Cold at night

[CaedensMama]

Okay - I don't know if this is the best place but..... here's my question.
It has been getting cooler at nights here and Caeden is sleeping in a sleeper, swaddled in a light cotton blanket or lightweight flannel blanket and covered with a little heavier blanket but his cheeks are still cool when I get him up in the night. Not "freezing cold" but not warm either. I have a clock in his room with a thermometer on it and it stays above 68 degrees for the most part - one night it was at 66 and I turned up the heat a little. I don't want it getting too warm in the room for him, but I also don't want him getting cold.  The rest of his body is warm and seems comfortable and I don't know if he is really cold, he just feels cool to my touch. I am keeping the house thermostat at about 66-72 or so - it is an old thermostat so its hard to tell for sure!  :?

Any suggestions? Or what do you do? Or do you think he is okay and warm enough and I don't need to worry?

[butterfly524]

ihave been experimenting with temperature as well.  i keep her wrapped in her swaddle with another blanket over her bottom half and i keep the thermostat set for the heat to come on it igets cooler then 72/73.  i dont think any cooler then that is right for my daughter.  her face is sometimes a teeny bit cool (her nose and cheeks) but she is sleeping fine and the rest of her is warm so im pretty sure she is warm enough.  i mostly look to see if her chin quivers as a sign she is cold.

[Caroline-Charlies Mummy]

I think the general rule is that it's fine for the face and hands to be cool to the touch, as long as the body's nice and warm. Cot death wise, it's better for them to be on the cool side than to overheat.

With regards to temperature, we work in Celsius, and I don't know how to convert  :oops: , but the advice here is room temp to be around 18C, in a sleepsuit/grobag, or two lightweight blankets. That actually seems cold to me, but he seems perfectly happy.

HTH
Caroline

[Peach]

My dd's hands are usually pretty cool in the morning when I get her up, but since the rest of her is warm (even her little toes) I think she's fine.  I also read somewhere (BW book maybe?) that a baby will often cry if they're cold but won't when they're too warm, which is where the danger of overheating comes in.

[JKHH]

I wonder about this too. I read on a UK SIDS research website that the ideal temperature for a nursery is 18- 20 (65-68). I keep my daughter's room at 21 and she still wakes up with cold hands. I think it is normal.
 
My solution to ensuring the rest of her is warm is to use a grobag. FYI - the grobag is a blanket with a zipper that keeps the baby warm all night...sort of like a sleeping bag. Grobags come in different weights that are to be used in different temperatures. In Canada they cost about $50...I have seen new ones available on Ebay.

[GG]

He's fine.    If anything, maybe you can cover his head with a little hat.

[Deb_in_oz]

He's fine.    If anything, maybe you can cover his head with a little hat.

in australia the advise is never to cover a baby's head with hat or other covering for sleeps. i guess if they are too warm, heat is released through head and feet, so covering the head would make that more difficult i gather.