When do I need to worry about room temperature at night?

[Mads199]

We live in a flat that is hot all the time, brilliant for winter electricity bills as we barely have the heating on ever, awful in the spring and summer. We have huge windows either side of the flat so we get both sides of the sun in the day. We have shitty light curtains which the sun comes straight through but can’t change them as we are renting and landlord is very particular about not changing anything, and the insulation in this place is generally awful.

It’s never been an issue before as we just strip off and open windows/ use a fan even though it’s still boiling when you do that, but now we have DD who is 4 weeks old and already in April the temperature in our bedroom is 24 degrees when it’s 18 outside. I’ve had the windows open all day in the bedroom and it has stayed the same, I guess this place just traps heat or something.

Being the over paranoid first time mum that I am, I'm worrying a lot about the room being too hot for DD to sleep in/ worrying about SIDS risk if she gets too hot, especially if it’s this hot now and it’s not even the summer yet. Experienced mamas who have been through many a hot summer, is this a rational worry?! Or is all the guidance on rooms being 16 - 20 degrees to be taken with a grain of salt? Our room will definitely not be below 20 degrees for months now. Also what do I dress her in to sleep when it’s hot?

If this is a rational worry, does anybody have any top tips for cooling down a room where the sun beats through the window all day and basically creates a greenhouse effect?!

Thermal blackout blinds on closed windows in the day.
Open windows in morning when it's cool then shut as soon as temperature rises and or sun directly shines on room

Get some blackout curtains, how is LL going to know? Just store his carefully so you can replace when you leave. Honestly, protesting over curtains is completely unreasonable!

You can also get removable window films which deflect UV, or are reflective, or tinted, to help keep the place cool

Re temperature strategies...

Sometimes keeping the windows closed during the hottest part of the day or when the sun shines directly onto the window is better, because you can let the hot air in, and then open them in the evenings. Curtains closed during the day obviously.

Try and get a cross breeze going through the flat which will help.

Bowl of iced water level with and in front of a fan acts like air conditioning, or you can hang a wet cloth in front of it.

If you can afford it, the Dyson bladeless fan is really good in heatwaves. I also freeze hot water bottles (obviously not putting hot water in to start with), you could use these to cool her cot before she goes in it perhaps?

I've read in hot countries they used to hang wet sheets or palms at the windows to act as air conditioning in the summer.

Do what you can to cool the room down (per PP’s suggestions), and then try to remember that many countries around the world are warmer than 16-20 degrees year-round. In other words, try to follow the guidance as best you can, but not to worry excessively if you’re not able to follow it perfectly. This will apply to maaaaaany facets of parenting! :-) Congrats on your new baby!

It is not paranoid at all, you are very sensible to be thinking about this as the SIDS risk is scientifically proven to be higher in warm rooms. I would get a thermometer with an alarm for if/when it gets too warm.

The brutal advice I was given was that it is far better for your baby to be too cold and to wake you up crying than the alternative. Therefore start with light covers and just a vest and see how they go.

You can buy air con units.

@UpToMyElbowsInDiapers

Do what you can to cool the room down (per PP’s suggestions), and then try to remember that many countries around the world are warmer than 16-20 degrees year-round. In other words, try to follow the guidance as best you can, but not to worry excessively if you’re not able to follow it perfectly. This will apply to maaaaaany facets of parenting! :-) Congrats on your new baby!

I think this is pretty , unless you know that in these warmer countries there is no higher rate of SIDS?

This is like saying 'don't worry about a car seat, in many countries people do not use them anyway'.

We have a very warm bedroom, so we got a portable air con unit for the first summer with baby. They do guzzle electricity, so we use it sparingly, but it takes the bedroom down from 28ish to 20 pretty quickly when it's on full blast. It vents out of the window via hose - it's not the prettiest but it does feel wonderful having a cool bedroom!

Last summer, our house hit 28c overnight one night and DD was 6weeks old 😫 I had the same worries re SIDS as you. Things we tried:

• blackout curtains and blinds. There is a tommee tippee travel blackout blind which attaches using suckers to the glass - it works brilliantly and doesn't require any permanent installation. We use it now during the day for naptime.

