Babies aren’t as good at controlling their body temperatures as adults. Multiple studies show a huge link between Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) and overheating, either caused by wearing too many clothes, being covered in warm blankets, or even just because of the high temperatures in the room.
Infants will predominantly control their body temperature through their heads and faces. This is why parents should put babies to sleep on their back with their head and face uncovered to prevent the child from overheating while they sleep.
How Closely Should You Monitor Room Temperature?
Red Nose doesn’t offer specific guidelines for how hot or cold the room the baby’s sleeping in should be. However, to make sure they have a safe sleep, you should calibrate the baby’s sleeping clothes to the weather.
For example, if there’s a period of hot weather, don’t dress your baby in a lot of layers, long sleeves, or cover their heads as this can increase the risk of overheating. Parents often worry about babies getting sick because they’re cold, and tend to overdress their babies in layers and warmer clothes, no matter the room temperature.
The golden rule to remember is that the baby doesn’t feel the temperatures that differently than adults. When you’re hot, the baby is probably hot too. If you feel cool, the baby feels cool. So dress your baby as you would dress yourself for the temperature of the room, to be comfortably warm, not too hot or too cold.
What Should the Baby Wear to Bed?
In hot weather, you can dress your baby in sleeveless and legless onesies, and consider fans or ventilation to cool the room and make a safe infant sleeping environment. If you walk into the baby’s nursery and can’t stand the heat, the baby will feel the same!
If you’re using a baby sleeping bag, be sure to choose one with a top rating that comes with a Thermal Overall Grade (TOG) that matches the room temperature. Pay attention to the TOG rating of the underneath clothes too, and use the manufacturer’s guide to choose the right clothing for your baby.
In general, whether it’s clothes, blankets, or sheets, it’s best to go for natural, breathable fabrics that help your baby stay comfortable during their sleep. You may also want to use an iBaby for sleep to monitor your baby when you’re not in the room with them.
Choose Top Clothing Quality
Sudden Infant death syndrome is a terrifying thought for a lot of parents, but choosing the right clothing for your child can seriously reduce the risk of this condition, and offer your baby a nice, relaxing sleep.
Bespoke Baby is here to help you with the best quality clothes for your baby to sleep like an angel. Check out our range of newborn baby clothes and place your online orders today!