You have just installed your baby in his new room, but you wonder what temperature it is best to maintain within it?
Indeed, rooms that are too cold or too hot are one of the main causes of illness in children, and particularly babies. They can also prevent them from sleeping properly and this can hinder their physical and mental development.
In order for your baby to enjoy a long night's sleep, you must ensure that the conditions are ideal for him. Thus, when you prepare his room, make sure that it is equipped with good heating, for winter, and an appropriate air conditioner for babies, for periods of heat wave, in summer. In this article, we invite you to discover:
- What is the ideal temperature for a baby's room?
- How to maintain the right temperature in the room?
- How do you know if your baby is too hot or too cold?
- Our tips to guarantee the comfort of your baby
- Our FAQ regarding the temperature of the baby's room
Let's get started without further ado!
What temperature for your baby's room?
In general, the ideal temperature for a baby's room is between 18 and 20°C . This temperature level may seem a bit low to you, but it is ideal for newborns and babies aged a few months up to two years. Such a room temperature is comfortable for babies and helps them fall asleep easily. Considering the benefits that restful sleep can have on your child's development, you have every reason to make sure their bedroom temperature is just right.
On the other hand, cold and heat can easily disturb the baby's sleep and cause him to have nightmares. So you also have to make sure that you don't make your child wear too many clothes. If the room temperature is perfect, he can be satisfied with a light outfit. Moreover, it is always strongly advised to avoid making your child wear a lot of clothes, because suffocation due to increased heat is a significant cause of infant mortality in infants.
This is because they need time to develop their sleep cycles and to regulate their body temperature on their own. They are also known to sweat significantly less and therefore find it difficult to cool their bodies effectively.
How to maintain a good room temperature for the baby?
The good news is that it is possible to keep the temperature in your baby's room at an ideal level. To do this, do not hesitate to:
- Stay next to the baby's room: check the room temperature every 10 to 15 minutes. You should maintain this habit until your baby's first birthday. Of course, the newborn must stay in the parents' room. So you have to get used to the somewhat low room temperature.
- Use heating carefully: as mentioned above, heat is a major cause of sudden infant death. To limit this risk, constantly check the temperature of the heater in the room. We also recommend that you place a thermometer in the baby's room and check it regularly to ensure that the temperature is indeed at the desired level.
- Avoid direct contact with sources of cold and heat: this is especially true for newborns. When choosing a location for your baby's crib, please ensure that your baby's crib is not next to a window, door, heater, air conditioner, or any other device that could to affect the temperature of the surrounding space.
- Keeping the room cool in summer: you may have noticed that due to global warming, summers are getting hotter and hotter. You must therefore absolutely protect your baby from the heat wave, by using a fan or installing an air conditioner in his room. That said, in both cases, make sure that the air released by the devices does not come into direct contact with your child and make sure that your baby is not sweaty, before placing him in the room. because it could make him sick.
Don't forget to consider the baby's stage of development. As you know by now, newborn babies cannot cool their bodies like older children do. It would therefore not be a bad idea to preserve a certain freshness in the room.
Also, it is important to note that many factors can affect the temperature of a room. We think, in particular, of the quality of the insulation of the room , if the latter is located in a house or a building, if the home is located in an urban or rural area, etc. Parents should always be prepared to change the room temperature so that it suits the baby perfectly. It is also recommended to place the latter in the room that undergoes the least temperature changes.
Signs that show if the baby is too cold or too hot
Sweating and warmth to the touch are obvious signs of baby's body temperature. On the other hand, cold body, pale skin, shivering, difficulty breathing, vomiting, stress, and fatigue are signs of hypothermia.
To find out if your baby is too cold or too hot, start by putting your hand on his abdomen. This part of the body is the most reliable to give an idea of the temperature of the baby, to the touch. If your child continues to give worrying signs when the room temperature is ideal, do not hesitate to contact your pediatrician.
