How to dress a baby in summer or during a heatwave?

While there used to be general recommendations for what to dress your child in for certain seasons, this method no longer works today. Our weather is so unpredictable these days – think of mild winters or increasingly hot summer heat waves – that we always have to consider the situation at hand. This requires a little more attention, but if we know a few basic rules, we can always make the right decision.

The most common suggestion for dressing a baby is to add one more layer than the clothes we as adults feel comfortable in. This still holds true today, but we also need to take other individual factors into account. It depends on how old the baby is, how mobile they are at this stage, whether they are about to sleep or play, and what their specific physical characteristics are. There are babies who are colder and some who warm up more easily. As parents, we will get to know our child, and dressing them will become a complete routine.

To provide a suitable guideline that you can always refer to, we mention some important aspects in our article.

Source: Maternity Obstetrics and Gynecology Private Clinic , Kata Szilvási

Dressing newborns

Up until the age of 6 weeks, a baby cannot properly regulate its own body temperature. It is not able to adequately compensate for the environmental influences that affect its body temperature. Also, keep in mind that it is not moving yet, so its body does not produce heat as much as older babies who are already crawling, climbing, and rolling around a lot. Therefore, it is especially important to pay attention to putting one more layer of clothing on it than we ourselves feel comfortable in the given air temperature.

What does this mean for specific room and outdoor temperatures?

It is ideal for a newborn to wear a bodysuit and long-sleeved romper above 20-25 degrees. A romper is enough between 25-30 degrees, and a bodysuit above 30 degrees. This is a temperature so high that it is not even necessary to put socks on his feet. In the event of a heat wave, he can be safely in a diaper, and when sleeping, cover him with a thin cotton cloth diaper.

Source: Maternity blog

Dressing a baby after 6 weeks of age 

We should feel free to monitor our own temperature when we dress, and also check the room thermometer. It helps a lot if we can fit the given temperature into a certain interval – for example, between 20-25 degrees, or 25-30 degrees, and for this we already know routinely what clothes to choose. This way we will quickly become skilled at dressing.

Always check the nape of your baby's neck to see if he is warm or cold. Don't rely on his hands and feet, as they don't always reflect his true condition and are often cold. You don't have to be as careful as you were when he was a newborn, but you should determine the optimal clothing for your baby in a similar way as you did in the first few weeks.

Let's always remember that even though they are still small, they are just as warm as we are.

It matters whether the baby is getting ready to sleep or is awake and moving around. You can read about what your baby should sleep in based on the outside temperature and your own individual needs in our previous article.

 How to dress your baby on summer days?

Children over six months old can safely wear one layer of clothing above 20 degrees Celsius. Above 25 degrees Celsius, a diaper is enough, but if the floor is cold, since they are already crawling, they should definitely wear socks on their feet.

Source: Kata Szilvási

When the baby can walk 

In the summer heat, do not overdress your toddler. On the one hand, because he moves a lot and can quickly get hot and sweaty. On the other hand, he can catch a cold when he suddenly enters an air-conditioned apartment or a store while shopping. This is important to keep in mind at any age, and if you take him to a room that is much cooler than the current outside temperature, you should slowly get him used to it.

In the case of a child who can walk, in the summer we can safely give them clothes that we wear ourselves: a T-shirt, shorts, or if we prefer to dress them in a one-piece, then a short-sleeved bodysuit. If we want, we can give them shorts over the bodysuit. In the heat, they feel really good in a diaper, or even without it, outside in the yard.

Let's also consider individual things

This can be the case when a baby is colder, or often gets hot quickly and sweaty. We can notice this through experience with our own child. A consideration can be whether we have air conditioning, and how the cold and warm air circulates inside the apartment. Is there a carpet on the floor? If not, then wearing socks is recommended for babies who are moving around even in the summer.

Diapers and lots of heat

Diapers can cause diaper rash more easily in sensitive babies in the summer. Therefore, it is worth choosing an extra thin product during this time, even if they will need to be changed more frequently due to their lower absorption capacity. We can also find a wide range of well-ventilated washable cloth diapers.

However, it is best to leave your baby without a diaper as much as possible during the day, so that his skin can breathe. They really like to be naked, and at this time they start to move freely, make noises, and the older ones start to run around. If we also include a little splashing, then it is not worth putting a swim diaper on him at home. Let him be free! This diaper allows the pee to pass through, its function is mainly on the beach.

What textiles should we choose in summer?

Choose baby and toddler clothes for summer that are well-ventilated and made from natural materials. Cotton and linen are good choices, as these are the most commonly worn summer textiles today.

Bamboo viscose material is an innovative and environmentally conscious product that is extremely breathable and has a much higher moisture absorption capacity than cotton. With it, we can avoid our child from sweating and being hot in the summer. LiaaBébé baby clothes are caressingly soft, wonderfully elastic, and comfortable all day long. We don't have to worry about our child overheating in the heat of play, as the material has a pleasant cooling effect on the skin and body in the summer.

Other accessories for summer 

We shouldn't forget about accessories for baby clothes, especially when we're going outdoors. Outdoors, we have to deal with many different environmental influences – sunlight, high UV, strong wind, rain, heat, mosquitoes – for which it's good to be prepared.

In summer, a thin, well-ventilated brimmed hat is a basic item, protecting your little one from the sun. Only put it on if the sun can really reach his head. Otherwise, it is unnecessary. Remember that even the thinnest hat will warm your baby's head.

A sunshade or sun sail that can be mounted on a stroller is often sufficient and provides adequate UV and heat protection even without a summer hat. It prevents the baby's sensitive skin from being damaged by sunlight. If such devices are not available, a cloth diaper can also provide adequate protection by clipping it to the stroller's canopy or placing it towards the child's feet. Always make sure that the stroller has adequate ventilation at the head and that excessive heat does not build up under the canopy.

There are stroller inserts and cushions available that are specifically designed for the summer season. They are made of breathable material, comfortably support the baby's body and prevent sweating. Similarly, we can find covers for child car seats for this purpose. A plain cotton cloth diaper also fulfills this function well in the case of a stroller, if placed under the child. It is not recommended for a car seat because it can slip, which can be a safety problem.

Protect your child's sensitive skin at the beach! You can easily put a thin, comfortable T-shirt on them, which you can keep in your diaper bag for this purpose.