Tips on How To Help Your Baby Sleep Well In The Summer Heat
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We’ve all been there, stressing about the heat interfering with our baby/toddler’s sleep and wondering what we can do to help them be as comfortable as possible when sleeping to eliminate any excess wakes.
This blog post comes from the heart after having a newborn smack bang in the middle of summer who got the WORST heat rash ever at 4 weeks old. Imagine that! So, I’ve learnt a thing or two about how to get our little cub’s to still sleep well even when it’s hot outside.
DID YOU KNOW
To fall asleep at night and sleep well, we need our body temperature to drop low enough to be able to sleep restfully.
It’s the same for our baby’s too, except we need to pay a little more attention to their environment. Babies don’t have the ability to cool themselves down by sweating like us adults can, so this brings me into my first tip (and probably the most obvious), provide some good ventilation.
o Use a ceiling or portable fan to circulate the air in your child’s bedroom. If you’re using a portable fan, set it to pan the whole room instead of blasting cold air continuously onto them.
o Invest in some portable thermal block out blinds. I love to recommend the 100% blackout blinds from Sleepy Sundays. If you click this link and use code ‘hushlittlecubs’ at checkout, you’ll get 15% OFF.
o Dress in less layers. The saying “dress your baby to the coldest part of the night” is absurd and needs to be squashed! Instead, you may need to dress them in a very light sleeping bag with just a singlet/ nappy or ditch the sleep sack and have them sleep in just a nappy. Depending how the temperature in the room decreases overnight, you may need to go in later to add a layer or a warmer sleep sack.
o It’s also important to keep to your little cub’s regular daytime nap routine and if naps aren’t that great, compensate with an extra catnap to relieve any built-up sleep pressure. Or head for an earlier bedtime instead. For winddown routines at night, be sure to shut all the blinds and turn off any devices at least 1 hour before bedtime to start the secretion of their sleepy hormones and get them used to the idea that sleep is nearing.
o If you’re a morning person and prefer to get out and about before the heat hits, try to make it home by midday so your child is given the opportunity to have a decent lunch sleep. Pram naps on the go will be your best friend also. Grab a small clip-on fan to circulate some air while they nap and incorporate the ‘Blinky Trip Shade’ accessory to block out the harmful sun rays with the bonus of darkening their sleep space. Perfect for those that struggle to nap in full daylight.
Some smaller but mighty tips to help your child sleep
o Give them a lukewarm bath a little earlier to cool their core body temperature. You may even like to add in a cool bath before their big lunch nap to increase your chances of them sleeping longer.
o Get a room thermometer to keep an eye on the temp
o Give extra fluids throughout the day. More milk feeds if under 6 months and water if past 6 months to ensure they stay hydrated.
o Have a damp hand towel ready for any wakes where you need to cool your baby/toddler down throughout the night.
o Try to avoid having your child physically upset. The more upset they are the higher their temperature increases and the harder it will be to calm them down
ARE YOU NEEDING SOME EXTRA GUIDENCE?
If you’re struggling to find the balance with your baby’s sleep or need some support with cutting down night wakes, early rising, catnapping, routine changes etc. Head to my website https://www.hushlittlecubs.com and check out my range of 1:1 support packages that allows me to help you achieve sleep success… because everyone deserves to be well rested.