Getting and keeping your children asleep in a hot bedroom

Dont get me wrong, I love the hot weather. I love the children playing with a sprinkler in the garden for hours and I love sunny picnics in the park.

What I am less a fan of is hot nights and bedrooms that feel like ovens. My kids are hot and sticky and dont drop off easily and then wake up too warm to go back to sleep.
Here are some useful tips I have found to cool down a room and help your child get their necessary shut-eye.

A safe room temperature of between 16-20C (60.8-68F) is recommended for your baby. 18C (65F) is just right.

Whatever the weather, the rule is the same says midwife, Anne Richley, put your baby to sleep on her back and be careful not to let her become overheated.
My general rule of thumb is put the baby in the same layers as whatever I am comfortable in, plus one thin layer. Lately I have been sleeping in thin cotton shorts and a cotton t shirt so my littlest one is in her cotton baby grow with a light sheet over her.

Try and keep the room cool during the day by keeping the windows open and the curtains shut as this will block out the sun. Another great tip is to put a bowl of ice in front of a fan. The ice will cool the air around it and the fan will blow the cool air around the room.

Also open two windows on different sides of your house as this will create a breeze and cool down the rooms.

Avoid plastic mattress toppers. I know they are fantastic at protecting mattresses from accidents during the night but these will only make your children hotter and sweatier.

Sometimes if it has been very hot during the day and the children are still too warm for bed then a very quick lukewarm bath or shower works wonders. I make sure to keep it very quick as I dont want them to get cold but it quickly lowers their temperature and they feel more ready for pjs and bed.

Make sure they are well hydrated during the day. I try not to give my kids too much to drink just before bed but during hot weather it is even more vital they get plenty of fluids so I have bottles of water in the fridge so they have easy access to cold water. I also use a few tricks to encourage my children to drink plenty. A bottle of frozen water is great fun and very refreshing to drink and also they can keep it out with them in the garden and it stays cool. They also love bendy straws and often will quickly drink a cup of water through a straw more happily than they would without! Making sure they have plenty to drink during the day means they are well hydrated before bed and hopefully wont need the toilet too much during the night after drinking lots at bedtime!

Remember to enjoy the hot weather with your children and make the most of the sunshine!

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