I've noticed lately that my son has cold hands and feet, while the rest of him is warm. I already have to watch as he has a cast on his leg and we need to check the warmth of his little toes. Should I be concerned?

I don't know if I can be of much help. My DD was sooo hot natured, from day one. And being born in winter meant we tended to bundle her up well. The more we bundled her the more she cried, until we figured it out.

Extremeties, though, are a bit different than overall body temp. Did you get some of those infant hand covers - the ones that keep them from scratching themselves? That should be good for the hands - you don't have to turn the guy into an eskimo. Just give his body an opportunity to trap his own body heat and keep it close. Also in the first few weeks, head covering is key.

CONGRATULATIONS!

Newborns have a harder time regulating their body temps. The nurses in the hospital were always checking temperatures to make sure the baby was warm enough. If they didn't think she was warm enough, they'd bring in a heated blanket.

I'm having a problem at night in keeping my baby warm without overbundling her. I've been putting her in the little sleepers and gowns with the little hand covers. She doesn't like to be swaddled as much as she did in the beginning, but I still try to get her arms wrapped up in the blanket so they aren't out.

I recently read a story that said an adult's body will take heat AWAY from extremeties to send it to the head and kidneys and lungs. So, if your hands are cold, put on a hat. Or an undershirt.

I know this post was a while ago. But someone else reading this might see whether putting a small knit cap on the baby, or adding an undershirt (or a sweater, if there's already an undershirt in play), will actually make the extremeties warmer.