With the temperature climbing now, and set to get warmer I thought I would share some of my tips for keeping your baby cool at night. There is nothing worse that worrying your baby is going to overheat when it is hot outside at night, so I hope you find these tips helpful. My babies (now grown ups in their 20s, were born in Saudi Arabia where it was over 40 degrees during the day so at night it was often in the high 20s and I, therefore, like to think I know a thing or two about keeping baby cool at night!
The Lullaby Trust have a really useful post on the safest room temperature for babies that is a good read, and suggests the ideal temperature is between 16 and 20 degrees so that is what you should be aiming for if you can. Don’t forget as well, always check your baby’s temperature on the back of their neck as feet and hands will always feel cooler and their neck temperature will be a better indicator of how warm they really are.
Get a room thermometer
You wont know accurately what the temperature of the room is, without a room thermometer. There are lots on the market and you should get one for every room your baby sleeps in. They are only a few Pounds so definitely worth investing in.
Discard extra bedding
The typical rule of thumb is that your baby will probably only need one more layer than you sleep under in order to feel comfortable. There is a great graphic on the Made For Mums website that illustrates how many layers a baby needs for each room temperature.
Sleepwear
It is definitely worth purchasing comfortable baby sleepsuits. What a baby sleeps in can make a huge difference to how they sleep and if your baby is wearing something made from soft, organic and sustainable fabrics it is going to help you all get a better night’s sleep!
Have a room fan
If the room is big enough, get a small fan to circulate air but make sure it is not pointing towards your baby as this will mean they are sleeping in a draught.
Keep curtains closed during the day
This will keep the room cooler so that by bedtime hopefully your baby’s bedroom will be nice and cool
Cool baths before bed time
Who doesn’t love a cool bath when it is warm outside? A nice long cool bath is definitely a good idea before bedtime and will ensure your baby is cooler when they get into bed, and will hopefully ensure they fall asleep straight away.
Try not to worry
Whilst we obviously need to be mindful of a baby’s temperature, particularly when they are asleep (and especially when they are ill) it is easy to worry that they will over heat but with these few tips on how to it is unlikely your baby will over heat. Obviously this is different if they are unwell, if they have a temperature then I would I would always suggest speaking to a medical professional
Image of sleeping baby courtesy of Shutterstock