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With temperatures soaring this week, you might be worried about your baby overheating, especially at bedtime. Follow these tips and recommendations for battling the heat and keeping your baby comfortable during these summer nights.
Figuring out how to get your baby to sleep can be a trying task at the best of times, but with this sweltering summer heat, you have added worries about the risks of overheating at night.
According to The Lullaby Trust, the ideal room temperature for sleeping babies is 16-20°C, but during a heatwave like this, it might hard to keep it at this level. Instead, use our top tips below to reduce the temperature of the room as much as possible and keep your baby cool.
Lots of our best baby monitors have built-in temperature sensors that will tell you how hot or cold the nursery is so you can adjust accordingly
The Lullaby Trust has some 'summer rules' for baby sleep, including lighter bedding and clothing, and opening doors and windows where possible to facilitate airflow. Make sure you are only using light cotton bed sheets in this heat and try to avoid waterproof mattress protectors as these can cause your baby to sweat.
Just like you, your baby needs sufficient fluids on hot days. You can give cooled boiled water to bottle-fed babies under six months, and tap water to bottle-fed babies over six months. Fully breastfed babies won't need any extra water, though.
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See our top tips on cooling your baby and their room during a heatwave.
You should try to keep the room temperature between 16 and 20°C and this can be checked with a room thermometer. However, during extreme temperatures, this might not be possible, so it's important to find ways to reduce the temperature of the room as much as you can, as well using a variety of methods to keep your baby cool.
If you don't have a room thermometer, check your baby monitor. Typically many baby monitors tell you the temperature of the room. Go to our baby monitor reviews to see which ones we've tested.
Make sure to keep your baby out of direct sunlight and read our guide to baby bedding safety for a full list of what sheets and blankets you need for your baby.
Choose the right sleepwear (or leave them to sleep just in their nappy) and opt for lightweight bedding to ensure their comfort and safety.
We've rounded up our best air conditioners and top electric fans to help you and your baby stay cool this summer
The best cot mattresses will help your baby have a safe night's sleep, keep them comfortable and cope with the inevitable leaks
Prams and buggies shouldn't be covered with blankets, clothes or any other cover that prevents the air circulating and could lead to overheating, increasing the chances of SIDS.
We tested a number of materials to see how quickly they would heat up the air inside your pram. Find out which sun covers cause pushchairs to overheat.
The Lullaby Trust says: 'Using a cover also creates a barrier between parent and baby, which is slightly risky as parents won't be able to see if their baby is having difficulties or monitor their temperature easily.'
Instead, attach a clip-on sunshade or parasol, regularly check if your baby is getting too hot by feeling their chest or back of their neck and keep them out of direct sunlight as much as possible.
If you're carrying your baby in a carrier or sling, follow the 'TICKS' rules for safe baby-wearing, and read our guide to baby carrier safety to learn about safe positioning for your baby.
See all our baby carrier and sling reviews
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