Dressing Baby for Bedtime

This topic causes many parents lots of stress. Our babies can’t tell us if they are comfortable or not. We know that overheating a baby isn’t safe and that cold babies don’t sleep well. In this post we’re going to identify key factors that can help us dress baby for sleep and clues to know whether we’ve gotten it right.

Where To Start?

The ideal temperature for baby sleep is between 68 degrees - 72 degrees Fahrenheit. Taking this into consideration, think about how you would dress yourself to go to bed. Maybe you’re wearing flannel pajamas and a long sleeve shirt or you might have on shorts and a t-shirt. However you are dressed for sleep is how you want to dress your baby. Maybe you’ll use a onesie and a sleep sack or maybe you’ll put on fleece footed pajamas and a swaddle.

Did I Get It Right?

Try not to obsess over this. Use your baby’s body and behavior as indicators to tell you if you’ve gotten this right. Feel your baby’s chest, neck, back, and belly. You aren’t going to refer to hands or feet as indicators. This is because young babies tend to have poor circulation and it is common for outer extremities to feel cold to the touch. Always focus on the back of the neck, lower back and tummy. Does baby’s back feel warm, but not sweaty or cold to the touch? If that’s the case, you’ve rocked the dressing for bedtime assignment.

If your little runs on the warmer side, but still needs a swaddle or sleep sack during sleep times, these are a few options to help keep your baby comfortable:

• Try only a diaper under the swaddle.

• Use a diaper and thin onesie under the sleep sack.

• Consider a product that has more airflow like the Sleep Pea.

If baby feels cool to the touch, you’re going to add a layer like use heavier pajamas or a sleep sack.

You still want to follow all of the AAP’s Safe Sleep Guidelines. No blankets or anything loose in the crib until baby is 12+ months.

What about Dressing my Newborn for Sleep?

When babies first come out of the womb, they learn to regulate their body temperature. For the first week or so, utilize the age old rule “dress your baby like you and add a layer.” After, a week in the world, your baby will most likely have figured out how to manage his or her own body temperature during sleep. If you have questions, reach out to your pediatrician for advice.

Still struggling with figuring out the right outfit combination for bedtime? Save the graphic below to your phone. You’ve got this!