You can tell if your baby is too hot if their neck, back or tummy is sweaty or warm to the touch. Avoid the 'touch test' on a baby's hands and feet, as these will usually feel colder than the rest of their body and give an inaccurate body temperature.
Temperature: FAQs
Don't use their hands or feet as a guide as they will always feel cooler than the rest of their body. If your baby is too hot you will feel the skin is hot, slightly clammy or sweaty, and you will need to remove some layers.
A baby can overheat when they're asleep because of too much bedding or clothes, or because the room is too hot.
Babies will wake and cry if they're a bit chilly, and you can solve the problem then. But they won't likely do the same if they're too hot. And while I don't like to spark fear, especially when the summertime heat is beyond our control, overheating is a risk factor for SIDS (sudden infant death syndrome).
A baby is a lot less likely to cry if it's too hot than if it's too cold, because the heat can make your little one more lethargic and less responsive. Although some babies do cry if they're too hot, it's more likely that your baby will get restless or cranky rather than tearful.
The ideal room temperature should be around 18 degrees. Open windows to try and get a breeze going. A fan directed against a wall will cool the room without blowing directly onto the baby. You could also hang a damp towel or sheet in front of the fan, not over it.
"It is important we make sure baby doesn't get too hot or too cold for safe sleep without increased risk of SIDS. "A bedroom temperature of 16-20 degrees is ideal but in a heatwave we are getting temperatures of up to 28 degrees."
A child's body temperature rises faster than an adult's and they can be affected quickly by the impact of heat on their body. They are also more at risk than adults of becoming overheated and being affected by a heat-related illness.
Thus, it appears that heat stress alone does not cause SIDS but triggers other potentiating factors.
The Optimal Temperature for a Baby's Room in Australia
So much so that any changes in room temperature can make them fussy. That's why, according to The Sleep Store Australia, your baby's room shouldn't be either too hot or too cold. It should be somewhere between 18 to 22 degrees Celsius.
Is 75 degrees too hot for a baby to sleep? According to most pediatricians, your baby's ideal room is between 68 to 72 degrees. However, if you're living in a very hot climate, then temperatures of up to 75 degrees are acceptable.
SIDS is less common after 8 months of age, but parents and caregivers should continue to follow safe sleep practices to reduce the risk of SIDS and other sleep-related causes of infant death until baby's first birthday. More than 90% of all SIDS deaths occur before 6 months of age.
Overheating may increase the risk of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) in babies one month to one year of age. Many experts recommend that the temperature in the room where a baby's sleeps be kept between 68–72°F (20–22.2°C).
SIDS is most common at 2-4 months of age when the cardiorespiratory system of all infants is in rapid transition and therefore unstable. So, all infants in this age range are at risk for dysfunction of neurological control of breathing.
What should they wear? When temperatures get extreme (24+ degrees) it is important not to overdress your baby for bedtime. Really when it is this hot all they need is a thin cotton vest and their nappy. Extra layers mean extra risk of overheating, keep it minimal.
Room at 22 to 25 degrees: Use a lightweight 1.5 tog with a cotton bodysuit. Room above 25 degrees: Use a 0.5 tog sheet or muslin bag and a short-sleeved bodysuit.
Between 9-12 months, your baby should be able to fully adapt their body temperature to the external conditions. What you can do to help your baby to regulate their body temperature.
In summary, it is difficult to conclude which is better for babies to sleep with a fan or an air conditioner because both methods have their own pros and cons. Parents should depend on the actual circumstances to use the fan or air conditioner accordingly. Newborns are generally susceptible to respiratory diseases.
Do Babies Sleep Better in a Cold Room? Babies tend to sleep better in a comfortably cool room. Because babies have a greater proportion of exposed surface area for their weight, it is easier for them to lose body heat.
The results found that running a fan in a sleeping infant's room lowered the risk for SIDS by 72 percent. That risk was lowered even further when the infant's sleeping conditions put him or her at higher risk for SIDS, such as sleeping in a warm room or sleeping on the stomach.
White noise reduces the risk of SIDS.
We DO know that white noise reduces active sleep (which is the sleep state where SIDS is most likely to occur).