What is Ideal Room Temperature For A Sleeping Baby?
By Helen
Unless you've got the heater or air conditioning running every day, the room temperature of where your baby is sleeping will change every night and throughout the night too.
A common concern is ensuring that your baby is sleeping in a comfortable and safe sleep environment, particularly when the seasons change. Understanding how to dress your baby for sleep, using a temperature guide for baby sleep, and choosing the appropriate TOG sleepwear can help you achieve this.
Why Does The Room Temperature Matter?
The temperature of the room your baby sleeps in plays a significant role in your baby's sleep quality and overall safety. Babies are much more sensitive to temperature changes than adults are since their bodies cannot regulate like we can. This means they're more sensitive to becoming too hot or cold, which can disrupt their sleep and sometimes pose health risks.
What Is The Ideal Room Temperature For Baby Sleep?
The ideal room temperature for baby sleep is typically between 16°C and 20°C (61°F to 68°F). This range provides a comfortable environment that helps regulate your baby's body temperature and supports restful sleep.
Keeping track of the room temperature is useful and we recommend having an indoor room thermometer as the easiest and least stressful way to do so.
Once you know the temperature of the room, dressing your baby in temperature-appropriate sleepwear is the next step.
Choosing the right sleepwear is essential for keeping your sleeping baby comfortable. Using our TOG Calculator, you can see combinations of clothing items to help you decide on what and how many layers to wear as a guide.
For example, for a room temperature of 16°C or 61°F:
For more information on how to use the calculator or we came up with the combinations, check out the FAQ.
Remember every baby is different - the Calculator and any other resource online recommending what your baby should wear is simply a baseline guide if you're unsure. Start there and then monitor your baby for signs of temperature discomfort. Perhaps they run cooler or warmer than the "average baby" - in that case, look out for the signals and layer up or down accordingly based on your gut feel and any obvious indicators.