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Do we dress baby according to the room temperature at start of night? Our baby will be born mid August in Canberra and our place is nicely insulated but can get colder as night progresses. Do we add more layers during the night? The room temperature in April stays in the 22-25 degrees region.
Red Nose Education
Guidelines for dressing baby are very general, as babies are different.
Red Nose does not recommend dressing baby according to specific room temperature.
Overheating can be a risk for babies (as well as hypothermia)
Babies regulate their body temperature via their head & face, so it is important, even during colder nights that baby’s head & face remain uncovered.
If baby is waking & you are concerned that they may be cold (feeling back/tummy) then you can add another layer of clothing/bedding but still keep head & face uncovered.
Dress baby for sleep and add/remove lightweight blankets to ensure baby’s back or tummy feels comfortably warm to the touch.
https://rednose.org.au/article/bedding-amount-recommended-for-safe-sleep
Babies control their temperature predominantly through their head and face. This is why we recommend that you put baby to sleep on their back with head and face uncovered.
Red Nose does not recommend a specific room temperature for baby’s sleep. This is because there is no evidence to show that maintaining a specific room temperature prevents sudden infant death.
As long as baby is put down to sleep on their back, and that baby is dressed appropriately for the room temperature – not overdressed or under dressed – with their head and face uncovered, you can feel reassured that you are protecting baby from overheating.
https://rednose.org.au/article/how-to-dress-baby-for-sleep
It is not necessary to monitor the room temperature or to leave the heating or cooling on all night, as long as the baby is dressed appropriately for the room temperature: Dress baby as you would dress yourself – comfortably warm, not hot or cold. A good way to check baby’s temperature is to feel the baby’s back or tummy, which should feel warm (don’t worry if baby’s hands and feet feel cool, this is normal).
https://rednose.org.au/article/protecting-baby-from-overheating-during-sleep