How to dress a baby for sleep: practical tips

The problem of proper clothes for a child to sleep concerns almost all parents, both those making their debut and those slightly more experienced. No wonder - how to dress a newborn or infant for sleep, if the baby can't tell us if it's warm, too cold, or maybe just right? The change of seasons and the associated temperature fluctuations also do not help in dispelling doubts about how to dress a child for sleep. 

What pajamas will be the best for a baby? What to choose to cover a newborn: swaddle, blanket, duvet, or maybe a sleeping bag? What are the TOG markings that can be found on the labels of children's sleeping bags? In this article, we present tips and basic rules for properly dressing your baby for sleep.

How to dress your baby to sleep: basic rules that are worth sticking to regardless of the season

On the day of birth thermoregulation in the newborn is not yet fully developed and will improve in the first years of life. That is why babies are more easily overheated and cold, hence the eternal dilemmas of how to dress a baby for sleep. Parents, just in case, prefer to overheat the child, rather than worry about its possible hypothermia.

Contrary to appearances, overheating a child can be equally harmful, among others: it affects the deterioration of sleep quality, statistically increases the risk of sudden infant death, and contributes to lowering immunity.

Thinking about it how to dress baby to sleep It is worth remembering 3 main rules:

• We choose pajamas and sleeping bags adequately to the ambient temperature. In the case of tiny children, the rule of 1 layer more than what the parents themselves sleep in works great. The temperature of 18-22 ℃ will be best for a child to sleep, which is especially worth remembering during the heating season. In the summer, the temperature in the children's room may inevitably be higher, but in the last chapter we will tell you how to dress your baby for sleep in hot weather.
• We check the thermal comfort of the child properly and on an ongoing basis. Parents often touch the child's cool hands or feet and say that the baby is definitely cold, which is often not the case. How to dress an infant for sleep and how to properly check its thermal comfort? If you feel damp and hot when touching your baby's nape, your baby is most likely overheated and therefore dressed too warmly. In a situation of proper thermal comfort, the baby's neck and chest area should be warm and dry.
• How to dress a baby to sleep, it's only in natural, breathable materials. Pajamas can be thicker and thinner, consist of one or more layers. The same applies to sleeping bags, swaddles or quilts, but they should have one thing in common - natural composition. Fabrics are great for sleeping. cotton, bamboo or made of soft merino wool. It is important that pajamas, sleeping bags and swaddles do not restrict the child's movements.

How to dress a newborn for sleep and what to cover it with so that it sleeps blissfully, but above all, safely?

According to the guidelines of the American Academy of Pediatrics, overheating of the infant is considered one of the factors that increase the risk of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). Therefore, when thinking about how to dress a newborn for sleep, let's be guided above all common sense and the principles described above.

A newborn cap is not recommended for sleep, unless the medical staff recommended otherwise during discharge from the hospital (including in the case of some premature babies). The risk of SIDS is also increased by covering infants with duvets and blankets for night sleep. They can accidentally cover the baby's face, making it dangerously difficult for him to breathe. Blankets and duvets can be used during the day, when we keep an eye on the baby during the nap.

How to dress a newborn for sleepwhen indoors are recommended 18-22℃?

How to dress a baby to sleep, or a few words about how to choose pajamas and sleeping bags adequately to the temperature

When buying a sleeping bag or quilt for a baby, parents often see the TOG unit, which is a sign of thermal insulation. Sleeping bags and 0,5-1 TOG quilts are described as thin, dedicated rather to the summer season. On the other hand, models with TOG equal to or higher than 2,5 are warmer, usually used in the autumn and winter season. That's of course indicative breakdownto help you decide how to dress your baby for sleep.

Below are examples of how to dress a baby for sleep depending on the temperature:

• If the room temperature is between 22-25℃, the baby can be dressed in a thin bodysuit with short sleeves and a sleeping bag with TOG 0,5-1. How to dress a child to sleep if the temperature exceeds 26 ℃? Bodysuits or short-sleeved rompers will suffice, a sleeping bag is not necessary. You can consider putting your baby to sleep without clothes, in just a diaper, if your baby sweats a lot at night in hot weather.
• The temperature in the child's room is within limits 18-21 ℃ for a medium-thick sleeping bag with a TOG 2,5, it is worth choosing a thin body with long or short sleeves. How to dress an infant for sleep if we only have one TOG 1 sleeping bag? When it's cooler, you can wear a mid-weight romper or romper underneath the bag.
• When before the heating season the temperature in the children's room drops below is 18 degrees it is worth dressing the child to sleep in a short-sleeved bodysuit and a romper, as well as in a TOG 2,5 all-season sleeping bag. You can also wear a long/short sleeve bodysuit in combination with a thick TOG 3,5 sleeping bag.

How to dress a baby to sleep in hot weather? Learn 4 tips that will reduce the risk of overheating your baby

Not everyone has air conditioning in their home, which effectively helps in the fight against hot summer nights. How can you help your baby survive the difficult time of high temperatures?

• It is worth leaving the window open at night, but if possible, try not to place the baby's cot directly under it;
• Let's replace the thick terry sheet with a thin model made of breathable materials e.g. cotton, soft linen, bamboo;
• Let's remove unnecessary pillows, stuffed animals and rung protectors from the baby's bed, which retain heat in the summer and can effectively make it difficult for the baby to breathe, increasing the risk of SIDS;
• If necessary, we dress the baby only in pampers to sleep.

Dressing a child properly, although a bit problematic at first, can quickly become easy and intuitive. It is worth looking at how to dress a child for sleep so that the baby sleeps more peacefully, without unnecessary motives caused by thermal discomfort.