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At our antenatal classes we were told that it can be misleading to feel a baby's hands to check if they are too cold, because the extremities can get cold even when the baby is ok. A better method is to put two fingers down the back of their top and see if it feels warm there.
My mother (who ran a nursery for 20 years) claims that this is an "old wives' tale", and that you should always check the baby's hands.
Who is right, and does the same technique work for older children also?
Firstly, in the event of the body needing energy for stuff like digestion or growing, the body generally diverts blood away from the limbs towards the "core", where the real work's being done by the heart and stomach, and to the brain.
This is especially common in newborns, as their limbs are basically useless until they're mobile, while pretty much 99% of their daily activities are growing and digesting. At the same time, their brain is doing an awful lot of growing and "re-wiring" in preparation for useful tasks, such as getting your attention and being cute on demand.
The general recommendation I've found is to check the heat of the back of the neck (path from heart to brain) and heat of the torso (contains everything else).
Also be aware that any uncovered part of the body will get cold faster than any covered part, especially the "sticky-out" bits (hands, feet, ears, etc.), because that's where the heat can get out from. So if your baby's hands seem worryingly cold, mittens would be the first step (Also, adorable!). But you should only really be doing this if you're out somewhere cold, or if your baby seems uncomfortable, as you're effectively blocking off the avenues of release for excess heat from the internal organs.
One source is here, but most of the sources when googling "baby's hands cold" say the same.
My babies are very hot blooded sometimes i am very cold and they are warm and we are wearing the samething undershirt, longsleeve, pants, socks, uggs, beanie, sweater and i would be cold and they are sweating im 22 and they are1 and 2 I am coldblooded. The way i check if they arw cold is touching there stomach, head, and the back of their neck. Also they will cry and be fussy and my daughter talks and tells me cold frio in spanish bilingual. But for lil babies your better off staying home and forget about going out but if you have to leave i would say for a new born to 6 months dont let them get cold at all if you have to cover their face till you only see the tip of their cute noses.
