|
 Children's
Health
Stop babies getting too
hot
10 tips from The Foundation
for the Study of Infant Deaths
-
Babies do
not need hot rooms, all night heating is rarely necessary. Keep the
room at a temperature between 16-20°C. 18°C (65°F) is just right.
-
Adults
find it difficult to judge the temperature in the room, so use a room
thermometer in the rooms where your baby sleeps and plays. A room
thermometer is available from FSID. Send a cheque/postal order for
£2.50 made payable to FSID to the address below.
-
When you
check your baby, if they are sweating or their tummy feels hot to the
touch, take off some of the bedding. Don't worry if hands or feet feel
cool, this is normal.
-
Use
lightweight blankets. If your baby feels too warm, reduce the number
of layers. Do not use a duvet, quilt or pillow for babies under 12
months.
-
Even in
winter, babies who are unwell and feverish need fewer clothes and
bedclothes.
-
Babies
need to lose excess heat from their heads. Make sure their head cannot
be covered by the bedclothes by sleeping them 'feet to foot' (with
their feet to the foot of the cot) so they don't wriggle down under
the covers.
-
Babies
should never sleep with a hot water bottle or electric blanket, or
next to a radiator, heater or fire, or in direct sunshine.
-
When it's
warm, you can cool the room where your baby sleeps by closing the
curtains and opening the windows during the day. Offer your baby
plenty to drink, and in very hot weather, sponge them down regularly
with slightly warm water.
-
Remove
hats and extra clothing as soon as you come indoors or enter a warm
bus, train or shop, even if it means waking your baby.
-
Remember,
it can get too hot in the car too, so don't forget to take your baby's
outdoor clothes off, and turn the heater down when the chill has gone.
Source: The
Foundation for the Study of Infant Deaths
|
|
