Singapore has been having a hot and dry spell lately, with temperatures often rising to 33 deg C, but you would not know it from the way many infants are bundled up like mini Michelin men.

They are wearing long-sleeved shirts and long pants, mittens, socks, bonnets and almost any other item of clothing you might find useful for winter. Sometimes, as a finishing touch, they are covered with blankets.

Common sense would tell anyone that these babies are overdressed in Singapore's climate. Why then do so many parents continue to wrap their children in layers upon layers?

New mother Tracy Huang says: 'Babies catch colds easily and must be kept warm, especially in the first few months.'

The 27-year-old sales assistant adds that the temperature in the womb is much higher, so babies 'cannot really feel the heat'.

She was at Square 2 mall in Novena with her six-month-old son, Jun Xiang. He was wearing a T-shirt with long pants, socks and was covered with a blanket.

Another mother of two, Ms Iris Goh, is similarly careful in dressing up her 10-week-old daughter, Jing Xuan.

'It is most important to keep babies' feet warm, so I've been told by my confinement nanny to put socks on Jing Xuan until she is six months old,' she says.

'I didn't dress her in a long-sleeved shirt today and she is already sneezing.'

The 32-year-old executive, who was shopping at United Square, had dressed her child in a pair of long pants, socks and mittens as well as covered her with a blanket.

Outside of air-conditioned malls, it is the same story. At Bedok Central, LifeStyle spotted Mrs Hamsiah Ahmad with her six-month-old son Muhammad Nur Syahmi, who was wearing a cap and socks.

The 43-year-old housewife and mother of two says: 'When he was younger, it was full gear - blanket, mittens, cap and socks.

'I think these really protect the child because his feet would get cold if I left him uncovered.'

Is it just an old nannies' tale that infants need to be dressed very warmly because they are used to a higher temperature in the womb, or else they would fall ill more easily?

Yes, it is, say doctors.

Associate Professor Roy Joseph, senior consultant at National University Hospital's neonatology department, says that although the womb's temperature is about 37 deg C, babies have the ability to cope with the environment they are born into.

He adds that significant cooling of the whole body may occur if the abdomen, with its large surface area, is exposed to a much colder environment. But Singapore's tropical climate does not qualify as a much colder environment.

Generally, babies here require only a single layer of clothes and a loose blanket. They may need to wear more, such as a bonnet and mittens, in an air-conditioned room where the temperature is below 23 deg C.

Babies wrapped 'as warmly as possible' may overheat and develop a low grade fever, according to Dr Mary Daniel, head and senior consultant of the Neonatal Ambulatory Service at KK Women's and Children's Hospital.

NUH's Children Emergency Service sees about one case a week of babies having 'pseudo fevers' due to overwrapping.

These fevers are usually alleviated by unwrapping the baby. The temperature taken 10 to 20 minutes later should reflect a normal reading.

And it is not just Western-trained doctors who say overwrapping babies is hazardous. Mr Lim Ing, a TCM practitioner at the Singapore Chung Hwa Medical Institution, says overdressing an infant may cause rashes if the child's skin cannot breathe.

It is best to rely on common sense when dressing your baby, since infants feel as uncomfortable as adults do when it is hot and humid, according to Singapore General Hospital's Care For Your Pregnancy And Newborn booklet.

'If I touch her and she doesn't feel cold, then I think she's fine,' says Ms Sanda Solofoson of her four-month-old daughter. The 27-year-old housewife adds: 'I don't want to let her wear too much now - she might become afraid of the cold in future.'

This article was first published in The Sunday Times.