Baby sleep in summer – sleep well despite the heat
As soon as the thermometer approaches the 30 degree mark, the temperatures not only rise outside, but also inside in the bedrooms. Often the mild summer nights don't bring any cooling down. Not only us adults, but also our babies find it more difficult to sleep because hot summer nights are stressful for the body. With the following tips you will be well prepared for the coming heat so that your child can have a restful sleep in the summer.
1. Baby sleep in summer: avoid heat
To ensure that your baby can sleep comfortably at night, you should start preparing during the day so that the heat doesn't spread to the sleeping area. For a restful and “cool” sleep, it is also important that you do not expose your baby to too much heat during the day so that the little body does not heat up too much. The small organism still reacts very sensitively to heat.
The motto is shadow, shadow and more shadow.
Avoid the heat outside around midday and stay indoors during this time. When you're outside, offer your baby games with water or wet wipes. A bowl or bucket of water and a few sand molds or spoons are often sufficient for this. There is a cooling effect for your baby when the water evaporates from the skin.
Light foods that contain water are also recommended in hot weather. Most babies and toddlers love watermelon, berries or homemade ice cream made from pureed fruit and yogurt.
2. It's hard to sleep when you're thirsty
Not only do we adults, children also sleep poorly when they are thirsty. The result is restless sleep or frequent awakenings to drink something. To achieve a restful sleep in summer despite the heat, make sure you drink enough during the day. Actively offer your baby or toddler something to drink regularly, even without expressing a feeling of thirst. You will be surprised at how often and how often people drink now. It also protects your child from dehydration (unhealthy!), which can manifest itself, for example, in irritable moods, headaches or nausea.
3. This means your baby will sleep like a log even in summer
A very important point when it comes to restful baby sleep in the heat of summer is the room temperature. To do this, ventilate especially in the early morning hours and let in the cool, fresh morning air. Before the air heats up again, close the windows and, ideally, the shutters. For roof windows, it is possible to attach special films or roller blinds that keep out some of the heat. After sunset you should ventilate again. Make sure your baby is not lying in a draft.
4. What options do you have to cool down the air in your room?
Several wet towels distributed around the room ensure that the air in the room cools down through evaporation so that the heat no longer has a chance. You can also enhance this effect with a bowl full of ice cubes and a fan. Here too, please make sure that your baby is not lying on the train.
5. What should you consider when it comes to clothing in summer?
Give your baby another lukewarm shower or bath before going to bed. Even a short foot bath works wonders. If the room temperature is 21 degrees or more, you should use a sleeping bag with 0.5 TOG so that your baby doesn't overheat. The clothing underneath the sleeping bag is also very important to prevent heat build-up. A short-sleeved bodysuit and a diaper are often sufficient here. A loose-fitting cotton bodysuit is best suited for a restful baby's sleep in such situations. If your sleeping bag has a zipper, you can open it slightly at the bottom so that the little baby feet can get some fresh air.
On particularly hot summer nights, just a diaper under the sleeping bag, or a short-sleeved bodysuit without a sleeping bag at all, may be enough for a restful baby's sleep. If you use disposable diapers, summer temperatures will quickly develop, which can lead to a sore bottom. Change diapers more often for a restful baby's sleep in the summer.
6. Sleeping despite the heat: How do I avoid overheating where I sleep?
Not only the clothes and the sleeping bag are important for a restful baby's sleep in summer, but also the sleeping place. A thin cotton or linen fitted sheet is suitable as a bed sheet in the heat of summer.
There should be nothing more than your favorite cuddly toy in bed on hot summer nights. Therefore, sort out all unnecessary cuddly toys, pillows or bed snakes to avoid unnecessary heat build-up in bed, because every object gives off heat.
Additional heat sources include televisions, computers, cell phones, lamps and even the dryer. If possible, you should switch these off or keep them out of the bedroom.
7. What should I do if my baby wakes up soaking wet?
Despite all the measures, your baby will sometimes wake up sweating in extreme heat. Be sure to change wet clothes here so that your baby doesn't catch a cold. Have spare clothes ready in the evening, as well as a new sleeping bag and a sheet, so that you can change everything quickly and easily so that your baby can get back to sleep quickly.
Guest article by Katharina von Massow from Kathis kleine Nachteule
Instagram: katies_kleine_nachteule
Website: www.katies-kleine-nachteule.de
