Winter is here and it’s starting to get a little bit chilly.....

We know that the change in season can bring about the question “is my little one warm enough?”. To help keep your little one sleeping soundly Hayley and I have popped some tips together to ensure your little one isn’t too hot, isn’t too cold... but just right (just like Goldilocks and her porridge).

The trickiest part about the cooler weather is that it’s not always cold at the beginning of the night but regardless of the temp at the beginning of the night we recommend to dress your little one for the coldest part of the night. The night is at it’s coldest around 4/5am when the outside temperature drops to it’s lowest. While your little one is sleeping their body temperature will drop too. If you are worried about dressing your little one too warm at bedtime here are a couple of suggestions:

• Dress your little one warm but run their ceiling fan or cooling until you go to bed for the night.

• Dress your little one warm but don’t turn their heater on until you go to bed or set their heater timer to come on in the second half of the night

• If your little one still wakes for a night feed dress them in a lighter sleeping bag at bedtime and swap the bag over before or after your night feed

As we mentioned above we definitely don’t want the rooms too hot. That feeling of walking into a room and it being “toasty” is usually an indication that it’s a little on the warmer side. A comfortable room temperature is between 19-22 degrees Celsius. In the winter we recommend that you warm the room with a safe heater and keep the heater a safe distance from the sleep space to avoid overheating. Oil column heaters are often recommended for children’s bedrooms (we prefer them ourselves too). In our experience most littles ones sleep comfortably with their rooms warmed to 20/21 (no more than 22 degrees).

Still think your little one might be cold? If you notice any of the below, they might be:

• Moving all around the cot

• Banging into the side of the cot

• Arms and legs poking through the rails

• Restless sleeping

• Rolling onto tummy with hands tucked underneath

• Waking between 4/5am

If your little one is doing any of the above – check their body warmth. Test the back of their neck or their chest area to see if they feel warm to touch (cheeks and hands aren’t the best indicator). If your little one feels neither warm or cold they are probably too cold so you could increase the heater by a degree or two, use a warmer sleep bag or add an extra layer underneath your little ones PJ’s (vest, bodysuit etc).

When purchasing a sleep bag/suit you will be given a guide on how to layer your baby or toddler depending on the room temperature. Just remember you need to layer them for the coolest part of the night and it’s important to know these guides are a general guide only. The best way to judge whether your little one needs less or more clothing is to keep an eye on their sleep and check their body warmth. It can be a little trial and error but you’ll find the sweet spot.

We hope these tips help to keep your little one comfortably sleeping day and night during the cooler months.

Katie & Hayley xx

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Until next time, Katie & Hayley xx