How to confidently and safely dress your baby for sleep

At one point or another, every parent has wondered whether their baby is too hot or cold. And I get it, there is so much advice in this space on how and what you should dress your baby in that it is no wonder parents are so confused.

Sleepwear and room temperature is one of the primary sleep principles that I educate families on; and simply that is because it is an essential component in the big picture of enabling your baby to sleep well. Babies who are too hot or too cold won’t sleep well – they are likely to wake regularly (particularly overnight) and often have difficulty resettling between sleep cycles.

In the majority of cases that I see is, babies and toddlers are being significantly underdressed for sleep, and put to sleep in an unregulated room environment where the temperature is dropping below a comfortable temperature for our babies to sleep well.

I believe the main reason that this is happening is that there is a significant fear of overheating our babies as it has been proven to increase the risk of SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome). However, the issue here is that the fear of overheating our babies, has led to us underdressing our babies, and leading parents down the path of experiencing significant issues with their babies sleep overall.

It is my mission as a Sleep Consultant to build the confidence of the families I work with on how to dress your baby safely for sleep.  Understanding the signs to look out for that your baby is too hot or too cold will enable you to confidently dress your baby for sleep in all conditions. I also encourage parents to really think about how you like to go to sleep at night and the layers and sleepwear you need to feel cosy - because it can be quite eye opening when we put it in this perspective and then compare it to the very light sleepwear recommendations often given for our babies who are teeny tiny and have very little body fat to keep themselves warm. 

Signs your baby is too hot or too cold.

The best way to check if your baby is too hot or too cold is to feel the back of their neck, chest, hands and feet.

Signs your baby is too hot: 

• Significant sweating
• Flushed checks
• Skin is clammy to touch
• Rapid breathing

Signs your baby is too cold:

• Neck, chest, hands or feet feel cool to touch
• Baby is waking regularly, unsettled mid-sleep, having trouble resettling between sleep cycles

The important point to make here is that babies are much more likely to be unsettled, restless and irritable if they are too cold rather than too hot. It is much easier to identify a baby that is too hot because the signs are much more obvious, and you can physically see and feel that they are uncomfortable.

How to keep your baby warm throughout the night.

I recommend all families have a reliable room temperature thermometer which is external to your baby monitor, as the inbuilt ones are often very inaccurate. Ideally the thermometer should be placed at cot level as this will give you the best idea what the room temperature actually is where your baby is sleeping.

You should base your babies sleepwear on the actual room temperature. In the colder months, it is very likely you will need a safe heating device to keep your babies room temperature warm and consistent. Sudden drops in the room temperature will likely mean your little one will wake upset, find it challenging to resettle back to sleep, or early rise (wake for the day before 6am).

The heating devices I recommend are panel or oil heaters. These provide a nice gentle warming of the room environment, without the risk of drying or overheating which can happen with ducted, fan and reverse cycle heating. Place your heater away from your baby’s cot and ensure the heater is uncovered and remains away from bedroom furnishings (such as curtains). It is also recommended to replace or have your heater checked every 12 months.

In the spring or summer months when the room temperature is warm in the beginning of the night but drops later (usually between 3am and 6am), you may need to increase your babies’ layers or have the heating switch on around this time to ensure your baby stays cosy until it is time to wake for the day.

In terms of dressing your baby for sleep, I recommend a combination of under layers such as long sleeve or short sleeve bodysuits, cotton long legged and armed onesies (with feet folded), and an appropriate TOG rated sleep swaddle or suit. I recommend using only cotton or bamboo sleepwear as this best allows your babies skin to breathe and reduces the risk of sweating and overheating.

Let’s talk about TOGs (Thermal Overall Grade).

Most baby sleepwear manufactures now rate their sleep swaddles, suits and bags with a TOG rating. A TOG rating is essentially a guide on how thick (or warm) a garment is.

As a rough guide, most sleep swaddles / bags / suits that are available are rated between 0.2 to 3.5 TOG. It is thought that 0.2 – 1 TOG is appropriate for summer conditions, 2.5 TOG for mild conditions, and 3.5 TOG for winter conditions. Keep in mind that although 3.5 TOG is considered ‘warm’ for winter conditions, it is still quite thin in comparison to adult bedding. Adult doonas or quilts are rated between 4.5 – 15 Tog, with 4.5 tog considered appropriate for summer conditions, 7.5 tog considered appropriate for mild conditions, and 15 tog considered appropriate for winter conditions.

When deciding which TOG rated sleepwear to dress your tiny baby in, I urge parents to really consider the difference in these TOG ratings when we compare it to how we like to go to sleep at night. Keeping in mind that it is also recommend for babies to sleep in a naked sleep space with no pillows, blankets or comforters that provide extra cosiness as this increases the risk of SIDS. They also sleep alone with no other persons radiating body heat for them (I do not recommend co-sleeping due to the increased risk of SIDS). They are often sleeping on their backs which is the coolest position for us to sleep in, and they have very little body fat to keep them warm unlike us adults. Simply, babies rely entirely on their sleepwear and room temperature to stay warm and cosy all night.

Warmth and cosiness plays a bigger part than we might think.

The key message I want parents to take away from this article is that yes – overheating our babies is a significant issue we want to avoid. However, warmth and cosiness is essential when it comes to enabling our babies and toddlers to sleep well so we need to find the right combination. This can be done safely with a good understanding of the signs to look out for that our babies are too hot or too cold, and with a thorough understanding of our babies sleep environment and sleepwear. Finding the optimal combination for our babies can be an absolute game changer when it comes to babies sleep and I encourage parents to use their best intuition. If it is cold and you feel cold, then your baby is freezing. Always be guided by your baby, they will let you know if something is not quite right. 

If you would like to know more about how to dress your baby or toddler in appropriate sleepwear layers for different climates and room temperatures I encourage you to download my Sleepwear Guide. This guide is a GAME CHANGER for families I work with and will be the best investment you make towards your baby or toddlers sleep for many years to come.

 

Jessica Rose is a certified Child & Baby Sleep Consultant. Find out more about how Jess helps families restore order and calm back in their little one’s sleep routine.