aden + anais | How to keep your baby cool at night
Summer is one of our favourite season, from lazy days spent in the park, by the pool or simply sitting and enjoying the garden at home. For parents of small babies, however, the hot humid months of the season can make baby very irritable and every caution needs to be taken to keep them protected to avoid overheating.
Loved for its bright and breezy muslin accessories, Australian brand aden + anais certainly knows a thing or two about keeping babies cool and comfortable throughout the day and during the night. We caught up with founder, and mum to four girls, Raegan Moya-Jones for her tips on how to keep baby safe in the heat.
- About aden + anais -
Raegan founded aden + anais in 2006 and subsequently introduced the muslin swaddle blanket to the United States, something that had been used in her motherland, Australia, for centuries. Ensuring her products keep baby safe and with consideration for comfort and the protection of baby’s delicate skin, Raegan has years of experience influencing families on how to create the safest environment for their baby.
Keeping Baby Cool
aden + anais has partnered with infant sleep consultant and founder of Care it Out, Kerry Secker, who joins us to share her top tips for keeping babies cool during the summer nights.
When it warms up during the summer months, it’s understandable that your baby may struggle to sleep. Hot, humid and uncomfortable are not a great cot combination! It’s even more understandable that as the heat rises, so will your worry about baby overheating.
Unlike older children and adults, babies are unable to sweat, which is the body's way of cooling down, so the risk of heat stroke is even greater. Babies naturally prefer a cooler environment in which to sleep and the ideal room temperature for a nursery is between 16–20 degrees centigrade, even though it can feel a bit chilly to us! In the daytime, any baby under the age of 6 months should be kept out of direct sunlight altogether, and from 6 months it's considered safe for your baby to play comfortably in the shade.
Some key tips to consider:
- Stick to breathable, 100% cotton fabrics for bedding, pyjamas and sleepsuits. Our 1.0 TOG classic and 1.0 TOG silky soft sleeping bags are perfect for warmer temperatures as well as our swaddle which are also made out of our signature cotton muslin.
- Manmade fibres can get hot and sweaty, so if a mattress has a plastic topper, ideally it should be removed during the summer months.
- Air the bedroom out as much as possible during the day. If you can, try to keep the windows open to create a breeze and keep the air flowing.
- Run a fan for 30 minutes before putting your baby to bed. You can even place a frozen bottle of water next to the fan to cool the air as it blows. Ideally, turn the fan off at night, but if you do choose to leave it on, turn it away from your baby so that the air isn’t blowing directly on them.
- Keep up your baby’s fluids during the day. Babies may need to have more feeds both day and night to keep them hydrated.
- Hanging, cold and wet towels in the bedroom can help keep the room cool. Just make sure your baby isn’t able to grab them and cover his or her face with them.
- If it’s very hot, you can cool your baby off with a damp flannel.
Essential Products
Parenthood is a blessing but can also be very overwhelming, which is why, since 2006, aden + anais® has brought the Australian legacy of cotton muslin to the forefront of modern baby care, creating products that are as versatile as they are beautiful and the modern aesthetic and iconic prints are unique to the baby industry.
Our over-sized swaddle blankets are a must-have for any new parent with over 25 million swaddles sold. Similarly, our signature cotton muslin is used throughout our range — this wonder fabric is known for its breathability with the open weave and lightweight fabric allowing for airflow, to reduce the risk of overheating. As a fabric, muslin is also very durable giving it the ability to withstand countless washes — a huge plus for parents! The delicate, yet durable weave of muslin evokes a stretchiness with a natural give, allowing the swaddle blanket to be tucked snugly around a baby, without being overly restrictive.
