It's better for the baby to sleep in a cool place.
The question of what room temperature a baby should sleep at is often asked, and parents have different opinions on the answers. Some people seek information from their pediatrician or health visitor, or they read up on the recommendations, and try to create the optimal environment for their child to sleep in, according to their recommendations.
Others, guided by their own opinions and, so to speak, without concern, allow the temperature to fluctuate within a larger range and adapt to external changes by dressing their child.
We would like to answer this question in a way that helps both sides. On the one hand, because there are those who like to follow the rules, and there are those who try to create the ideal environment for their child based on their own perceptions. Moreover, there are those who, although they would like to listen to professional recommendations, cannot solve the problem of regulating the temperature in the apartment, so they have to resort to other solutions to correct this.
The right temperature for a baby to sleep is 20-22 degrees.
While a comfortable temperature for us during the day is suitable for the baby, the most common view is that a slightly cooler, but not cold , temperature of around 20-22 degrees is the most ideal for sleeping. This is because when the air is cool, sleep can be more relaxing.
At lower temperatures, we can avoid sweating, arousal, and nighttime awakenings. We may have experienced this ourselves.
The body has a function that moves the body temperature during sleep according to a kind of rhythm. From the age of 3 months, this rhythm becomes regular, similar to that of adults. This function results in the body cooling down in the evening hours, when falling asleep, and warming up at dawn and in the morning. If the room temperature is too high, the baby may sweat uncomfortably when it warms up in the morning, which can also disrupt his sleep.
If the room is too warm, the whole family will have a harder time falling asleep, and the quality of sleep will also deteriorate. On the other hand, cold air reduces blood circulation in the child's limbs, the body cools down, and the protection of the mucous membranes decreases, which can cause a runny nose, sore throat, and cough.
Newborns have different temperature needs
They cannot yet properly regulate their own body temperature or compensate for environmental influences. For them, choose a slightly warmer room temperature of 22-24 degrees until they are about 1 month old, and make sure to dress them warmly.
What should we do if the temperature in the apartment cannot be controlled?
If we cannot change the heating in our apartment and it is very warm, 23-24 degrees during the winter heating season, there are a few ways to cool the air. One of the most common, but otherwise wasteful, methods is to constantly open the windows a crack and let the cold air from outside do its job.
The advantage of this is that the apartment is filled with fresh air - as long as it is not next to a very busy or dusty road - and a constant optimal temperature can be created relatively easily.
Do not open the window directly onto the baby, instead find a room where fresh, cool air can flow into the baby's room with a gentle breeze.
Many homes now have air conditioning, which provides an even temperature. Some people are sensitive to it, so it's best to keep the unit as far away from the child's bed as possible.
Whichever method we use, always make sure that the baby is not exposed to drafts or direct cold air.
Spring and autumn – when there is no heating yet
We can get into trouble when the daytime temperature is higher than the morning temperature. This usually happens in autumn and spring when there is a large daily temperature fluctuation and there is no heating yet. In apartments with a mixed-fuel boiler, the situation can be similar in winter, as the evening ignition suddenly increases the heat, which also cools down relatively quickly at night.
If we can freely decide when to start heating the apartment at night in the fall, then we can regulate the heat, which can be ideal. However, if we cannot do this, then we can mainly vary with clothing and a little evening ventilation .
We've brought you a good and simple tip from a mother for when it's warmer in the evening and the air cools down by dawn:
"In the evening, I put the child to sleep in his overalls, while I prepared his sleeping bag on the changing table, opening it. At night, when he woke up to feed, I put him in the sleeping bag and put him back to bed. That way, he wouldn't be cold at dawn, when the air in the room cooled down."
Temperature difference between rooms in the apartment
If possible, try to adjust the temperature of the rooms where you bring your baby so that there is not too much difference between them. Sudden cold can be a problem, but air movement and the feeling of drafts are also stronger when the temperatures in the rooms are different. Keep your baby in a place where there is no strong air movement, air conditioning, or disturbing drafts.
Dressing your baby for sleep
Since what your baby sleeps in is such an important topic, we've written a whole article about it, which we recommend you read. You'll learn how a baby's body temperature is regulated, what the normal range is, how their body temperature changes at night, and how to tell if your child is cold or hot.
Humidity
Since this value is related to air temperature, it's good to talk about it.
For healthy adults, a humidity of 40-60% is optimal. For children, it is higher, 60-70% . Humidity affects our perception of heat: at higher values, the air feels warmer, and at lower values, it feels colder.
Why is it a problem if the air humidity is too low?
Because the mucous membranes can dry out more easily, which can cause irritation: scratchy throat, dry eyes, dry mouth, dry cough. If the mucous membranes cannot provide sufficient protection against pathogens, the baby may get sick more often.
We must not go to extremes!
Excessive humidity promotes the growth of pathogens, mold, and mildew, especially in older buildings.
Let's create the right value!
If necessary, evaporate. Hanging clothes out in the apartment can be a good solution if you choose the detergent carefully. Remember that detergents and fabric softeners contain chemicals and synthetic substances. When clothes dry in the apartment, these substances evaporate into the air, and this air is inhaled by the baby and the family every day.
Therefore, use detergents containing natural ingredients, and you can also rinse with vinegar, which disinfects, softens, and gives clothes a fresh scent.
If the humidity is high, we can try to improve the values with frequent ventilation or dehumidifiers.
Did you know?
The optimal temperature recommendation for sleeping in other cultures may differ from ours. There are European countries where 18-19 degrees is considered ideal. Nordic people, for example, are typically better adapted to the cool, which is why they often put their children to sleep outside in the cold air, in strollers. For them, this is natural.
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