It's that time of year again and babies are getting cold at 3-5am and waking up early. We worry about SIDS and overheating but often I find we are under dressing our babies. 

Safe bedding for babies

It’s so important not to allow your baby to become overheated. This is a major SIDS risk factor. Hats are not to be worn in the house and it’s important that bedding is always tucked in firmly under the mattress. Loose cot bedding could so easily end up covering the babies face and lead to suffocation.

Mobile in the cot

For this very reason once baby starts to become mobile in the cot I’m a big fan of babywearing sleeping bags made of breathable fibres and taking all the blankets away. Acrylic fibres used in ‘bunnyrugs’ (acrylic fleecy blankets) will not allow heat transfer and make baby sweaty. They are not SIDS safe.

https://youtu.be/pPPNcmUm7WQ

TOG rating for sleepwear

Use a tog rating according to the season and day and night temperatures i.e. in an NSW winter I’d recommend a 2.5 or 3.5 tog, with a singlet, bedsocks and onesie (babygro) underneath. If baby wakes up and feels cool to the touch (and by that I mean feel their back, arms or chest area with your hand) add an extra layer by using a wool or cotton cardigan underneath their sleeping bag.

In a UK winter I’d choose a higher tog rating such as a 3.0 or 3.5tog if your little one's room is cold (12-16C) and layer baby with a warmer babygro and/or cardigan. In summer in Australia, the baby may need very little clothes on in bed, maybe just a singlet and a nappy on very hot summer nights.

Check your baby's temperature to get their bedding correct

The advised method of doing this is to feel their abdomen with your hand. If they feel cool to the touch they may need an extra layer and if they are too warm remove a layer or put a fan on them to help cool down. Babies hands and face will always feel cool to the touch in winter and it’s not a sign of the baby being cold. You need to check their temperature properly before adding extra layers.

Parents often put on heating at night-time. This is not necessary for Australia. It’s never cold enough and heating blocks those delicate little sinuses up and makes baby snuffly. Remember I’m from the North of England where temperatures commonly get down as low as -7 to-10C in winter and my sisters’ young children do not have heating in their bedrooms at nighttime ever! If you worry about the room temp and want to make sure you've got a correct tog Gro bag/sleeping bag on them.

The Gro Company make a product called the Gro-Egg that many parents have in their nurseries. It takes that doubt away.

Sleeping bags keep their temperature constant. Once they're mobile they can't keep their blankets in place and so get cold. Wearing a sleeping bag keeps their body temperature optimum.

This blog post has been written for a Facebook competition for the Gro Company and you can enter to win one of two gorgeous Gro bag's.