Keeping my newborn cool tonight

[Sickallday]

My son is 3.5 weeks old.

Advice on keeping him cool tonight? We don’t have air con. Fan is currently working overtime.

Hw is formula fed so feeding when he wants a bottle

I don’t know why today but I just feel super anxious about him over heating tonight. Lately the heat during the day been ok as the house has stayed cool and the nights have cooled but tonight feels roasting

He is currently in a nappy but wants to settle on me which feels hot for us both,
back or the neck feels hot but not sweaty or clammy!

any recommendations greatly appreciated or anything to ease my anxiety

Put his sheets and spare sheets in the freezer for a while before bed, swap them out as needed overnight

Put a bowl of ice in front of the fan; replace as needed

Move his cot to whichever room is coolest

And in terms of your anxiety - remember that babies all over the world are ok in these temperatures and higher!

I meant to say once he’s settled and off me I will walk around the house with the egg of doom to find the coolest room.

Thank you! This is the sort of thing I need to hear :)

Wet a muslin then wring it out thoroughly. If he really wants to be on you (which is fair enough for a newborn), put that between the two of you.

Ok so the living room is the coolest at 29 degrees ! Ergh I’m ready for the nights to cool!

Thank you! I will absolutely do this

Our newborn is a similar age and keeping them cool, especially at night, is such a stress at the moment so you have my sympathy. We’ve even started sleeping in the living room as it’s cooler and I’ve genuinely considered staying in a Premier Inn for the air con.

Aside from having fans going pretty much constantly in most rooms we also haven’t opened the curtains since baby came home. In fact probably quite a bit before that because I needed to be kept cool in late pregnancy! Still all our rooms are mid to high 20s so baby sleeps in a nappy most nights whilst I search the internet for affordable air con …. Will be keeping an eye on this thread for (less expensive) suggestions.

I am finding it so stressful, until tonight our bedrooms cooled to around 23 most nights. Tonight just seems worse for some reason.

I am anxious about safe sleep anyway so this heat is not helping. It’s nice to know I’m not the only one worrying

Congratulations. 🥂

Honestly don't stress you'll be fine lots of countries without air con in their households have babies too! In temps much higher. Babies run cooler too

Put baby in a nappy or a cotton sleepsuit/vest in the next size up so it's loose
You can wet a muslin, wring it out and put it in the freezer or fridge. Then nice and cool to pat over babies head/back or lay over them if not too wet.
Can offer the formula or pumped milk colder temp. Or have a cooler shower, not cold cold and wash yourself then get dh to pass you baby, hold them and let the water go on their back etc, then both get dressed for bed and lay in front of the fan

If they just want to cluster feed make sure you are nice and cool with a wet facecloth, lots of ice water! A face mist sprayer thing is quite nice then with the fan blowing over you

I would make up a bed on the sofa for yourself and sleep downstairs with baby. It will be cooler downstairs.

Thank you heaps. This has made me feel a lot better :)

You're doing so well! It's no joke being a new parent, there's so much to be anxious about! But baby is safe and loved with you and has all it needs. The worst that will happen is maybe you and baby will have terrible sleep as too warm to get comfy or thirsty but at 3.5 weeks that's a given usually 😅

Congratulations! Put baby to sleep in a nappy and best, it will cool over night. Don't put cold cloths on babe or face a fan towards them. They can't regulate temperature like us. As a pp said, people have babies all over the world in hotter temperatures than this without air con, fans etc, and they are just fine

My preemies were raised in the rural Caribbean, they regularly slept at Grandma's wooden home with a tin roof in 40 degree heat and no fan on days when the electricity was out. They were a bit sweaty but did absolutely fine with the heat. Slept regardless, didn't fuss.

It wasn't because they were "used to it", the rest of the time they slept in our apartment with air conditioning and as soon as they were able to roll over/kick blankets off they would do that and still sleep fine in 18 degrees. Babies are more adaptable and resilient than we think sometimes. As long as baby is well hydrated and nappies are wet I don't think you need worry too much, obvs keep an eye on them as usual xx

I dont know if you've bought a baby monitor yet, but ours has an alarm if the temperature in the room goes above a set threshold, might give you a little peace of mind if you know you'll be alerted if it gets any warmer. It's currently 30 degrees in my toddlers room 🫠

Anxiety wise, millions of mothers have live in far hotter climates without ac or even clean running water.

As a pale and fair haired English child, I was born and raised in a hot country in the 1970s. Sensible precautions basically.

So, tepid bath, cool room as much as possible, light clothing (days of terry nappies) etc. Me and siblings live to tell the tale...

This is so re assuring! Thank you for sharing :)

Plenty of skin to skin, may seem counter productive but it actually regulates babies temperature by keeping them cool (or warmer when its cold weather) I absolutely wouldnt be putting anything wet or cold on the baby, personally.