Many of my clients are grateful for the cooler weather, as their babies just seem to melt when the temperatures climb into the higher 20’s and 30’s. So before we really move into summer, I thought I should address the big issue of ‘how hot is too hot?’ when dressing your baby and putting your baby to bed.
So if you are super careful, you will have a themometer in your baby’s room and you may notice, to your horror, that baby’s room is not a cool 18-19 degrees and suddenly, you are not sure how many layers your baby should wear, whether you should swaddle or whether your baby should still be wearing a hat as he is only 2 days old.
Modern houses seem to warm up really quickly and so the room temperatures will be higher than in rooms of older houses, where walls are thicker and windows are smaller. I guess what I am saying, is that there is no rule of thumb that will suit everyone’s situation, but there are a few guidelines, I will address these below.
Firstly feel your baby’s chest or upper back. You want your baby to feel warm like a toasty hot cross bun, not piping hot like a roast chicken. If your baby is too hot, you can remove a layer and then come back and do the chest test again in 30 minutes. If your baby is wearing a hat, remove this, as your baby will lose heat from his head and feet quickly to reduce body temperature.
Generally I would dress a tiny baby in a nappy and a baby grow with long sleeve for the first 3-4 days, especially if they don’t have a lot of body fat. If you do this and see that your little one is getting all hot and sweaty, dress him in a short sleeve body suit. As your little one gets bigger and the weather gets hotter, you even let your baby sleep in just a nappy.
Night times are trickier as the temperature fluctuates, so ensure baby is covered with either a body suit or a light blanket.
If your baby likes to be swaddled, use a cellular blanket (the one with holes) or a large muslin cloth. This will still keep baby snug, but will allow air to circulate and keep baby cool.
If your baby’s room is in the sunnier part of the house, keep curtains closed and windows open. This way the sun won’t be able to turn everything it beats down on, into an instant heater which will just heat the room even quicker. Black out blinds are really great for this.
On a hydration front, if your baby’s wet nappies are nice and clear, your baby is getting enough food and milk to drink. If your baby’s wet nappies begin to look more yellow, you need to feed more frequently.
We will cover coping strategies over the next few weeks, so that you can you enjoy the warm weather.
