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Sleep

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Original poster

How to get 3 week old to sleep in the heat? Worried about SIDS

43 replies

SamG93 · 19/07/2021 19:18

My LO is 3.5 weeks old and doesn't like to sleep in his crib unless he's swaddled.. as soon as I put him down from being in my arms into his crib, his arms and legs start flailing and his eyes ping open then he needs to comfort feed for more than half hour and the same thing happens again and again.

We've recently discovered he needs to be swaddled to sleep well, either in his love to dream swaddle or Velcro swaddle wrap. Out of desperation I put him in the love to dream (1 tog) with just a nappy underneath last night as we'd both been awake for hours and it was the only way.. he didn't actually feel too hot or clammy when I felt his chest/back of neck but I'm worried that's not a reliable way to know..
I've just bought a 0.5 tog Velcro wrap to try tonight but I'm still worried it's too hot for him to be swaddled even in that.. it was 28.5 degrees in our bedroom last night.

I'm just so worried about SIDS and need any advice I can get.., shall I use the thinner swaddle wrap tonight seeing as he seemed ok in the 1 tog last night? Are there any ways I can cool the room down? We only have a standing fan which doesn't do an awful lot! I put ice blocks in front of it yesterday and that did nothing. TIA

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Original poster

SamG93 · 19/07/2021 19:20

Oh and we use a co-sleeping crib (next 2 me) and it's attached to the bed.

OP posts:

PatriciaBateman · 19/07/2021 19:23

A fan, on rotate, and not directly blowing on your baby

I was terrified about SIDS when my children were tiny and read as many articles as I could find. One of the things that stood out to me was that I read there was a statistically lower case of SIDS in rooms where a fan was blowing (there may even have actually been zero cases, I don't remember but it made an impression).

jenjen517 · 19/07/2021 19:24

It's absolutely rotten isnt it. There's no easy answer. The official advice would be just not to swaddle, especially in this heat. I get that's not working for him though.

Can you get a better fan that actually cools?

lockdownbreakdown · 19/07/2021 19:24

Put a fan directly on him? That what I did in a heatwave. We also went to stay with grandparents who lived in a stone house as I was so worried.

PatriciaBateman · 19/07/2021 19:25

Also if your fan seems rubbish – make sure you take it apart and clean it, it makes a huge difference to how well it blows!

lockdownbreakdown · 19/07/2021 19:26

Sorry I didnt see the fan comment. Air conditioning unit? You can get them cheap but not sure if effective

Skweeler · 19/07/2021 19:27

I would: Keep the fan on as it will keep the air circulating and swaddle in the thinnest muslin you have that's large enough to do the job. I remember being told that "cold babies cry, hot babies die". He could be particularly clingy because of his age too :)

Angelica789 · 19/07/2021 19:27

A fan doesn’t actually cool the air. It just creates a breeze which feels nice. The room temperature will be the same.

Original poster

SamG93 · 19/07/2021 19:28

@PatriciaBateman thanks that's really reassuring to know.. though the fan didn't seem to change the temp in the room at all so not sure if that makes a difference?

@jenjen517 but if he's not being swaddled then he's not happy so I have to hold him which is even worse for overheating and risk of SIDS. I really don't know what to do!

OP posts:

Petrarkanian · 19/07/2021 19:29

Can you swaddle in a piece of cotton?
I think we did it with a muslin.

GetTaeFuck · 19/07/2021 19:29

SIDS happens when they overheat, not in hot temperatures. So if you put him in a coat, for example.

Nappy, swaddle with lightest tog.

I had a summer baby (albeit 13 years ago) and I still remember the terror when we had a heatwave.

JustWonderingIfYou · 19/07/2021 19:29

I think lovetodream do a 0.2 tog swaddle- Australian company. I'd use that and a nappy. 1 tog sounds too much although not all babies feel the heat the same.

Also he was living inside you at 37 degrees for the past 9 months so if he seems not bothered and not hot/sweaty to touch then I'd assume he's good.

I used a dog cooling mat under the sheet for naps when it was really hot last year.

JustWonderingIfYou · 19/07/2021 19:30

As in supervised naps, with me next to him, I wouldn't use overnight!

rosesandsalvias · 19/07/2021 19:32

If it's a Velcro swaddle can you leave his feet out?

gogohm · 19/07/2021 19:35

Is it cooler on the ground floor (assuming you live in a house) its around 4 degrees cooler downstairs here, I would sleep on the floor there instead in your circumstances. We were in flats when mine were small so no options but I didn't swaddle

pjani · 19/07/2021 19:37

I also wonder if there is a cooler room you can move to, keep the swaddle and have a rotating fan.

Toddlerteaplease · 19/07/2021 19:44

Swaddle with a Muslim. That's what I did with a patient last week. It's 30oC on the ward!

Toddlerteaplease · 19/07/2021 19:44

Muslin!!!!!

Dandy0911 · 19/07/2021 19:49

I don't know if this is any help but my lounge is currently at 32 degrees. My little one napped with a damp muslin over her and I didn't let her out of vision. But I very lightly dampened a Muslim and it seemed to cool her.

Dandy0911 · 19/07/2021 19:49

For bed she's just going to be in a nappy as she's too old to be swaddled now. I can't imagine these hot nights with a newborn. :(

Didiusfalco · 19/07/2021 19:53

Is there any chance baby could just be in a nappy but tucked in very tightly with a sheet rather than swaddled? Remember if he’s too cold he will wake you up. There’s no way I would swaddle in this weather unless I could get the temperature of the room down a lot.

Original poster

SamG93 · 19/07/2021 20:08

@rosesandsalvias it doesn't open at the bottom but this is a good idea, i might try leaving the leg part underneath him and see if just having his arms in would work!

@gogohm it's hot in all parts of the house so doesn't really make a difference sadly :(

@Toddlerteaplease I'll try this just worried the ones we have might be too small!!

@Didiusfalco I just worry so much about the sheet going over his face as he's such a fidgety baby

OP posts:

PatriciaBateman · 19/07/2021 20:09

"thanks that's really reassuring to know.. though the fan didn't seem to change the temp in the room at all so not sure if that makes a difference?"

I suspect it's actually something to do with the breeze stimulating breathing, the way if you blow on a baby's face they will hold their breath and then kind of gasp and breathe faster (Not that I go around blowing on babies).

The rotating sound also nicely mimics what mothers breathing may have sounded like in the womb, perhaps subconsciously stimulates steady breathing?

PatriciaBateman · 19/07/2021 20:11

Haven't had time to read the thread, so apologies if someone already posted it – but the other thing you can do is freeze bottles of water. At night time take one or two and put them in front of the fan, that really does cool the room down!

Original poster

SamG93 · 19/07/2021 20:16

@PatriciaBateman I tried this last night with freezer blocks and it didn't change the temp at all :( perhaps I didn't do it right lol

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