How To Dress Your Baby For Bedtime In The Summer.
Emily Kelly / Snoozy Sleep / July 2020
During the balmy summer nights, it can feel like rocket science trying to figure out what to dress your little one in for bed. As soon as we get nice weather, I am always inundated with questions from parents who are understandably concerned with ensuring their little one does not get too hot at night.
For dressing baby, I always go by The Gro Company’s “What To Wear Chart”, as this gives an easy to follow visual on what your options are dependant on the temperature of your little ones sleep space.
I would also go by your baby, how hot you think their room feels, and whether their room drops in temperature overnight. To give you an example: my sons room is always hot in the summer, measuring around 28-30 and does not drop in temperature overnight, so I put him into bed in either just a vest or a nappy and a 0.5 tog sleeping bag.
My Top Tips
- Close the curtains and keep the windows open during the day to keep rooms as cool as possible.
- Give your baby a tepid bath before bed, but ensure they are not in it for too long.
- Use only cotton to dress your baby - I love the range of organic cotton sleepsuits from Juddlies, you can see a selection of these here.
- Use a summer tog sleeping bag or a cotton muslin if you are swaddling your baby - Style My Kid have some beautiful Swaddles, Muslins and Sleeping Bags Avalaible - See Here
- Have a fan circulating the room if their room is hot but ensure it is not pointing directly at the baby (you get a double whammy with this as it also acts as white noise!).
- Offer water throughout the day to babies 6 months+. If you are breastfeeding, then your breastmilk will provide what they need, and they may need more feeds in the day.
- Natural fruit ice lollies made from natural fruit juices / yoghurt make a great summer treat for older babies and children!
- If you want to get a good indication of your little one’s body temperature, then put your hand on their tummy or back, as their hands / feet / legs / arms are always cooler.
- Allow yourself to let go of your routine a little bit – they may want to sleep longer in the day because of the heat, or it could disrupt naps entirely. Go with the flow and have a slightly later bedtime as this means they are being put to bed when it is a little cooler, and this will help them settle.
More help and support to help improve your childs sleep can be found at https://www.snoozysleep.co.uk
Emily Kelly is a Certified Infant Sleep Consultant
