Babies cool themselves down by releasing heat from their heads and faces. Babies can quickly overheat if they fall asleep wearing hats or beanies. So it's important to keep your baby's head uncovered during sleep. Headwear in bed can also be a choking or suffocation hazard.
Generally, your little one should have a hat on for as long as it is cold outside or if the temperature indoors is lower than around 68 degrees. However, you need to keep checking your baby's temperature to ensure that they are neither too cold nor too hot with their hat on.
As a matter of fact, it isn't necessary to cover a baby's head after delivery.
Babies heads are larger relative to their bodies than adults', so in chilly environments, they lose heat much faster than full-grown humans. That's why a hat is key to preventing heat transfer and keeping your little one comfortable, warm, and safe in colder months.
Dress your baby in light sleep clothes.
Remove any strings or ties from his pajamas and don't cover his head. A blanket sleeper can help keep your baby warm without covering his head or face. It's safe to swaddle your baby for sleep until he can roll over onto his tummy. But once he can roll over, stop swaddling.
When dressing your newborn for bed, follow this rule of thumb: dress the infant in one additional layer than what you'd be comfortable wearing at night in that room. Consider a onesie, sleep sack, or lightweight swaddle in warmer months. In colder months, opt for a long-sleeved onesie or a heavier sleepsack or swaddle.
In warmer weather, you can dress baby in a sleeveless and legless onesies, or just a nappy and singlet. For cooler weather, a full suit will keep baby warm. If you are using a sleeping bag, select the TOG that matches the temperature of the room.
Babies that are too cold will not exert the energy it takes to cry, and may be uninterested in feeding. Their energy is being consumed by trying to stay warm. A baby that is dangerously chilled will have cold hands and feet and even baby's chest will be cold under his or her clothes.
Recommendations for Parents and Caregivers
Do not use infant head shaping pillows due to the risk of sudden unexpected infant death (SUID), inclusive of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), and suffocation and death. If you own an infant head shaping pillow, throw it away; do not donate or give it to anyone else.
You should dress your baby one-to-two layers to sleep—make sure they don't have any strings or ties—and never cover baby's head. Until the baby can roll on their own, a swaddle or sleep sack can be one of those layers.
Even if babe is super warm, if they are breathing in cold air, it can wake them up. This is often the cause for early morning waking - as a baby who has gone to bed in a cold room wakes up as the temp drops suddenly in the early hours.
Although your baby's hands and face may feel cold, this may differ from their core body temperature. To give you a better idea if they are warm or cold, feel the skin on their tummy and back. Their skin should feel warm and not too hot or cold.
Make sure your baby's head and face cannot become covered while sleeping to prevent suffocation or overheating. Tuck in sheets and blankets or use a safe infant sleeping bag. Do not use a doona, cot bumper, mattress padding, sheep skin or leave soft toys in the cot.
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.
A baby can overheat when they're asleep because of too much bedding or clothes, or because the room is too hot.
The rule of thumb is that baby should wear what you would be comfortable in, plus 1 layer. For example, a recommended outfit for baby to sleep in would be a onesie, footed pajamas and swaddle blanket.
If it is warm outside, putting your baby in a diaper underneath the swaddle may just be enough. If however, the temperature is cold, it's a good idea to put baby in a short or long sleeved onesie or even footy pajamas to ensure that baby is kept warm.
The temperature can make your baby cry. They may cry because they are too hot or too cold. If your baby is fussy because of the temperature, there are signs that you can look for. Signs of the baby being too hot are sweating, damp hair, heat rash, or clammy skin.
Instead of adding blankets, add a layer of clothing. For example, you may want to consider whether your baby may benefit from a wearing vest under his or her baby-grow or pajamas. You may prefer to put your baby in a baby-grow/onesie with feet when it is cold, but without at warmer times of the year.
We advise only using a heater to take the chill off your baby's room, as babies should not sleep in hot rooms. The recommended room temperature for a baby is 16 to 20 degrees, with around 18 degrees being ideal.