Cold or hot: how should I dress
my baby for bed?
A frequent question when we are a mother is how to dress the baby to sleep. Do I put on an extra jacket? Or should I take one piece off to make my little one more comfortable?
1- THE BABY'S BODY THERMOREGULATION SYSTEM
Thermoregulation is the ability to balance between heat production. Babies have an immature thermoregulation system and this means that they are unable to cool down when they are overheated or, conversely, warm up when they are underdressed. Therefore, little ones are sensitive to temperature variations, which requires special attention from parents, especially in the first few months.
By dressing the baby properly, parents can avoid both the risk of hyperthermia (when the baby's body temperature rises too much) and hypothermia (when the temperature drops too low). For the comfort and safety of the baby, the objective is to find a balance between the ambient temperature and the amount of clothes the child wears.
In this way, dressing the baby appropriately at bedtime contributes qualitatively to sleep, remembering that rest is essential for child development, since it is during deep sleep that growth hormone is released, among others.
This ends up interfering in a positive way in the routine of the whole family, as sleeping well is also essential for parents, who will certainly have more energy and willingness to take care of their children when they are well rested.
That's why, at Joli Môme, we want to help with tips that can make the task easier.
What should be taken into account when dressing the baby for bed? First of all, the room temperature! We hear a lot of people say that an ideal room temperature is between 18 and 20º C. However, this reference is more suited to the climate of European countries. In Brazil, it is desirable to have a room temperature close to 20º in winter and around 24º in summer.
The suggestion when dressing the baby for sleep is that you dress it in layers, that is, with pieces that overlap. Thus, it is much easier to place or remove items according to temperature variation. To choose the best combination according to the weather, you can change both the quality of the clothing (lighter or thicker, like cotton or wool) and the quantity (adding or subtracting layers).
To check if the baby is cold or hot, the tip is to feel the temperature in the neck and not in the hand, as is common to happen. That's because the extremities are usually colder. Note that the neck should not be cold or sweaty. Over time, parents are able to perceive preferences and particularities in relation to their child and the temperature, which will give more security when it comes to dressing him.
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