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Safe room temperature for babies sleeping in hot weather - SIDS safety advice

Sweltering nights and sweaty blankets are no fun for little babies. They're not as good as us at regulating their own body temperature as we grown-ups are and, of course, while we can get up, strip off and reposition a fan to cool down, that's not part of their skill set yet.

But it's not just about being uncomfortable: overheating can be properly dangerous for babies. That's because getting too hot can increase their risk of SIDS (sudden infant death syndrome).

There are some simple things you can do to make sure your baby doesn't overheat, though. And it all comes down to knowing what temperature is best for your baby's room and how many layers your baby needs when sleeping...

What's the best temperature for my baby's room?

A room temperature of between 16ºC to 20ºC (60.8-68ºF) is recommended. In fact, 18ºC (65ºF) is just right, say safe-sleep experts at the Lullaby Trust.

It's not easy to tell just by guessing how hot or cold a room is. Luckily, there are some really good, and not too pricey, room thermometers out there which are well be worth investing in.

• The best room thermometers for a baby's nursery

How many layers does my baby need when sleeping in hot weather?

Assuming your baby is wearing a sleepsuit to sleep in, here's your guide to the number of layers they'll tend to need, according to the temperate in your baby's room (please do remember that, as safe-sleep experts at the Lullaby Trust advise, all sheets and blankets should be firmly tucked in and not above shoulder height):

What if my baby sleeps in a baby sleeping bag?

If your baby sleeps in a sleeping bag, you'll need to adjust what you dress your baby in for bedtime (long or short sleeves, all in one suit, top and bottom or just a nappy), depending both on what tog sleeping bag you're putting them in and the temperature of the room. Here's your guide:

What if I don't have a room thermometer?

"If you’re feeling hot, then your baby will be, too," says MadeForMums expert and NHS community midwife Anne Richley. "Sleep in whatever you’re comfortable in, and add one extra layer for your baby.

"So, if you don’t need any covers, your baby probably only needs one. If you’re sleeping naked, then a sleepsuit and no blankets for your baby will be just fine. In very hot conditions, your baby may not even need this.

Why do some babies get so sweaty – and is it safe?

Sweating is natural – it's a way for our bodies to cool us down. (Interesting fact: The dampness on our skin actually helps us to pick up the coolness from any moving air). But you'll find some babies sweat more than others. If your baby feels very sweaty, check to see how hot they are by feeling the back of their neck.

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"If your baby’s hot to the touch," says Chireal Shallow, psychologist and sleep expert at Baby Sleep Clinic, "wipe them down with a damp towel – on the face, neck, arms and legs – and open internal doors and windows, so a natural, flowing breeze is created. "

It's also a good idea to try to keep your home cool throughout the day. In the UK, we tend to fling open curtains and windows the moment there's sunshine but, in Mediterranean countries, people keep the heat out with unopened curtains. This avoids a greenhouse effect, where the heat builds up and up inside. They also close doors and windows behind them.

Don't panic if your baby is sleeping more soundly than usual when it's hot. "The heat can make us all lethargic, which is quite natural," says Chireal. "I wouldn’t get too worried unless you have problems rousing your baby or they display odd behaviour."

• Do you know the safe sleeping guidelines for your baby?
• The best co sleeper cots and cribs for safe sleeping
• The best baby sleeping bags

Will overheating harm my baby?

We've mentioned above that there are well-established concerns that overheating can increase the risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS). But that doesn't mean you should get overly anxious during hot spells – research suggests that babies are more likely to overheat when they're overdressed in cold weather.

"Although heat stress is undoubtedly a contributing factor in some unexpected infant deaths, heat stress seems, paradoxically, to be more of a problem in cold weather when parents may wrap their baby more heavily," says Peter Fleming, Professor of Infant Health at the University of Bristol.

"With excess wrapping, your baby may find it hard to cool down and can become heat-stressed. Babies don't really need much more wrapping up or clothing than adults in hot conditions. It's unlikely a little one would come to harm from high ambient environmental temperatures that an adult could cope with.

