Keeping your baby or child cool at night

Whether it is the couple weeks of sunshine we get in the UK summer or you are planning a trip abroad, as a parent you may be worried about the heat impacting your little ones sleep. At times like this  I have many parents emailing me concerned that their child will be too hot looking for some guidance. I often suggest a 3 pronged approach to help keep your child cool at night.

Cooling down before bed

Before bed there are a few steps you can take to try and get your little ones body temperate down in order to promote sleep. I believe what makes the biggest impact on keeping your child cool at night is a tepid bath. You do not want the water to be unpleasant and cold but suitable cool that it will lower your child’s body temperature. Following their bath you will want to dry them gentle & apply a moisturiser, which will also help cool your child’s skin.

Following bath time it’s a great idea to keep your child calm and relaxed to stop them getting hot again! Puzzles & stories are a great calm activity for before bed.

Another technique to try with older children is to give them an ice cube to suck. This can be quite fun and get every very excited so I would suggest is perhaps a method to try not too close to lights out!

Staying cool during the night

This is the hardest aspect of keeping your child cool at night. Below I will give you 5 simple steps to follow which can be used by any member of your family to help sleep when it’s hot.

Tip 1

The first and rather obvious thing you can do to keep your child cool at night is to put a fan in their bedroom. Many parents worry that this additional noise will keep their little ones up. However the fan will not only help sleep by moving air in their bedroom, it will also create white noise. One thing to note is don’t have the fan pointing directly at your child, oscillating or pointing at a wall is best.

Tip 2

Keep your child still in a vest/sleeping bag but in the lightest possible tog. Cotton materials on our skin help to wick away sweat & cool the body so actually help keep the body cooler than with nothing on. It’s important to follow your specific sleeping bag guidance for exact details of what tog to use when.

Tip 3

Allow your child to drink/breastfeed as much as they like when it’s hot night or day. Some parents worry about their little ones waking in the night for a wee or wetting the bed but during these hot periods you should be actively encoring your child to drink as much as possible to replace their lost fluids.

Tip 4

Another very obvious method of keeping cool is to keep the window ajar. However I don’t recommend having the window fully open unless you share the room with your child. This is because the temperature could drop rapidly at night without you realising.

Tip 5

The final tip to keep your little one cool during the night involves cool water & a flannel. If your child wakes gently wipe a cool flannel over exposed parts of their body ( arms, legs & neck). You should only do this if your little one tolerates it but by doing so you will temporarily be able to bring down their body heat giving them a relief from the heat. Older children are likely to find this a much more enjoyable experience!

Keeping the sleeping areas cool

You will probably know many of these points but ideal home perfectly summarises the changes you can make in the bedroom to help reduce its temperature on a hot day. https://www.idealhome.co.uk/bedroom/too-hot-to-sleep-stay-cool-in-bed-173174

One important thing to be aware of during the warm nights is a condition called febrile convulsion. This is where a child suffers a seizure due to their core body temperature rising. Whilst this is associated with fevers from illness such as the flu heat related illnesses including sun stroke can also cause this. It can be extremely scary for parents especially if it’s the first time. If this happens you should put your child in the recovery position, call an ambulance and time the seizure.

Helping your little one sleep during the hot nights is a tricky process for many parents. A sleep consultant will be able to provide you with a sleep plan that’s adapted to the hot nights. Book in your free 15 minute introductory call to hear how I can help your family with their sleep issues https://diddidreamers.co.uk/appointments/

Sending sweet dreams to you and your little ones

Emily

xxx

https://www.facebook.com/Diddidreamers

If you are reading this blog before taking your child abroad consider reading another of our blogs on awake windows to help deal with time differences https://diddidreamers.co.uk/awake-windows-explained-by-a-sleep-consultant/