Would you point a fan towards a sleeping toddler all night?

[dancerose]

We can’t seem to agree on this, I have read that you shouldn’t point a fan directly at them as it’s dehydrating but Dh thinks he needs the fan on him at night in this heat.
I have shown him all the information on line advising against it.
Ds was at the hospital yesterday as he had viral wheezing and he asked the doctor as we were discharged if it was ok to put a fan on him and she said yes you could do so now Dh is convinced that despite all the advice I’ve found discouraging this that a doctor has said he could so it’s fine.
Do you/ would you put a fan by the cot all night?

I wouldn’t as a toddler cannot move the fan as you or I could if we got uncomfortable. I’d just have it going in the room but pointed away from the toddler so the air is being cooled/ circulated.

I would and do point it away. It can really dry your throat out otherwise.

I always did this with mine. I don’t see how it’s any more dehydrating than sweating all night from the heat! At least your little one may be a bit more comfortable and get some sleep.

I'd have it oscillating.

I'd put it on a rotating setting so it's blowing on them but intermittently. I often have mine pointing directly at me but I have to turn it off before I go to sleep, or set it to rotate.

That's the word I was looking for!

It's etched in my brain because it's my friend's 3 year old son's favourite word?!?! 🤣🤣

I think you shouldn’t leave the fan on all night / turn it off when you go to sleep perhaps ?

or change its angle so its pulling cool air in from outside rather then blowing on the child

like others I’d be worried about dehydration, and blowing particles ( eg trigger asthma ) can also be a risk

Can you get one with a timer?

We put ours on for a few hours, then open the windows when dc is asleep before closing them again before we go to sleep (to prevent falling out risks)

I'd also recommend a cool shower before bed.

I'll fully admit to not knowing the answer but I'd have thought it was riskier for a child to overheat slowly than to wake up cold or thirsty. Can toddlers regulate well enough to put on a blanket?

I wouldn't point it at them. I would position it so it was blowing parallel to them, at a safe distance away. I would position some ice packs in front of it to cool the air. The hard plastic gel filled ones stay cold for hours.

I would have it oscillating on low power at a distance from them, and check toddler throughout the night to make sure not too cool or too hot, and sleep with or near them. Give plenty of milk and or drinks overnight. Which you’re likely doing anyway as recently hospitalised.

I wouldn't. I didn't raise my son in the UK - but instead in a country with much more consistent higher temperatures, and the rule here is always not to have direct wind on a young toddler/baby. Indirect is what is done here.

Overheating seems like a more serious concern than dehydrating.

I live in a hot country, I would not point it directly at the baby.

I make a judgement call depending on the situation. I did it when it was 30 degrees in our flat because it still seems better than overheating. But I offered sips of water every couple of hours and once temperature was down a bit, I opened the windows instead and pointed the fan away. Anything up to 26 degrees in the room I’d point the fan away.

We’ve never used a fan with my toddler. If I did, I’d having it moving or pointing away

As others have said, have it rotating so that it moves and cools the air in the room. I think directly pointing it at them can risk them getting too cold, it certainly has happened to me before.

I wouldn’t have it pointing at them all night , it can become uncomfortable after a while and they can’t turn it off themself. Oscillating or pointing next to would be better

Not directly. I got a horrible eye infection years ago from sleeping with a fan on my face.

I would put it on but creep in to turn it off around midnight, once it has cooled down a bit.

A fan in an open window is the best idea - it will help cool your home down overnight.

Having a fan on you overnight isn't going to dehydrate you - the issue is that constant air flow over your face can dry out your mucus membranes, so you could end up with a dry nose/mouth.

We do it as far away as the room/plugs allow and oscillating, generally also directed at the air above them rather than onto their body as such.
I do think it exacerbated my youngest's cough when he was unwell during the last heatwave though
but i was sleeping in the same room as him since he was unwell and it was a heatwave and he wasn't sleeping well anyway

A fan by itself does not cool the air in a closed room - it stirs it, creating localise breezes that accelerate the evaporation of sweat to cool us down.

So if the window is closed, no point pointing it away.

We have a fan with ice in a tray (you can get them in Lidl, and point it slightly above him. Ice packs in the bed that at put under the pillow when he goes to bed.

But also stop playing Dr Google Vs actual discharge advice from the hospital.

Yes. It’s a fan, not a vortex. I’ve slept with a fan pointed at my face since I was tiny.