Most importantly, you should ensure that there's no possibility of your baby's head becoming covered with bedding or clothing. Babies can lose heat really effectively, when necessary, from their head.

Professor Peter Fleming, University of Bristol

And, of course, you should be sure always to put your baby down to sleep on their back. "One of the possible reasons why putting babies to sleep on the front leads to an increased risk of unexpected death," explains Professor Fleming, "is that it is harder to lose heat when you're sleeping on the front.

"When the weather is very hot, people will be much more likely to sleep on their backs as they can keep cool more easily in this position.

"This is not the only reason that babies should never be put to sleep on the front – sleeping on their front is a major risk for babies regardless of the environmental temperature – but it may be helpful for parents to understand how to ensure their baby is neither too hot nor too cold."

About our experts, Anne Richley, Chireal Shallow and Professor Peter Fleming

• Anne Richley is a midwife with 22 years' experience. She is currently Matron for Community Midwifery Serviceat Northampton General Hospital NHS Trust. has written a number of books on pregnancy and babies, including Your Baby's First Year.
• Chireal Shallow is a sleep expert. She is an HCPC registered psychologist and BABCP accredited psychotherapist with over 20 years experience of working within both the NHS and private settings. She is Director for the Association of Sleep Consultants. She appears regularly on TV and is also a mother of 4.
• Peter Fleming is Professor of Infant Health & Developmental Physiology at the University of Bristol Medical School. He is a neonatologist, paediatrician, epidemiologist and developmental physiologist, with an expertise in the investigation and prevention of causes of death and disability in children.

Pics: Getty

Read more

• Is it safe to cover your baby's pram with a blanket in hot weather?
• Could this book be the answer to sleepless nights?
• WATCH: Video shows dangers of leaving your child in a hot car

How to help a child in the summer heat?

Peculiarities of thermoregulation in children:

• The younger the child, the less perfect his thermoregulation. Overheating is more dangerous for a baby than hypothermia
• children are usually very mobile, active, therefore their heat production is relatively higher
• The ratio of body surface area to weight in children is less efficient for heat transfer than in adults
• The younger the child, the more he is dependent on his parents, and, therefore, all the measures taken will depend entirely on the adequate attitude of the parents.

Why heat is dangerous:

• when the ambient temperature rises, heat transfer becomes more difficult and a person can overheat
• profuse sweating during heat (it has the purpose of increasing heat transfer) can cause large losses of fluid through the skin, as well as salts important for life - electrolytes
• in violation of heat transfer, centralization of blood circulation occurs, blood thickening due to loss of fluid with sweat: as a result, circulatory disorders are possible, a tendency to thrombosis
• some metabolic products are also excreted through the skin with sweat, while moist skin will be more easily infected, various rashes are possible, including pustules

How to prevent your child from overheating in the heat:

1. Reasonable cooling.

• do not overheat the child with clothing. The right clothes for the heat are cotton or linen, loose, light colors. Cotton and linen let water and air through. Loose clothing will not allow scuffs, diaper rash to form, especially with excessive sweating, this is important. Light-colored clothing reduces the absorption of heat rays.
• Protect from direct sunlight with a light cap or panama hat.
• carry out water procedures. Bathe your child several times a day in a bath or shower with room temperature water. Do not use ice water - this will cause discomfort and is more dangerous for hypothermia. Water 23-24*C is optimal for moderate skin cooling and skin cleansing during profuse sweating.
• air cooling. If the house has air conditioning, do not lower the temperature below 22-24 * C, while the risk of catching a cold is less. You can use a fan and even a draft to alleviate the heat in the room.
• walks with a child should not be canceled because the sun and the air are good for him, but the time of walks should be in the morning before 11 o'clock or in the evening after 16 o'clock, when the heat is less and the sun is not so aggressive.
• walks with a child in the "lacy" shade of trees are better and more useful than near the hot walls of houses.

