What should my baby wear at night?

Too warm or too cold is one of the few things about baby sleep that a table answers. Only it rarely says how to check whether it's right.

Why this works differently for a baby

Until about 18 months, a child can't regulate their own body temperature well yet. What feels nice to you isn't automatically right for your baby, and a baby who's too warm can do little about it themselves.

Important here: cooling down is harder for a baby than warming up. So too warm weighs more heavily than too cold.

The TOG per temperature

This overview comes from the course. In short:

• below 16 °C (61 °F): 2 TOG sleep sack, long-sleeved pajamas, long-sleeved onesie, socks
• 16 to 17 °C (61 to 63 °F): 2 TOG sleep sack, long-sleeved pajamas and onesie
• 18 to 19 °C (64 to 66 °F): 1 TOG sleep sack, long-sleeved pajamas and onesie
• 20 to 21 °C (68 to 70 °F): 1 TOG sleep sack, long pajamas, short-sleeved onesie
• 22 to 23 °C (72 to 73 °F): 0.5 TOG sleep sack with long-sleeved pajamas
• 24 to 25 °C (75 to 77 °F): 0.5 TOG sleep sack with only a short-sleeved onesie
• above 26 °C (79 °F): only a short-sleeved onesie

So always look at the TOG of the sleep sack you have, because it differs per brand.

The ideal room temperature itself is 16 to 18 °C (61 to 64 °F), with 20 °C (68 °F) as the upper limit. See setting up the nursery.

How to check it's right

This is the part the table can't do, and it takes three seconds.

Feel the chest or the neck. It should feel warm, not hot. Kyra calls this the best gauge, and she comes back to it twice in the lesson.

Hands and feet can be cold. Circulation is still developing, so cold little hands don't mean your child is cold. Adding an extra layer because of that feeling is the most common mistake.

Look at the behavior. A calm baby who isn't crying is usually simply fine.

Signs it's too warm

Four things to watch for: very red, warm cheeks, sweaty hair or a damp neck, fast breathing, and listlessness.

Layers, and one exception

Dress in layers: too warm is then one layer less, too cold one layer more, without having to change everything.

The exception is the carrier. There you share your own body heat, so dress your baby minimally, for example only a onesie inside the carrier.

If your child sleeps in your bed, the same applies: see safe co-sleeping.