Worried I've been underdressing baby at night / letting him get too cold

[LoathlyLady]

Feeling worried having just had a chat with some other mums about how they dress their babies for sleep, everyone else is wearing more layers. My DS wears a sleeping bag and a long sleeve bodysuit underneath (no legs), our room is about 19-20 degrees. I double checked the sleeping bag website and I've obviously got mixed up at some point as it says he should be in a full sleepsuit at 19 degrees superlovemerino.com/pages/temperature-guide

I don't know how I managed to get that wrong and now feel very worried that this may have led to DS getting less sleep or even poor weight gain (he wakes every 2-3 hours and is on the leaner side). We're obviously going to correct this tonight, but does anyone have any idea what the impact might have been?

There will have been zero impact.

It's fine.

I'm sure he's been absolutely fine. You're over thinking it imo but that shows what a caring mum you are. Better to be too cool than too hot with babies. Now, make yourself a cup of tea and stop worrying

Cold babies cry. If he was cold he would have let you know. There will have been absolutely zero consequences of him not wearing less layers.

A BF baby should be waking up at least every 2-3hrs for feeding anyway. I've been dressing ours in a short sleeved baby grow, sleepsuit and sleeping bag but the bag is 1.5 tog not 2.5 as recommended... Sometimes we have blankets which she kicks off though.

Yes I'd echo better than too cool as too hot increases risk of SIDS

The sleeping bag websites are a guide, my son always needed less as he was a sweaty creature, my daughter always wears less because she sleeps in my bed with me, so it’s not a hard and fast rule! DS 1 was born in a massive heatwave and I used to stress out about it until it was pointed out to me that babies are born in hot and cold countries, have been for thousands of years and have survived fine by being dressed how their parents judge to be appropriate rather than by the commandments of a nursery thermometer overlord (looking at you Groegg)

You’re right, they may be wrong (or their homes may be draughty). Cold babies wake up, overheating babies don’t.

Use your instinct, I’m a new mum and we’ve found through trying out different combinations that our baby gets too hot with the recommended layers on. We dress her in just a long sleeved sleepsuit at home because the main living room is always warm and at the higher end of the scale. When we put her in a vest and then sleepsuit it was too much. When she’s sleeping we cover her with a muslin because a thicker covering was causing her to sweat. Not all babies are the same and just keep checking your little one to make sure he is okay. As others have said if they are cold they will let you know, it’s better to be on the cold side as getting too hot is dangerous.

Phew thanks, I can see that he's a happy growing baby and can definitely feel that I'm overthinking / over worrying, but it's good to hear from some more experienced mums that I haven't been neglecting the poor little guy. Mostly angry with myself for getting it wrong given how much time I spent analysing those tables

Worst thing that could have happened is he has occasionally woken because he’s cold and let you know about it. No lasting harm will have been done, don’t worry.

Remember, it’s safer to underdress a baby than overdress one - a cold baby will let you know if they’re cold, an overheated one might not be able to.

A baby who is too cold at night will wake up. A baby who is too hot will not.

@LoathlyLady I have been dressing my 6 week old in a long sleeve vest and a 1.5 tog sleeping bag and our room is 19-20 degrees too. For him, that is plenty (he is a warm-ish baby anyway) and I constantly worry about him being too warm. I would much rather him be cool than too warm (as others have said due to the risk of SIDs). He gained 36 ounces in 20 days. He wakes up once in the night for a feed (formula fed). I wouldn't worry too much. As long as your baby is warm to touch on his chest/back of his neck then he will be comfortable

If baby is going to sleep and sleeping for 3 hours at a time, they're fine and perfectly happy. You can check by touching the back of the neck; if it feels warm, baby is fine.

Cold babies aren't shy about letting you know. As they say, cold babies cry; hot babies [can] die. You're doing fine.

Really appreciate this advice and assurance. Thanks all. He is now in a sleepsuit and is waking as often as he does usually, so I guess he's not too fussed!

My little one also wears a long-sleeved vest and sleeping bag (1.5 tog) and while I've never checked the temperature of the room, it's cool. She sleeps soundly and her skin inside the bag is always lovely and toastie, while her face and hands are cool-ish.

Better to err on the side of too cold than too hot.

The slumbersac website actually says a long sleeve vest with a 2.5 tog at that temperature. I think there's probably very little difference in adding an extra layer on the legs.

My 7 week old wears the exact same thing and our room is the same temp. I had a grobag and it came with this handy little temp key showing what to wear for what temp so went off that, I'll try upload a picture. My friends baby wears a vest and a onesie under his sleeping bag and if I put my dd in that she would be sweating buckets so just do what works for you. Babies will cry if they're too cold!