Winter is nearly here! Beautiful yellow and brown golden leaves are settling on the ground. We're spending Sunday afternoons snuggled up on the sofa watching our favourite family movies. With the change in season, many parents wonder, "what about our baby's sleep during winter?".
We have summarised the best sleeping tips for the cold season for you. And created a baby sleep temperature guide to help you plan ahead!
1. Moderate your heating
Your central heating might make cracking noises, loud hisses, or clanking in the first few days. Make sure not to switch on the central heating for the first time during your baby's nap time. The noise can be enough to wake your baby.
2. Find the ideal room temperature
During the winter months, room temperature can fluctuate greatly with the changing outside temperature. You may wonder if you should heat your bedroom or nursery at night to cope with the change in temperatures. A room temperature of 16 - 20 degrees is ideal for your baby. This reduces the risks of (SIDS) sudden infant death syndrome. With the right sleeping bag and the appropriate clothing, you can prepare your child for a good nights sleep.
3. Use the correct baby sleep bag and a baby sleep temperature chart to know how to dress baby for sleep
At night, your baby's hands may feel cool, but never be freezing cold. Being cold can be a common reason for waking up during the night. Our baby sleep temperature chart can help you work out how to dress baby for sleep:
Our Ergobaby baby Sleep Bag range is available in three new designs: Rose Hearts, Sailboat Dreams and Starry Mint.
4. Discover the benefits of darker nights
The earlier, darker evenings have huge benefits. You no longer have to worry about early morning sunlight creeping into your room and your baby waking at 5am. However, the earlier darkness can cause your baby to become tired earlier in the evening. This makes your little one fall asleep earlier and possibly wake up earlier. How can we help with this change? In the early evenings, leave your indoor lights on as brightly as possible to simulate daylight. When you begin your bedtime routine, just dim the lights down.
5. Reduce excitement during the festive season
During the winter months there are more exciting gatherings and celebrations to factor in! Christmas markets, celebrating Christmas Day or New Year's Eve partying to name a few. Travelling to see friends and family can be overstimulating for babies and young children. There is a risk of overtiredness. Avoid this by scheduling a nap or extra cuddle time on the sofa. Remember to leave enough time between nap time before starting the evening sleep routine. Keep your child's bedroom free of decorations and lights to keep it a quiet, peaceful space to retreat to.
Top Tip:
If nap time or bedtime for your baby doesn't quite go to plan (which is perfectly normal) we can help! Dress warmly, grab your pram or baby carrier and go out into the fresh air, and take a walk together. Fresh air and exercise are good for our physical and mental wellbeing. They can help turn the corner after a long, difficult night.
For more baby sleep tips just like our baby sleep temperature guide, feel free to check out our other sleep blogs and our Sleep Contributor + Sleep Expert: Gemma Coe on Gemma’s blog on Facebook and Instagram.