• groegg to monitor room temp

• we couldnt justify the cost of a dyson fan but found an equivalent cooling fan on amazon for around £150

• we moved DDs moses basket into the coolest part of the house (for us, downstairs north facing but presume that wont work for you if in a flat) and i slept on a campbed next to her

• had her sleeping in just sleeveless vest + nappy or just nappy on the very hottest night

It was all very stressful and why I've insisted to DH that when we have our loft conversion done, we put an aircon unit up there!

Sorry keep thinking of things!

Plants are also very cooling. There's a reason cats seek out shrubs in heatwaves! It's actually much cooler between the leaves than you'd think. I think they can help cool a room down too so I'd recommend houseplants. I would certainly place them along walls and windows that get the sun.

Shutters are very good (preferably outside but)...I know you can't install them but a wooden room divider might help as internal sunshade in the flat if you can afford it?

If you live on the ground floor,then you might be able to look at getting something to shade the windows from the outside...maybe a parasol or carefully placed potted bamboo.

Depending on what sort of windows you have, if you can have a high opening one side of flat and a lower one opposite, you'll create a thermal current allowing hot air to escape (high) and cool air to come in (low).

Inside opt for natural materials and light colours, linens and cottons as much as possible, or bare floors if possible to help cool rooms.

Sorry I know this is more about the space rather than your baby!

Your LL is hugely unreasonable not to allow you to make changes - or supply them himself- which keep the flat at a comfortable temperature!

I think this is pretty, unless you know that in these warmer countries there is no higher rate of SIDS?
SIDS rates are very low in Australia, 6 per 100000 in 2017.

@UpToMyElbowsInDiapers

Do what you can to cool the room down (per PP’s suggestions), and then try to remember that many countries around the world are warmer than 16-20 degrees year-round. In other words, try to follow the guidance as best you can, but not to worry excessively if you’re not able to follow it perfectly. This will apply to maaaaaany facets of parenting! :-) Congrats on your new baby!

This is true but people in hotter countries typically live in buildings designed for the climate, so they keep cool. Uk buildings are designed to retain heat which is why we're struggling in heatwaves as they're becoming more prolonged!

It's recognised as one of the ways climate change is going to affect people in the UK, especially as new builds now are designed to trap heat even more than before.

Oh I've also seen fans that have an internal water tank so generate cooler air, if you can't afford an air con unit.

Also fans which attach to prams etc.

(I also rent and invariably end up in places of temperature extremes, I've done a lot of research into keeping them cool in the summer because the last 2 summers have been unbearable! Air flow and shading are key)

You need a routine of shutting blinds or curtains when the sun is hitting the window, then opening windows when the sun has passed over. Open windows and internal doors (open bedroom doors!) to get a cross breeze through the flat at night. You can get better curtains, just keep the landlord's ones to put back if you leave.

I think an air conditioning unit would be best if it is something you can afford. Even just to get the temperature down just before bed.

Thermal black out curtains, Habitat ones from Argos,they've transformed our bedroom and front room and are reasonable too. Your LL won't know.

I think this is pretty, unless you know that in these warmer countries there is no higher rate of SIDS?

SIDS rates are higher in cold countries, higher in winter and during cold spells in winter.

The 16-20 temperature recommendation isn't a worldwide thing either. I think heating a room artificially is associated with a higher rate of SIDS but this risk isn't shown to apply to summer temperatures or hot climates. I can't find anything in the scientific literature about it anyway.

Most cases of SIDS are related to the baby's head being covered (hat or loose bedding), the baby sleeping on their front, the baby having a viral infection, and one or both parents smoking.

So I don't think you should worry unduly. Make sure your baby isn't over wrapped - probably just a baby grow would be enough for 24 degrees, or just a vest if it gets warmer still. Don't use cot bumpers or put soft toys in the cot. You probably know that already.

As an aside I doubt your landlord can stop you swapping the curtains or blinds for better ones if you want to.