How to Keep Baby Room Warm at Night

In this post, you can find tips and products to help your baby sleep safely and keep them warm at night during the cold winter months.

Brrr. It's getting so cold out. I am thinking of all of you mamas that have a newborn right now, because I cannot imagine wintertime with a newborn. Sending my thoughts and warmth your way. xoxo

Today, I want to share five tips to help you keep your baby warm at night, all while adhering to safe sleep guidelines.

Safe Sleep Guidelines

Luckily, I had Lennox in the summer, so by the time the cold weather came, he had already backed on a couple of layers of baby chub to help keep him warm during the bone-chilling winter months.

Regardless, I still practiced safe sleeping practices.

Experts say that until a baby's first year of life, "soft objects, loose bedding, or any objects that can increase the risk of entrapment, suffocation, or strangulation" should be kept out of the baby's sleep area.

So, this means absolutely no blankets.

Our first winter month with Lennox was a struggle for Carlos and I. We lived on the bottom floor of an apartment complex, and let me tell you; it was cooooollllddddd. Brr. We ended up getting a rinky-dinky space heater that we thought would be a good idea to put in Lennox's room to keep him warm. However, that thing had a mind of its own. Sometimes we would look at the monitor, and it would have a red alert saying too hot, and at other times it was pushing into the low 60s.

I think we used it for a couple of days or so during which sleep was not a thing, because not only was Lennox an extremely sensitive sleeper until seven months old but with the space heater, we were up constantly checking the thermostat and making sure Lennox was okay.

My advice: ditch the space heater, unless you invest in a nice one thatactuallymaintains consistent heat and issafe for a nursery. Raisingthem.com has a whole article on safe space heaters and offers some great recommendations.

Below, I want to give you some of my best tips that helped us keep Lennox warm and in slumber during those cold winter months, all while practicing safe sleeping.

How to keep baby warm at night

1. Practice Safe Sleeping Practices

For your baby's safety, it is important to follow of safety protocols for infant sleep. You can find more in-depth information regarding infant safe sleeping practices here at Pediatrics: Official Journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics.

Here are some important highlights:

A baby should sleep on their back for every sleep
They should sleep on a firm sleep surface
Soft objects should not be placed in the crib
- No pillows, quilts, sheepskin, or loose bedding (blankets, non fitted sheets
- Infant Sleep Clothing are preferred
- Avoid use of bumper pads and crib liners

2. Keep your nursery's temperature between 65-70°

After my struggles, I ditched my cheap thermostat and monitored the central air in my apartment. I kept it a little higher than I would have liked, so that way during the nighttime, Lennox's room would maintain a temperature of 65-70°, which is the recommended temperature for a nursery.[1]

Now that I live in a townhouse, it is even harder to keep the upstairs heated. To help direct heat to Lennox's room, I close the vents to less-frequently used areas in the house.

3. Keep a humidifier running.

Now, since you will be running your heat more often, you must keep your humidifier plugged in and running to prevent your baby from getting a common cold or becoming irritated from the hot air. Lennox has Eczema, and the dry air from the heat has always triggered it even more, so our humidifier is a necessity.

We have two of these Vick's Starry Night Cool Moisture Humidifiers. They are awesome, and to this day, Lennox uses the starts that project from the humidifier as his night light.

4. Have the right fitted sheets

Since babies shouldn't sleep with loose objects, investing in the perfect fitted sheets are a must. An awesome mom in my mom group recommended these Soft Chenille Fitted Crib Sheets to me during Lennox's first winter. To this day, we still put them on his toddler bed to keep him extra warm at night.

These soft chenille fitted crib sheets are soft, warm, and provide a layer of comfort to your infant's sleep, all while following the safety protocol.

Related: Fuchsia Wild Flower Crib Sheets. The Softness Your Baby Deserves

5. Layers, Layers, Layers

If your baby is out of a swaddle, here are some great options to layer your baby up to keep her warm at night. Adding a onesie, or socks underneath these items can be useful, just watch out for overheating.

Swaddle Blankets

Swaddles are great to use for newborns until 3 months of age. Not only do they keep newborns warm, but they help calm their moro reflex which gives them the feeling of being startled. Swaddles will help your baby sleep longer as well as it provides a womb-like sensation.

Sleep Sacks

Sleep sacks are fantastic because they have a closed bottom to keep your baby warm. Many of the long-sleeved sacks also have built-in mittens to keep baby's hands warm. Even better, they have zips for easy changing in the middle of the night. Here are some great options below:

Baby Merlin's Magic Sleep Suit

This product is awesome. It serves as a transition from the swaddle to normal sleep. It provides warmth and also establishes good sleeping habits.

Footed Pajamas

Well I hope these tips and items help for you. Out of all of these items, the Soft Chenille Fitted Crib Sheets are a must have you need to get now!! I wish that I could sleep with sheets like this, but unfortunately DH gets hot with regular sheets alone, so I am out of luck.

Keep those babies safe and warm!! Please let me know in the comments below if you have any recommendations on how to keep a baby warm during the winter, or let me know of any products that you love that I did not list in this post!!! Thank you and happy winter!

How to Keep Baby Room Warm at Night

Source: https://lorenaylennox.com/keep-baby-warm-at-night/