Baby in buggy
Winter footmuff: This is how the cold season becomes really cozy
A footmuff protects small children from wind and cool temperatures in autumn and winter.
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It’s cozy, keeps you warm and you don’t want to crawl out again. The winter footmuff. For parents of babies and toddlers, the cuddly mummy belongs to the cold season like a scarf and hat. You can find out what you should know about winter footmuffs here.
Winter has large parts of Germany firmly under control. In many places the temperatures have crept towards freezing point. Hat, gloves and a thick jacket are always ready. Because long walks have blossomed into a popular hobby for many Germans (also due to the lack of alternatives). This also includes those with the offspring. Because even the smallest ones can fall on their heads at home in the long run – the fresh air also strengthens their immune system. So all those who are still a bit wobbly on their legs, cannot walk at all or are just a little lazy, get into a stroller (here’s the Stroller test 2021) or sports buggy. Because they only sit or lie there, they should be wrapped up as warmly as possible. The winter footmuff is a source of warmth that has proven itself for winter walks in the freezing cold. The best thing about it: Contrary to its name, it not only protects your feet, but also your arms, upper body and optionally even your head.
In this article you will find out what you should pay attention to when buying cozy footmuffs, which material provides the best warmth, why belt slots are important and how to gently care for a winter footmuff.
Winter footmuff: lambskin, fleece or down?
When it comes to footmuffs for autumn and winter, what counts above all is the inner values. The outer shell usually consists of washable synthetic fibers, mostly polyester, which should also be windproof. The different models hardly differ here. When it comes to the interior, parents have three options: Sheepskin, fleece or down.
- Lambskin | If you want to bed your child in a natural product, you are on the right track with a lambskin. In order to make them usable as lining for footmuffs or inserts for cots, lambskins are usually used medically tanned. This can be recognized by the slightly yellowish color of the fur. This comes from the tannins that are used to disinfect the skins. Big advantage: medically tanned lambskins can be washed in the washing machine. Lambskins have the important property of both the overheating as well as prevent the body from cooling down. This is what the soft cuddly hides are compared to the down and fleece variants quite difficult and smell for some noses takes getting used to.
- Fleece | The right choice for everyone who literally wants to wrap their offspring in cotton wool. Padded footmuffs are usually filled with polyester wadding or tiny fiber balls. Not only do they insulate against the freezing cold, they also wick away moisture from inside the footmuff. The pack size of these footmuffs is unbeatable. Most of them fit easily in the stroller basket. The fleece-lined winter footmuffs are also prepared for machine washing. They are available here
- down | Also a winter footmuff filled with fluffy down protects small children from cooling down. So do what it should. However, these models are a bit more cumbersome to use. In addition, the down filling is also reflected in the price – especially compared to synthetic fibers. To clean the down model, or to make it ready for use again after washing, should be a dryer in the house. Similar to down jackets, feathers tend to clump together when the garment is air-dried.
What else should you watch out for?
In order to be able to use the winter footmuff as flexibly as possible, it should generous and sensibly incorporated belt slots for 5- and 3-point belt systems. The footmuff can easily be moved from the baby seat, stroller or sports buggy to the bicycle trailer – and the child is not only warm in it, but also safely. The following rule of thumb applies: the more generous the belt slots, the less fiddly the conversion will be. And while we’re at fiddly:
Well-thought-out zips are also essential in a winter footmuff. In the literal sense, you are completely carefree with a winter footmuff that is equipped with an all-round zipper and, in the best case, with two zippers. In this way you not only get to the pacifier that you thought was lost and sorely missing, but you can also transform the winter footmuff into a cuddly soft blanket in a matter of seconds. On some models – like this one Winter footmuff – The lambskin can be unbuttoned and used, for example, for car seats, as a warm pad for buggies or spontaneously as a swaddle blanket.
Maintaining winter footmuffs: This is important
In the ranking of the most easy-care winter footmuffs, the models are out Synthetic fibers such as fleece undisputed number 1. They can be machine washed at 40 degrees (ideally turn inside out), dry quickly and are quickly ready for use again.
Tip: Use mild detergent and do without fabric softener!
It gets a little trickier and, above all, more time-consuming with winter footmuffs that are made with down or (Merino)-Lambskin are fed. The good news: skins have a self-cleaning effect and do not have to be washed at the first small stain. If the time comes, they should be cleaned at a maximum of 30 degrees in the wool cycle and later gently dried in the dryer. Then the natural material has to be kneaded while still slightly damp and pulled into shape.
Attention: Do not place lambskins on the heater or in the sun to dry.
Also at 30 degrees, but on a gentle cycle, should Down footmuffs getting cleaned. Here, too, fabric softener has no place in the drum. If you don’t have a dryer, hang up the footmuff to dry afterwards – but you should shake it up several times so that the down is evenly distributed again.
Tip: Put two or three tennis balls in the dryer. This prevents the down from clumping up in the footmuff.
Practical extras for a winter footmuff
- Integrated Transport bag
- Reflector strips or prints for better visibility at dusk
- rubberized coating on the underside so that the winter footmuff does not slip in the buggy or stroller
- Drawstring in the head areato protect the head even better
Finally, a tip on the size of the winter footmuff. Models that are supposed to fit in a carrycot or baby seat should not be longer than 85 centimeters. The footmuffs for buggies or sports seats are usually between 90 and 100 centimeters long.
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Sources: “lammfellhaus.de”; “wunschkind.at”
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