Keep Babies Cosy and Warm this Winter with these 5 Tips

Feeling anxious that your baby might be too warm or too cold is something that most parents experience. I’ve had both summer and winter babies, and spent a lot of time worrying that they may be either too hot or too cold!

In this article, we’ll give 5 tips to keep your baby cosy and warm this winter.

Regulating a baby’s temperature

Babies are most sensitive to temperature in the first 8 weeks of birth. In fact, babies aren’t properly able to regulate their own temperature until they’re around 18 months to 2 years old. This also means that it’s important not to overheat them either. Overheating is just as dangerous for a baby and is linked to a higher risk of SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome).

Tips to keep your baby warm and cosy without overheating them include:

1) Dress your baby in layers

Dressing your baby in layers makes it easier to keep your baby at the right temperature. If the temperature rises or drops, simply add or take off a layer as needed. Layers can include a babygrow, a t-shirt, cardigan, trousers, and a hat, mittens and snowsuit if you’re going outdoors.

2) Use natural fabrics where possible

Natural fabrics like organic cotton, bamboo, linen and wool are great for babies because not only are they good insulators, they also help to keep the body cool when it’s too hot.

Good quality natural fabrics have lots more benefits too. They are soft and gentle against the skin. They’re hardwearing, so if you take good care of them they last for a long time, meaning you can pass them down, or on! Your child won’t ingest microplastics from man-made fibres when they inevitably suck or chew their clothes and blankets. They’re kinder to the environment and are less likely to contribute to nappy rash.

If you’re checking out blankets for the pram or baby clothes, always check the material on the label. This is why we use high-quality bamboo material for our soft baby blankets and organic cotton for our muslins.

3) Heat your home and the baby’s room at a recommended temperature

Babies can lose heat from their body’s quickly, so it’s important to make sure that even if it’s cold outside, your baby is just the right temperature.

Babies are sensitive to temperature change, both hot and cold, so many experts recommend that the temperature in the room where a baby sleeps to be kept between 20–22.2°C or 68–72°F.

4) Don’t overheat your baby

To reduce the risk for sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), it’s recommended that parents and caregivers avoid overbundling, overdressing or covering an infant's face or head to prevent him or her from getting overheated.

This means that it’s important not to use blankets in the crib. The room where the baby sleeps should be comfortable enough for them to wear a sleepsuit, a babygrow or a special baby sleeping bag which you can open at the bottom if you think they may be too warm.

You can even get baby sleeping bags that have their own thermometer if you want to get the temperature spot on!

Also, never use hot water bottles or electric blankets to warm up your baby. Both these items can quickly overheat your baby and they won’t be able to move away from the source of the heat if they get uncomfortable.

5) Always dry your baby quickly after a bath

When a baby’s skin is wet, they will lose heat even faster than usual. As soon as your baby comes out of the bath, dry them all over with a soft cotton towel. An easy way to do this is with a special hooded baby towel which you can put on your baby as soon as they come out of the bath.

Once they’re dry, pop their clothes or a babygrow on immediately to ensure they don’t lose too much heat.

Hope you’ve found this post helpful! Next week, we’re going to cover some of the most common questions about keeping your baby warm in winter including:

• How to keep your baby warm in their pram?
  ● How to keep your baby warm in a car seat?
  ● What are the best sleeping bags for babies?

And more!

If you have any questions you’d like us to answer about keeping your baby warm, let us know by emailing info@matchstickmonkey.com and we’ll include an answer in our post next week!