The best way to tell if your baby is cold overnight, and what to do about it

Here are the best tips for making sure your baby is warm enough in winter.

3 min read

July 10, 2023 - 1:06PM

Parenting

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Keeping babies and young children warm during winter, when they're too little to talk or without risky sleep behaviours, can be difficult for parents to navigate.

Older toddlers like to throw blankets off all night, and babies can’t communicate how warm or cold they are.

Young children usually need a lot more support on cold nights, as babies don’t have someone else lying next to them for body heat, have a lot less body fat and lie in an empty cot.

Child sleep expert and registered nurse, Steph Gouin has shared some tips that can help parents identify if their child is too cold or too warm.

Babies need to be warm to sleep well. Source: iStock.

Signs your baby might be cold overnight

Cold chest, body, face, hands, or feet
Frequent waking overnight
Difficulty settling and resettling
Early rising between 3-5am

Many babies end up co-sleeping during the night and in the early hours of the morning because they are cold in their cot or bassinet and seeking warmth from their parent’s body heat and possibly their warm bedding too.

Cool or cold babies don’t sleep well, just like we don’t either as adults, Steph warns.

“Many babies who aren’t snug and cosy in their sleep space wake more frequently overnight, they can struggle to fall back to sleep after a feed, they can have a lot of difficulty sleeping and settling and when awake, babies who are cold can cry a lot and be very unsettled," she says.

Parents should NEVER put blankets over newborns. Source: IStock.

How do you keep a newborn warm in winter?

“In winter, I recommend newborns wear a 3.5 or 2.5 TOG arms up or arms down swaddle plus clothing layers underneath i.e., singlet and onesie underneath," Steph says.

“I also recommend using a gentle heating device to warm the sleep environment. Without a heating device, sleep environment temperatures can drop extremely low, too low for tiny newborns sleeping on their own."

Steph advises against using ducted or reverse cycle heating as it can create a sleep environment that is too hot, dry, and stuffy, and only recommends oil column or panel heaters.

However Red Nose does not believe it is necessary to leave heating n all night in a baby’s room, as long as the baby is dressed appropriately for the room temperature.

How can you tell if a baby is too warm overnight?

Extremely red face and cheeks
Profuse sweating
Rapid breathing

When a baby is too warm, there is also an increased safety risk of Sudden Unexpected Death in Infants, particularly if baby’s head is covered, Steph says.

"To reduce the risk of this, Red Nose recommends that you use your own judgement, take into account factors such as where you live - climate and season - whether you have heating, and if baby has an illness which may cause their temperature to rise."

CuboAi Smart Temp is a medical-grade thermometer that checks a baby's temperature overnight. Source: Supplied.

What should you never do with babies to keep them warm?

Steph said there are some important rules to follow when keeping babies warm.

“Never add quilts, pillows, bumpers, or any other loose items like toys, as these can significantly increase the risk of SUDI,” he says.

“I encourage parents to avoid blankets too. An empty cot or bassinet is the safest cot or bassinet."

A smart thermometer can be connected to a CuboAi Plus Smart Baby Monitor to check a baby, and room temp. Source: Supplied.

What’s the best way to check a baby’s temperature?

The best way to check a baby’s temperature is feeling their back or tummy, which should feel warm and snug to touch, Steph says.

“A baby’s hands and feet might feel not as warm (this is normal) however if they are freezing cold, they need more warmth.

Parents who feel they need more support, can also use tools such as a room thermometer to see how cool or warm a room is getting overnight.

There are plenty on Amazon, by popular baby brands such as Tommee Tippee or Philips Avent

Another helpful product is a CuboAi Smart Temp - a new device which connects to a CuboAi Plus Smart Baby Monitor - which is a medical-grade thermometer that sits comfortably on a baby while they sleep - monitoring the ambient temperature, as well as bub's body temperature.

The thermometer can be placed under an armpit for real-time alerts if a baby’s temperature drops in or out of the ideal range - which is also a helpful tool when they are sick.

The CuboAi Smart Temp is available for RRP$129.00 for purchase separately or in the Smart Health Bundle alongside the CuboAi Plus Smart Baby Monitor and Sleep Sensor Pad.