The best tips for your baby to sleep comfortably
When your child sleeps comfortably, the whole family sleeps better. Here, we present our selection of the best tips to guarantee a deep sleep for your baby.
Share the room with the baby, but not the bed
Until your baby celebrates his first birthday, it is recommended to let him sleep in his crib, rather than letting him sleep next to you, because your body heat can strongly affect his.
Place the baby on his back
This position is ideal for helping your child sleep. It promotes blood circulation and facilitates breathing, because the weight of the baby is not likely to weigh on his rib cage. We therefore strongly advise you to always place your baby on his back when it's time to sleep. This also applies even for short naps.
Always empty the baby's crib before sleeping
While you can let your baby play with his stuffed animals and toys in his crib, it is not recommended to let him sleep with them. Indeed, any object that you can leave next to your baby can constitute a risk. Toys may have detachable parts that could choke him if he accidentally swallows them. Moreover, even blankets and pillows are potentially dangerous and it is better to remove them from the crib.
Choose the right clothes for the baby
Choose flexible and light clothing to guarantee optimal comfort for your child. Since the room temperature is ideal, your baby does not need to wear too many clothes. That said, when it's cold, it's better to lower the temperature of the heating and make him wear warm clothes. In this way, the child does not risk sweating and catching cold, as a result.
Swaddle the baby
If you prefer to swaddle your baby, always place him on his back and use a lightweight fabric. However, we advise you not to swaddle him again when he learns to roll over on his stomach, as this can be dangerous, especially if he is not constantly supervised. Moreover, at this level of development, swaddling can become a source of frustration for the baby, because of the lack of mobility it causes.
Follow a sleep routine for the baby
A sleep routine can be hugely beneficial to your baby's development. This should include a series of activities to do every night, just before bedtime. You can start by playing with your child to tire him out, then read him a story, then sing him lullabies until he falls asleep.
The temperature of the baby's room: what you need to know
Do you still have unanswered questions about the temperature of the baby's room? We suggest you take a look at our FAQ, here:
What is the ideal room temperature for a sleeping baby?
The perfect temperature to help babies sleep is between 20 and 22°C, which is two degrees warmer than when they are awake. Of course, the baby's clothes must also be taken into account. The more clothes they wear, the colder the room temperature should be.
Likewise, the climate and humidity level of the area you live in are important and should definitely be taken into consideration. That said, in any case, you should always avoid overheating the room when it's cold and overcooling it when it's hot. Also, give the baby time to get used to the natural room temperature before taking him out of the house.
What temperature level is considered too high for a baby?
We can say that a room is too hot for a baby when its temperature exceeds the 22°C mark. In this case, it is strongly recommended to use a fan or an air conditioner, in order to lower the temperature of the room. Do not hesitate, either, to make your child wear fewer clothes, so that he can regulate his body temperature more easily. To find out if the baby is too hot, place the palm of your hand on his abdomen.
Do babies sleep better in a cold room?
Yes ! Babies one year old and younger sleep better when the room is quite cold. This is due to the fact that the little ones have a greater surface area of exposed skin in relation to their weight and this causes them to lose body heat more quickly. For this reason, it is strongly recommended that they wear an additional layer of clothing compared to adults.
How do you know if a baby is cold?
It's easy to tell if your baby is cold. You just need to put the palm of your hand on her stomach. If you notice that his skin is cold, it means that he is probably cold. It's also good to know that as long as he's not shaking, your baby shouldn't be that cold. In this case, just increase the heating by one or two degrees.
That said, if these symptoms persist, and you find that your baby:
- has pale skin
- has difficulty breathing
- throws up
- is irritated (for no apparent reason)
- has eating disorders
So it is strongly recommended to consult the pediatrician. Chances are your baby has hypothermia.
You now know how to maintain the ideal temperature in your child's room. By following our advice, you will know immediately if your child is cold or too hot, and you will therefore be able to regulate the temperature of his room on the basis of this. Don't forget to lower the temperature of the room a little more and to add a layer of clothes to your baby, when the latter is about to sleep.