How to dress a child for sleep in a 21 degree room?

Perhaps one of the most commonly used night temperatures is 21 degrees. In a family, family members may have different perceptions of heat. It is very common, for example, when dad “gets hot” and mom shivers wrapped in a blanket. In such cases, it is very difficult to find a common denominator, because they often cannot accept each other's different needs and perceptions. 

Just like adults, children can have different senses of heat and body temperature regulation. Since little ones can't yet indicate this, we can check their condition by touch. All we need to do is reach under their clothes at the neck and see if they are sweating or if their back is cold.

In case of different needs, a compromise is usually reached that is acceptable to all family members. In many cases, this is usually around 21 degrees, which can also be suitable from an economic point of view. We have now brought you general clothing recommendations for this room temperature, as well as charming tips from LiaaBébé.

Dressing your child for sleep may vary depending on their age.

It is worth considering the needs of newborns and premature babies, infants, and older children separately.

Dressing newborn and premature babies in 21 degrees 

In the first few weeks, a newborn baby needs warmer clothing, which means a thinner extra layer compared to the clothes of a few-month-old baby. During this period, their body is not yet able to properly compensate for external temperature effects that can affect their body temperature. This means that we need to pay more attention to them, because they can get cold more easily, but they can also get hotter. In the case of premature babies, this period may last longer, so it is worth asking your pediatrician for a personalized opinion on this.

Source: EFCNI Academy

Dressing babies for sleep at a room temperature of 21 degrees

Choose a short or long-sleeved bodysuit for him, which can be worn with a jumpsuit , and a 1.5 TOG sleeping bag or toddler sleeping bag . If you are using a 2.5 TOG sleeping bag, a bodysuit may be enough underneath.

What should older children wear?

Consider whether your child can already pull the blanket on himself. If he kicks the blanket off at night, but can't pull it back on when he's cold, then a sleeping bag or toddler sleeping bag is even more ideal for him to keep him from getting cold.

However, if he is already covering himself up and wrapping himself up, meaning he can automatically regulate his own body temperature at night using the blanket, then you can put on two-piece pajamas with a tank top, or a short-sleeved or long-sleeved T-shirt. This depends on how sensitive he is to the cold.

Parents often start using pajamas much earlier because they find them more comfortable to wear. Or simply because the child likes them. In this case, you can also safely use a sleeping bag with pajamas if the child is not yet able to cover himself.

We recommend the sleeping bag for several reasons.

As we have already mentioned, children are not able to get out and cover themselves at night until a certain age, which is the primary reason why we consider a sleeping bag to be a very useful accessory.

It is also worth keeping in mind that we, as parents, can sleep much more restfully if we don't have to get up every hour at night to cover our little one. This may seem like a temporary period to us, but it can easily lead to sleep problems. If we wake up every night according to a schedule to every little noise, and the "I need to cover my baby because he must have kicked the blanket off" signal immediately goes off in our head, then this may persist later on, and it will be harder for us to reach deeper levels of sleep.

Let's talk about TOG in sleeping bags!

TOG is a unit of measurement that indicates the thickness of the material from which the sleeping bag is made. It shows how well the product keeps the body warm. The higher the TOG value, the warmer the sleeping bag, bedding.

Don't decide based on the season! Always consider the average temperature of the room:

• 0.5 TOG 22-25 degrees C (Summer)
• 1.5 TOG 20-23 degrees C (Spring, Autumn)
• 2.5 TOG 18-21 degrees C (Winter)

How do we determine what the constant temperature of the bedroom is?

Never in another room. The temperature in the rooms of the apartment can be very different, and we often don't even notice it because we are moving. But a tiny baby, who is just lying down and not moving, and who can't even regulate its own body temperature properly, feels it exactly.

This question may seem unnecessary at first, but it is good to make sure that the measurement is always done next to the baby's bed, with the window closed. It is generally not a good idea to open a window in the baby's room, or at least not so that the child is not directly exposed to the incoming air.

Did you know that a person's body temperature changes at night?

For us adults and for babies over 3 months old. It's a rhythm. When we fall asleep, our bodies cool down and in the morning they warm up. You may have noticed this when you woke up feeling warm in the morning.

Therefore, check your child's neck and back occasionally in the morning, as described at the beginning of the article. 

Why does LiaaBébé recommend bamboo baby clothes for sleeping at a temperature of 21 degrees? 

Because clothes made from bamboo fiber have excellent moisture absorption and heat regulation capabilities, are extra flexible, and come in beautiful bright colors and patterns that children love.

The thermoregulation ability of a garment may not be obvious to you, so we will write a little about it. Textiles made of bamboo fiber pleasantly warm the body in winter and have a cooling effect in summer. This balances the temperature, avoiding sweating, rashes, or goosebumps and marbled skin. This way, the child will sleep restfully at night.

What kind of clothes would your child like if they could choose their own clothes?

We tried to let go of the pale, pastel, beige shades a little and chose really unique, bright colors. Just to catch his attention with it. We also have tiger stripes, dinosaur dots, stars, flowers, and shark patterns.

Why do children like flexible materials?

Because getting dressed is quick and easy with them, we save them and ourselves from tight clothes that we can barely fit their little hands into. If getting dressed is filled with joy, it has an impact on the family as well. 

Not the least important aspect is that they can move completely freely in these clothes. They can turn while sleeping, move while climbing. Their legs don't get caught. 

Why do we, parents, love bamboo fiber baby clothes?

In addition to the above benefits, we find that these products are so flexible that they "grow with" the baby for a long time. Since they are very durable, we have to buy clothes for our little ones much less often.