2. Reasonable nutrition and reasonable replenishment of fluid losses

• the child needs to drink additional water. The child's need for fluids (including liquid food) is 130-150 ml/kg of weight under the age of 1 year, and 100-120 ml/kg after the year. It is necessary to add approximately the volume of fluid lost
• babies should not be constantly fed to quench their thirst. The volume of feedings should remain the same, but supplemented with water from a bottle or spoon
• for drinking children of any age, as well as for adults, in the heat, mineral water is better suited, in which there are electrolytes, but no sugar. Do not use sugary liquids, sugary juices and sodas. Juice is best diluted 1:1 with water
• in the heat it is good to use low-fat dairy products
• it is necessary to move the main meal to the evening when the heat subsides. Adults can generally refuse meat, heavy food. And it is necessary to feed the child with meat and maintain the usual feeding ration. Only meat can be given at dinner, not at lunch. Both children and adults should avoid fatty foods, simple carbohydrates such as flour products and sweets in the heat
• It is advisable to add more juicy fruits and vegetables to the diet of both adults and children
• children under one year are not recommended to introduce new complementary foods during the heat period.

3. About medicines

• Some medicines make you more sensitive to heat. These include antihistamines, antiarrhythmics, antispasmodics
• for those who are constantly forced to take any medication, it is better to seek advice from your doctor

4. Sun protection

• Use sunscreen with a high sun protection factor (SPF > 30) to protect your skin from the sun's rays
• it must be remembered that sun protection products reduce the risk of sunburn, but do not reduce the risk of heat or sunstroke, so exposure to the sun of a child should be limited to a minimum or completely eliminated

Signs of heat stroke in a child

• fever, increased heart rate, respiration, agitation or even impaired consciousness, convulsions, dry hot skin, the child stops sweating
• symptoms may not be so violent immediately. Often signs of overheating and trouble can be lack of appetite after a long walk in the sun, lethargy, early bedtime, moodiness, drowsiness, nausea, vomiting
• all cases of unexplained deterioration of the child's condition must be urgently consulted by a doctor

Why you want to sleep in the heat and what to do about it

July 1LikbezZdorovye

There are at least four reasons for this.

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Why you want to sleep in the heat

Physiologists have long proved why high air temperature makes us feel tired and a clear desire to take a nap. This is what happens to your body when it's hot.

1. You lack fluids

When it's hot, we sweat a lot. This is how the natural mechanism of thermoregulation manifests itself.

The brain registers an increase in temperature and triggers an intensive contraction of the sweat gland ducts so that they absorb moisture from the surrounding tissues and bring it out. Sweat falls on the heated epidermis, evaporates, the temperature on the skin surface drops. At the same time, the body increases subcutaneous circulation and dilates blood vessels (which is why many people turn red in the heat) in order to cool as much blood as possible. Further, cool blood is sent to other organs and tissues and thus lowers the temperature throughout the body.

It is clear that in the process of thermoregulation the body intensively loses moisture. Namely, many processes in the body are based on it. Weakness, tiredness, and drowsiness are common consequences of fluid loss.

2. You spend a lot of energy to cool down

Energetic work of sweat glands and acceleration of blood circulation is quite an energy-intensive process, during which the body actively uses glucose reserves. Therefore, even sitting in the office, you spend more energy on it than on cool days. Strength becomes less, and fatigue and associated drowsiness - more.

3. Your blood pressure drops

The link is simple: blood vessels dilate in the heat - pressure drops. Even a small drop in blood pressure means less blood is flowing to the brain. And this, in turn, can cause dizziness, weakness, drowsiness.

Attention! A sudden drop in pressure accompanies thermal exhaustion, a precursor to heat stroke. If you experience dizziness and nausea, darkening of the eyes, and you associate all this with exposure to heat, find a shade, air-conditioned room, or other cool place as soon as possible. You need to cool down and drink water. If it doesn't get better within an hour, see a doctor as soon as possible.

4. You tend to fall asleep out of habit

Warmth is associated with safety and comfort, so we unconsciously want to sleep in a warm space.

Another point is related to the specific temperature difference. When we go to sleep, we wrap ourselves in a blanket to keep warm. When we fall asleep, our body temperature drops. The body remembers this connection. Therefore, similar thermal fluctuations (first warm, then the body temperature drops slightly) can provoke drowsiness.

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