How could somebody realistically write a story where, there's a newborn to be taken care of, you have to keep the baby warm as opposed to how S2 did it?
Ooh, good question. (And one I should probably know how to answer, since that’s going to be plot relevant in the Lost Causes follow-up. Whoops.)
Anyway. I did some research on this yesterday just to verify my thinking. Babies are much more susceptible to frostbite than adults are. I found a couple sources that suggested frostbite can start within minutes, depending on the temperature, wind, and whether particularly vulnerable bits (nose, ears, cheeks, etc) are exposed.
In fact, a lot of the articles on taking babies out in freezing temperatures just said “don’t do it.” But in the obvious post-apocalyptic scenarios where you don’t have a choice…:
dress the baby warmly, in multiple layers and including ideally a warm hat, mittens, etc. (In other words…no, Telltale, a single blanket won’t cut it. :P) I imagine in a scenario where the characters can’t run out to Babies ‘R Us or quickly knit up a baby-sized pair of mittens, they could try substituting multiple layers of swaddling blankets and hope for the best.
if any of the baby’s clothes/blankets get wet, change them immediately. (This goes for adults too, Telltale.) Nobody likes hypothermia.
the hungrier a baby is, the more susceptible they are to cold. So keep them as well-fed as possible.
obviously the baby can’t tell anyone they’re experiencing any warning signs of frostbite–numbness, tingling, etc. But they will cry. So the group should pay attention if the baby starts crying or showing any other signs of pain/distress.
“frostnip” will set in before frostbite does. Their fingers or toes might turn white or red and feel cold to the touch, for instance. If this happens, the adults should start focusing on finding shelter / warming the baby back up ASAP.
an adult can use their body heat to keep the baby warm, or start to reverse frostnip. The baby should be carried close to the adult’s center mass, ideally inside their jacket. Not in a carrier/backpack. In an emergency–say the kid’s fingers are developing frostnip, an adult could put the baby’s hand in their armpit to help keep them warm.
(A baby backpack is super convenient for hiking–my parents used one all the time when I was a baby and they’d take me on hikes. But in a scenario where cold is a concern…you’re going to want to be able to see the baby and keep a sharp eye out for frostbite.)
ideally, keep them inside / near a source of warmth like a campfire as much as possible. For instance, the group could make camp, with the baby and their parent(s)/guardians staying put while other, more mobile members of the group scout ahead.
TL;DR it’s a lot like dealing with adults in the cold, only moreso.
A baby or a child will succumb to cold faster. Infants are at a further disadvantage because they can’t move around like an adult would to help warm up, they lose body heat quicker, and they can’t communicate to say “I can’t feel my toes.”
Some sources for further reading:
What To Expect: FrostbiteBabycenter.ca - Frostbite in babiesKidshealth.org
Hope that helps! :)
