You may have found that you sleep better at different temperatures; too cold and you’re up shivering all night, too hot and you are tossing and turning with the sheets sticking to you. Your baby is the same way. If you want him to get the best sleep that he can get, make his nursery as inviting for sleep as you can. The first step: the temperature.
What Temperature Should the Nursery Be?
Your baby is special, with some needs that are very different than yours. But when it comes to the ideal sleeping temperature for your little one, her needs aren’t that far off yours. Most of us like our bedrooms a little cooler than the rest of the house. That way we can snuggle down in our covers without waking up sweating later. Your baby is no different. The nursery should be a comfortable temperature for you wearing light clothes. You shouldn’t have to put on a sweater or need to shed a layer to go in there. If you’re a numbers person, the ideal nursery room temperature is between 68 and 72 F.
How Temperature Affects Your Baby’s Sleep
It’s pretty obvious why you don’t want your baby’s nursery to be too cold. If you’re afraid your baby’s breath will be forming icicles on the front of his Kyte BABY Sleep Bag, you may need to turn up the heat. If your baby’s room is too cold, he may wake more frequently or sleep fitfully due to shivering. He may be fussy even after 10 hours of this type of restless sleep.
On the other hand, if the nursery is too warm, there’s more to it than just your baby getting good sleep. Keeping the nursery temperature too warm or bundling your babe too heavy is one of the major risk factors for SIDS. A baby that is too warm has a harder time waking themselves if something is wrong.
Is Your Baby Too Hot or Too Cold?
If you’re wondering if your baby is too hot or cold, lightly touch your hand to their chest or the back of their neck. Don’t judge their temperature by their feet or hands because those are always colder than the rest of the body. If his chest or neck is hot or sweaty, remove a layer, if it’s cold, add a layer.
How to Adjust Your Baby’s Temperature for Good, Safe Sleep
Because our babies are small, we often mistakenly think that they need to be bundled heavily to stay warm. Most of the time this isn’t the case. As a general rule for most babies, dress them in one light layer more than what you’re wearing. For example, if you’re in short sleeves, put your baby in long sleeves. Remember that they won’t have a blanket to sleep with at night to help them regulate their temperature, so the pajamas that they are wearing will have to do that job.
Dressing your baby in layers will make it easy to add or remove clothes to cool or warm her as needed. Using a Kyte BABY Sleep Bag will also help. Kyte BABY Sleep Bags’ sleeveless design helps to dissipate heat to avoid overheating all while wrapping your baby in soft, snuggly warmth in three different TOG ratings. You can further refine your baby’s temperature for that perfect sleep by changing the layering underneath his Sleep Bag.
Choose from Kyte BABY Onsies, Footies, or Rompers. Dressing your baby based on tonight’s temperatures will ensure that he will sleep comfortably and safely all night long. Just remember that every baby’s comfort zone is different and much like the guy that’s wearing shorts when there’s six inches of snow on the ground, some babies may like it cooler while other prefer a little more warmth. Just be sure to check his temperature often to keep him from shivering or sweating.
With a little diligence and preparation, your baby can sleep comfortably and safely this winter season. Just remember when lying your baby down to sleep that they don’t need heavy bundling to stay warm, just one layer more than what you would be comfortable in.
