistan: Keeping Babies Warm in the Northern Areas
In Gilgit-Baltistan, Chitral, upper Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and the hill stations, winter temperatures drop below freezing while many homes rely on a single heated room. Newborns lose heat far faster than adults — their bodies are small, their skin is thin, and they cannot shiver well to warm themselves. A baby who gets too cold feeds poorly and can become dangerously chilled without obvious warning. A little planning keeps this simple.
Dress in light layers, and never skip the cap
Several thin layers trap warmth better than one thick garment, and let you add or remove a layer as rooms change temperature. A newborn is usually comfortable in about one more layer than you are wearing. The single most useful item is a soft cap: a baby loses a large share of body heat through an uncovered head, so keeping it covered makes a real difference. Add mittens and socks, and keep a light shawl for carrying — but see the sleep note below.
Heaters and braziers: warmth you can trust
The most serious winter danger in Pakistani homes is not the cold itself but how we fight it. Gas heaters, and coal or wood angeethis, burning in a closed, sealed room produce carbon monoxide — an odourless gas that can harm or kill a sleeping family. Every winter brings such tragedies.
- Never leave a gas heater or brazier burning in a closed room where the baby sleeps.
- Keep a window or vent slightly open whenever anything is burning indoors.
- Switch gas heaters off before everyone sleeps; use blankets and layers for overnight warmth instead.
- Keep the baby well away from heaters, sigris and hot-water bottles to avoid burns.
Warm, but safe, sleep
It is tempting to pile a heavy razai over a sleeping newborn, but loose, heavy bedding over the face is a suffocation risk. Instead, dress the baby in a warm sleepsuit or a baby sleep-bag and keep the room comfortably warm. Always place the baby on the back to sleep. Overheating is a real risk too — if the neck or back feels sweaty, the chest is hot, or the cheeks are flushed, remove a layer. Cool hands and feet are normal and not a reason to pile on more.
Massage, bathing and skin
The winter maalish is a lovely tradition — gentle massage with a baby-safe oil in a warm room soothes the baby and gives you close skin-to-skin time. Skin-to-skin contact against a parent's chest is also one of the best ways to warm a slightly cold baby. In deep cold you do not need a daily bath; two or three baths a week in a warm room is plenty, with top-and-tail cleaning on other days. Dry quickly, dress at once, and moisturise dry cheeks and lips.
Watch for a baby who is too cold
Cool hands are fine, but a baby whose chest, tummy or back feels cold to the touch, who has gone quiet and floppy, is feeding poorly or whose skin looks mottled needs to be warmed and checked promptly.
Trust your instincts here — if your little one seems unusually cold, sleepy or hard to feed despite your best efforts, your paediatrician or nearest Lady Health Worker would far rather see you early than late.