DS waking up cold

[Northernbeachbum]

Im following the guidlines for what he should wear given the room temp and he seems to disagee that its just not cosy enough. To get him to stay asleep he needs to be a fair bit warmer.....what do i do? I know its a risk but hes so tired waking cold all the time

[StripyDeckchair]

What is the room temp and what's he wearing? How old is he? Does he feel cold when you feel the back of his neck/chest or is more his hands?

[Northernbeachbum]

Hes 4.5m old, i only know its due to the cold as dp accidently put more layers on him the other day and he slept so much better so i tested my theory another night but stayed closer. It drops to 18 degrees overnight and he has a long sleeve vest and a sleepsuit with a 2.5 tog sleeping bag.

[StripyDeckchair]

Do you mean 8 degrees? 18 degrees is a perfectly fine temperature, not cold at all. I think the guidance at 18 degrees is just a long sleeved vest and grobag because that's quite a warm temperature already. I think what you say he usually wears is fine, though on the warm side.

It is so tough when they're wakeful (my DS has never been a sleeper). I would suspect that this is the 4 month sleep regression rather than him being cold. Yes, he might well wake less and sleep more deeply if you are really bundling him up when it's already warm but I'm not sure I'd risk doing that.

[StripyDeckchair]

Just to add, assuming it is the 4 month sleep regression it may well not last very long.

[BiscuitDrama]

I always had to add an extra long sleeved vest to the recommendation for eldest. How much extra is it? They’re meant to have cold hands, but down their back should be nice and warm, if you want to test that way.

[Northernbeachbum]

The sleep regression is showing itself in other fun ways 🙈 i mean 18 degrees not 8. I wondered if it could be as he was born in such a warm summer he likes the warmth now.

So basically he has to get used to it?! Im one for being a very warm sleeper so he seems similar

[StripyDeckchair]

How do you mean about the sleep regression?

I guess my thoughts are that you don't want him to be cold, obviously, but if the room is not cold, he is appropriately dressed and he doesn't feel cold then what you're talking about is whether he should be extra warm or not, rather than whether he should be cold or not.
He may sleep more deeply when he is extra warm as he may find that more comfortable but at his age that comes with some (very small) risks.

The other thing is, in my experience, they change all the time. So if he needs to get used to not being extra warm then that may well happen very quickly.

[Northernbeachbum]

Hes gone from sleeping through to waking hungry a lot in the night. These wakes hes not hungry and it's been since the weather got colder

[StripyDeckchair]

That sounds really difficult. Does he feel cold though? And are you offering him breast/bottle and he just refuses?

I'm just wondering whether he's waking up just 'because' (I.e. for developmental reasons) as well as sometimes waking up hungry and it really is because of the sleep regression that just happens to coincide with a change in the weather.

[KPjoenix]

Don't torture yourself. He's cold. Pop a sheepskin fleece underneath the fitted cot sheet for extra warmth and maybe invest in a wool sleeping bag. Merinokids do a great Winter weight one. You can worry a bit less about overheating in a wool one because it breathes much better. Or if it's his arms that are cold try one of the jojo Maman ones with the removable arms. You can usually find one second hand on eBay.