Your baby needs a safe sleeping environment.
Many parents do an excellent job providing the best crib/bassinet, mattress, blankets, and sheets.
However, you must also ensure that the nursery is a comfortable temperature, especially during the Summer.
How Can You Cool Down a Nursery During The Summer?
The nursery should not be overwhelmingly hot. Thankfully, there are many ways you can cool the nursery and your baby, including blocking direct sunlight from penetrating the room, using sunscreens on your window exterior, etc.
What’s An Ideal Temperature For The Nursery?
According to experts, babies will sleep better when the temperature is between 16°C and 20°C.
But remember that we have different optimal temperatures to support our sleep.
If you have an A/C in your house, experiment with different temperatures to find the level suitable for your child. But generally, aim to keep the temperature at 18°C.
Bear in mind that the baby’s room might not have the same temperature as your bedroom or any other room in the house.
For this reason, it is wise to invest in an indoor thermometer that helps you monitor the temperature in the nursery.
The market has several products to be used specifically in the nursery or kid’s room.
Some even keep you updated from anywhere.
So, it should not be hard to find a baby monitor for you.
What Are Signs That Your Baby is Too Hot?
Your baby cannot speak. So they can’t inform you that they are feeling hot.
However, some signs can help you tell that they’re too hot.
- If you notice flushing, breathing heavily, or sweating, it may indicate that your baby is uncomfortable with the heat.
- To determine whether this is the case, touch the back of their head gently or belly to feel their temperature.
- Please don’t use the baby’s hands or feet to indicate whether they are cold or warm. These areas won’t give you accurate answers since they have poor circulation. So, most times, they are cold.
How Do You Keep the Nursery Cool in Summer?
During the day, your child can run around with just diapers and be comfortable in the hot temperatures.
But at nighttime, you will have to make several adjustments to keep the room cool for your child to sleep comfortably.
Thankfully, there many methods to do so.
1. Avoid Sunlight
You need to make sure that sunlight doesn’t stream directly into the nursery.
Please ensure this, especially if the nursery is on the home’s west side or if it receives a lot of sunlight during the daytime.
In that case, you can think of using blackout curtains as they will minimize the heat penetrating inside through the windows.
You can also decide to install sunscreens designed for the exterior window if your budget allows.
These are designed to block as much as 95% of sunlight, and you can easily remove them during winter.
2. Make Air Flow Is Unobstructed
Again, don’t forget to maximize the flow of air in the nursery.
Sure, teddy bears and blankets make the crib look nice. However, they block airflow, not to mention that they increase the risk of suffocation.
It’s wise to opt for a crib guard that allows enough space for air to move through the rails.
Instead of blankets, think of using a sleep sack or a swaddler.
3. Ceiling Fans
Set the ceiling fans to run counter-clockwise.
This way, the air is pushed down to the room instead of up.
So, it will cool the temperatures.
Set the rotating speed depending on how hot the weather is.
If it is too hot, set your fan at a higher speed.
4. Clean AC Ducts
Also, remember to clean the A/C ducts since they tend to clog with dust and dirt.
They become less efficient when this happens, especially if the room isn’t close to the central unit.
You can hire a professional HVAC company to measure the level of airflow from the vents in the baby’s room and inspect the duct for any clogging.
5. Wet Towels
Another great tip is to hang wet towels over a chair in the nursery. As moisture from these towels evaporates, it cools the room.
6. Fan + Ice
Lastly, if you have a fan, think of putting an ice bowl in front of it to drop down the temperature it’s giving out.
Five Tips to Keep Your Baby Cool During Summer
Apart from the nursery, there are various ways to cool your child down. These include;
1. Avoid Drying Your Baby Too Much
After a shower, please don’t dry off all water from your baby’s skin.
Leaving skin damp cools your baby. Note that the water takes off some skin from the skin as it evaporates.
2. Give Your Child Lots Of Liquids
Your baby needs more water during summer to prevent dehydration.
But don’t give them warm or hot liquids as they will heat their body, worsening the situation.
Instead, opt for cool drinks to keep them cool. If you are breastfeeding, you don’t need to give your child water too.
Breast milk is enough. But, you may be forced to breastfeed more times at night.
3. Buy Cool Sheets
Cool sheets help drop the temperatures down in the nursery.
Cool sheets offer a cheaper alternative if you don’t have a budget for an A/C/. Place a wet sheet in the window. This ensures that the air coming inside is cool.
4. Provide Comfortable Clothing
Don’t make your child wear too many clothes, especially bulky ones.
During the summer months, dress them in lightweight clothes from natural fibers like linen, bamboo, or cotton. If it’s extremely hot, a diaper is enough for staying indoors.
But when going outdoors, use long sleeves and long pants to cover the baby’s skin from the sun.
5. Offer Frozen Fruits Or Milk
If your baby has started eating solid stuff, give them pieces of frozen fruits.
This is a cool and nutritious snack to suck on. Frozen oranges or bananas are great ideas.
But if the baby hasn’t started on solids, offer frozen breastmilk.
Use icy pole containers to help them suck on the cool drink. But watch out for big pieces that can break off.
References
https://www.happiestbaby.com/blogs/baby/baby-overheating
https://www.parents.com/baby/care/newborn/making-baby-comfortable-in-summer-heat/
https://www.thesun.co.uk/fabulous/3849348/heatwave-keep-baby-cool-sleeping-tips-uk/
