articles

What Temperature Should My Baby’s Room Be?

What Temperature Should My Babys Room Be
Christine Brown

Christine Brown

We get the question “what temperature should my baby’s room be” every single day!  Why?  Because the temperature of your child’s room can play into how well your child sleeps and also safety.

Think about how you sleep when you are too cold or too hot…

Not well, right?

As adults, we can fix the thermostat and add or remove clothing, but our little one’s can’t do it for themselves. 

So just like baby bear’s porridge, we want to make sure your little one’s nursery’s temperature is just right!

The ideal sleeping temperature for your baby’s room is 68-72F or 20-22C.

Let’s explore the science behind why the temperature in your baby’s room is important…

SIDS Prevention

We don’t yet know what causes Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS), but temperature has been identified as a risk factor.

If the room is too warm, babies struggle to regulate their core body temperatures, and sometimes even their breathing, during sleep. The result is poor quality sleep and an elevated risk for SIDS. 

Ensuring your baby is properly dressed and you are keeping the temperature between 68-72F (20-22C) will keep your baby in a safe range.

Melatonin, The Sleep Hormone

Melatonin is the body’s sleep hormone and is an important factor in healthy sleep. Melatonin helps us to fall asleep, stay asleep and to experience the deeper, more restorative stages of sleep. 

Room temperature plays into the body’s ability to produce adequate amounts of our sleepy hormone. Here’s what happens…

Before we fall asleep, our core body temperature drops, which elevates our melatonin production.

So, if your baby is sleeping in a warmer room and their core body temperature doesn’t drop like it needs for melatonin production, it can take longer for your baby to fall asleep. Oftentimes your baby will pass out from exhaustion instead of having enough of this powerful sleep hormone helping them to lull into sleep and stay asleep. Bring on the overtiredness!

The warmer temperature and not sufficient melatonin production will result in your child’s sleep being lighter and more fragmented, which will also create overtiredness.

Overtired children are no fun and it isn’t good for their health, growth and development.  Also, overtired children usually have sleep-deprived parents, whose attention and patience tend to wear thin. 

Now let’s look at how to achieve the right temperature…

Enjoying what you are reading? Sign up for our weekly newsletter and receive useful information right to your inbox each week!

  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

How You Can Help Regulate The Temperature In Your Child’s Room

Thermometer

If the thermostat isn’t in your child’s room, you may want to look at getting a standalone digital thermometer to ensure that your baby’s room is the ideal temperature. Even if the heat or air conditioning for the house is set to the ideal temperature, your baby’s room may still be too hot or too cold. You can also use a baby monitor if it has a reliable temperature gauge.

Floor Unit Air Conditioner

If your house doesn’t have central AC and you need to cool your little one’s room, consider a floor unit AC instead of a window unit.  Window units let in a lot of light and we all sleep best when it is dark.

Fan & Humidifier

If an air conditioning unit isn’t in the budget, you can lower the temperature in your little one’s room using a fan and a cool-mist humidifier together. 

The cool mist humidifier will regulate the humidity levels.  Running it in conjunction with the fan, will help cool the room down. Just make sure that the fan isn’t facing and blowing directly on your child.

Dressing Your Baby

Checkout this post where we talk all about how to dress your baby based on the temperature in their room.

I know I spent a ton of time worrying about the temperature in my twins’ room when they were babies! Hopefully this will help ease your mind and help you achieve that ideal temperature to keep your baby safe and sleeping soundly! If sleep isn’t your baby’s thing YET, we’d love to help you figure it all out. Book an intro call today and let’s explore working together!

P.S. Want to stay connected?

Sign up to receive our monthly "Scoop" email newsletter!

  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

We hate spam too. See our privacy policy.

Related Posts

asian parents holding up their baby daughter in the air in an orchard

Expert Advice On Optimizing Your Baby’s Sleep Environment For Spring & Summer

Sarah Walton, Sleep Consultant with Bella Luna Family and her twins and daughter

From Sleep Deprived Twin Mom to Sleep Consultant: Sarah’s Journey

Image of two little ones playing in the grass for the Sleep Tips For Daylight Savings Spring 2023 blog post.

Help Your Child Adjust to Daylight Savings Spring Forward Easily