During a heat wave, baby’s nights are far from peaceful. Our advice on how to refresh it in complete safety and help it regain a peaceful sleep.

Babies, and even more so newborns, are among the populations at risk during heat waves. At birth, the baby’s thermal regulation system is not functional, so it is very sensitive to temperature variations and can quickly catch a cold or, on the contrary, get hot.

A study carried out in 2015 by the School of Public Health of the University of Montreal also showed that a high temperature in the baby’s room was associated with an increased risk of sudden infant death syndrome. The authors advance this hypothesis: some babies with brain abnormalities would have, even more than other babies, a lot of difficulty controlling their body temperature. 

Hence the need for parents to take all the necessary precautions to cool the baby and his room during the scorching nights.

Cover it so it doesn’t get too hot, while preventing it from catching a cold: it’s the right balance to find for baby’s nights. A balance that is all the more important as the infant does not know how to properly regulate his temperature. 

In a heat wave, it would be tempting to leave your baby in diaper at night, but generally he does not appreciate being naked, he needs to feel protected, contained. More shirtless, he would risk catching cold at the slightest draft or if he sweats too much. It is therefore best to cover it with a simple layer of clothing in natural material (cotton, bamboo). A bodysuit with long or short sleeves (depending on the temperature) will protect him from a possible cooling of temperatures during the night, while absorbing his perspiration and covering him with an “envelope” which reassures him.

Above 26-28 ° C, no need to add pajamas, and even less a sleeping bag. Swaddling, which is often a great comfort for some babies who need to feel contained, should also be avoided during a heat wave. You will also take care not to cover your head. Finally, for its bedding, favor natural materials such as cotton; avoid plastic mattress pads that make you sweat.

Ideally, the temperature in the baby’s room should be around 19 ° C. A temperature that is obviously very difficult to maintain during a heat wave, including at night. In hot weather, the baby should be lying in the coolest room in the house. And too bad if it is not about his room prepared with love: priority to his comfort, and even his health! To preserve the freshness, our ancestors had everything good: shutters, windows and curtains closed during the day. If the curtains are blackout, or better still thermal, the freshness will be all the better preserved. They are only opened in the cool in order to bring a little fresh and new air into the room, making drafts (in the absence of the baby) between the different rooms.  

If the fan and the air conditioning are appreciated by parents for the freshness they bring, they are on the other hand to be avoided in the baby’s room. They diffuse air that is much too dry for its fragile mucous membranes, and the baby would risk catching cold when exposed to the current of fresh air. At most, we can use a fan directed at a bottle of ice water a few minutes before bedtime to cool the baby’s room, but in any case we do not let it run all night, let alone directed directly to the baby. baby. If the air conditioning is really necessary to cool the room, put it at a temperature of 20 ° C-21 ° C, avoid directing it on the baby and make sure to regularly maintain his filter. 

A trick for freshening up a room is to use the humidity, for example by drying clothes in the baby’s room, or by mopping the floor before bed. Finally, to promote air circulation, make sure to unstick the crib from the wall. 

To refresh baby, it is possible to give him a little bath before bedtime. During a heat wave, the water temperature can be lowered by 1 or 2 ° C degrees, but never below 35 ° C, baby would risk catching a cold. We also make sure to dry it well when leaving.

A small, slightly damp cloth quickly placed on his chest and legs can also give him a little freshness, but be careful not to wet him too much, and in any case, never his head. 

Good hydration is a key gesture during periods of hot weather to refresh the baby and compensate for his water losses due to sweating. This is essential to prevent dehydration, which quickly occurs in babies whose body contains, in proportion to their weight, a lot of water. 

If the baby is breastfed, offer to breastfeed very often, including at night, especially before 6 months. If he takes the bottle, it is not recommended to offer him pure water before his 6 months. On the other hand, it is possible to give him his bottle at room temperature. After 6 months, do not hesitate to offer him a small amount of water if he wakes up at night.