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As nights draw in and get cooler, you may be wondering what your baby should be sleeping in, and thinking about how to keep them safe as they sleep.
First of all, consider the room where your child sleeps. The recommended room temperature for a baby is 16-20°C (61-68°F). For many of us, this feels a bit chilly, but research has shown that it is a safe and comfortable temperature for a baby to sleep in.
It’s usually best not to have a radiator on in your child’s room overnight but if it is extremely cold you can have the heating on low. Use a thermostat to ensure that the room is kept at a safe temperature.
The Groegg is a great help when it comes to showing at a glance whether baby’s room temperature is warm enough throughout the colder winter months.
Having a bath is a lovely way to help your baby warm up, as well as being a great signal that it’s time to sleep. Research has shown that a warm bath helps towards a good night’s sleep.
After your baby’s bath, you should dry and dress them quickly. Wrap them in a warm towel to keep the heat in and cover baby’s head to help prevent chills.
It is best for babies to be tucked up in bed within half an hour after coming out of the bath – any longer than that and they tend to get a second wind and want to play, then get over tired and fractious.
Your baby’s bedding is important and you should choose it with care. Baby sleep bags like our Grobags are ideal, as they keep your child cosy and replace the need for sheets and blankets, which can be kicked off. They come in different tog values, so you can keep your baby comfortable in both summer and winter.
For most year round use in the UK a 2.5 tog is suitable as by layering the clothing the child wears underneath the Grobag it can be used in temperatures between 16-20°C.
For colder winter nights you may want to use a 3.5 tog Grobag which is more appropriate for temperatures under 16°C.
If you are buying in anticipation of the cold weather do make sure that you get the right size. If you overestimate how fast your baby will grow, and get one that is too big, you can run the risk of them slipping down into the bag.
Babies find it harder to regulate their body temperature than adults, so it’s important that you try to keep them warm, but not too warm by adding or removing layers of clothing depending on the temperature.
To help keep your baby at a safe and comfortable temperature when sleeping you should only use bedding such as a baby sleep bag. Never use a duvet or quilt with a baby sleep bag. In fact duvets are not recommended for babies under 1 year old.
All our baby sleepwear comes with a guide to what to wear in different temperatures.
Younger babies often love to be swaddled to keep them cosy, warm, and feeling secure. Swaddling has been proven to improve the quality of sleep in young babies as it mimics the closeness of the womb and helps to supress the startle or Moro relflex that can wake babies during the night.
Your baby’s head should be uncovered and if it is very cold in your baby’s room then increase the number of layers underneath the swaddle instead of adding other bedding on top of it.
Sometimes, despite taking every care, you might not be sure whether your baby is too hot or too cold. The best way to check is to feel their tummy or neck. Remember that babies’ hands and feet do feel cold and are not a good indication of their actual body temperature.
Remember too that new babies are not able to regulate their body temperature by sweating of shivering, so you need to make sure that they are kept safe and comfortable.
Never use an electric blanket should and if you use a hot water bottle to take the chill off your child’s bed or cot remove it well before you put them down to sleep.
Although duvets are considered to be safe for babies of over a year old, babies often sleep better if they stick with what they know such as a sleep bag. These are ideal for especially wriggly toddlers as there are no loose sheets or blankets to kick off during the night.
Our sleepbags are available in larger sizes and winter weight warmth for children up to 18m+. And the Steppee is a sleepbag with feet that’s ideal for active toddlers as it gives them all the comfort and warmth of a baby sleep bag, but then allows them the freedom to get out of bed when it’s time to wake up.
“By 3 months he was sleeping 10 or 11 hours overnight … then at 4 months everything changed. He would cry the moment we put him down.”
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