BACKGROUND: For many, winter means protecting your plants and protecting your car. For some, it means protecting your baby. Since babies are more susceptible to infection and more vulnerable to cold weather, it's common sense to spend extra time shielding them from the elements.

HOW MUCH IS TOO MUCH? Although it may be tempting to bundle your baby up like an Eskimo to keep out the cold, too many layers can actually be dangerous. Using too many blankets can pose a suffocation hazard.

When it comes to car seats, bulky clothing can compromise the way straps restrain a baby, and blankets over the seat can create bad air quality. More specifically, they can increase the risk of your baby breathing in carbon dioxide. Breathing in carbon dioxide increases a baby's risk of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS).

SICK SEASON: Winter is a cold season in more than one sense of the word. In the United States, most colds occur when temperatures outside are chilly.

According to the National Institutes of Health, the rate of the common cold increases slowly for a few weeks in late August or early September and remains high until March or April. Contrary to popular belief, it isn't the temperature itself that causes colds.

The seasonal high may be related to the opening of schools and the fact that more children spend time indoors during cold weather. It may also be related to the fact that the most common cold viruses survive better in dry conditions like those present in the winter season.

Keeping your baby safe in the winter season includes properly treating illnesses like colds. Most likely, over-the-counter medications are the first treatments that come to mind, but an increasing body of evidence warns parents to be cautious about them. One recent study conducted by researchers at the Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh found of the 274 children admitted to the emergency department with life-threatening symptoms, 5 percent tested positive for over-the-counter cold medications.

The American Academy of Pediatrics takes a strong stand on the issue of over-the-counter cough and cold medications for babies. They recommend the products not be given to children younger than 2 years of age because of the risk of life-threatening side effects. They cite research that suggests the medications are dangerous for babies and don't work in children younger than 6 years of age.