Is your little one struggling with sleep this summer? Here are 7 cool tips to keep sleep protected as much as possible during these warm, muggy months!
Keep it dark!
Settling for naps and bedtime during summer can be challenging with the amount of light. You need to make it super dark so they find it easier to settle and stay asleep. Black-out blinds actually help cool a room down by blocking the heat when the sun is at its hottest.
👉 Download my FREE 5 Steps to Sleep for more info on making a room dark
Keep it cool
We’ve all been there struggling to fall asleep being hot and sweaty and unable to regulate our body temperature. We kick off the covers, then pull them back on us - no one sleeps well if they are hot and sweaty! It’s even harder for our little ones as they have no control and it’s up to us to try and keep it cool. Try to regulate the temperature of your little one’s room aiming for around 18-22 degrees. Portable air conditioning units are amazing but not always accessible. Allow ventilation - especially if there is a breeze during the day. Close the curtains in the late afternoon or when the sun is heating up the room, and if you have roller blinds lower them so air can still enter the room but it’s blocking out the sun.
Dress for success
This is important in protecting sleep! Sleeping bags are an awesome tool and we recommend a good lightweight summer 0.5 TOG rating sleeping bag. Merino is known for drawing away moisture from the skin preventing your little one from waking up sweaty and hot. It’s proven to keep babies cooler than cotton! Sometimes just a nappy or short sleeved romper with a sleep sack overtop is enough for naps. Remember no matter how hot it is at bedtime, the temperature will drop over night and its much cooler around 2-3am. We recommend a long sleeved body suit overnight so their arms don’t get cold when the temperature does drop off. At bedtime a short sleeve body suit under their sleep sack may be enough depending on the room temperature.
Avoid waterproof/plastic coverings
Avoid certain waterproof mattress protectors or plastic coverings on their cot. These actually hold in heat and make your little one sweat more.
Cool down with a bath
Use bathtime to cool your little one’s body temperature down before bed. Keep their bath luke warm and towards the end of the bath add in some cooler water. Scientifically speaking, during a bath, blood comes to the surface of the skin (vasodilation). When our little ones hop out of the bath their blood vessels are still open and their body temperature drops. This slight drop in their core body temp promotes sleep - a huge win!
Car sun shades - not just for the car!
Get hold of some car sun shades and use them on your baby’s window. The silver surface reflects the sun. Kmart and the warehouse sell these cheaply and they can help bring down the temperature of the room when opening the windows only make it worse!
Top tip...
And our personal favourite tip here is to keep a stockpile of large frozen water bottles in your freezer. If you want to help lower the temperature in your little one’s hot room, take a frozen water bottle, place it on a tray or on a towel, and put it in front of a fan. This way cold air circulates the room instead of the fan just circulating warm air.
It’s important to note that when it comes to temperature, heat is the one we need to be really conscious of. Being too hot can actually raise the risk of SIDS but please know this is actually more common in winter months when parents worry about them being too cold and add too many layers or heating.
👉 The best place to check your little ones temperature is at the nape of their neck - hands and feet are not valid indicators on how hot or cold your little one is.
Signs that your child is too hot...
Signs to look for that indicate they may be too hot and we need to intervene to help cool them down are;
- ⏩ back of their neck feels sweaty
- ⏩ beads of sweet on their head
- ⏩ face or head seems shiny
- ⏩ restless sleep and frequent wakes
- ⏩ they seem flushed and red
We hope these tips help you little one keep cool!
If you need some help with a daily routine, check out my Ultimate Guide of Sleep Routines, which covers Newborn to 3 years of age, and every stage in between!
If you need help with your little one's sleep - reach out today and we can have your little one just loving sleep in no time.
For help with early wakeups check out the Ultimate Guide to Early Wakeups and kiss goodbye to those pesky early mornings!
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