Overheating Baby

Jlee1685 · October 2013

FTM

How do you know if your are putting too much clothing on your baby?

Have not had her yet but am curious

Could I dress her in a long sleeve footy pj and swaddle her. Is that too much.

jnsmith85 · October 2013

Depends on your weather. Like here in TX right now, that would probably be too much.

If she starts breathing a little fast (or is sweating obviously), she's probably hot. If she just feels cool to the touch (or they can get lethargic also), she's probably cold. You can always check her temp just to be sure.

HFrizzle · October 2013

I agree with @jnsmith85 on temping & looking for the obvious signs. If baby is sweating, looks flushed, is fussy and the house is a comfortable temp, then they could be overheated. Cotton pj's are nice cause they breathe more than the fleece and wick the moisture away.

Welshgirl12 · October 2013

We have been advised to add one layer to however many we have. So if I am in a t shirt I will add an extra later, maybe cardigan or blanket to Amelia. That said also bearing in mind the temperature... if I am sweating buckets in my t shirt I know she probably wouldn't be comfortable in an extra layer!

Flutterby00 · October 2013

We learned as we went, your baby will tell you. The first night home we put him in PJs and 2 swaddled blankets, just like they did in the hospital and we woke to a drenched in sweat little man. Now he will sleep in a onsie and swaddled blanket, sometime w/ or without a hat and he is happy as can be. In Colorado, temps inside are usually 69-72 degrees.

yesthisiskim0401 · October 2013

Welshgirl12 said:
We have been advised to add one layer to however many we have. So if I am in a t shirt I will add an extra later, maybe cardigan or blanket to Amelia. That said also bearing in mind the temperature... if I am sweating buckets in my t shirt I know she probably wouldn't be comfortable in an extra layer!

This exactly.

SuperTreesa · October 2013

Welshgirl12 said:

We have been advised to add one layer to however many we have. So if I am in a t shirt I will add an extra later, maybe cardigan or blanket to Amelia. That said also bearing in mind the temperature... if I am sweating buckets in my t shirt I know she probably wouldn't be comfortable in an extra layer!

Our childbirth class told us to dress the baby the same as we were. So if we don't need socks, the baby doesn't need socks. I'll admit though, my kids run HOT just like me. So it's worked out. For a healthy baby, I'd say always err on the side of too little clothes. The risk of a chilly baby is that they get pissed off. The risk of an overheated baby is SIDS.

manders726 · October 2013

DD ran hot as a baby and still does now at 5 years old. We're in the northeast and she was born in the fall. We would dress her in a short sleeve onesie, socks, and cotton sleeper, and then use a swaddle blanket when sleeping. Once she outgrew the swaddle blanket, we would use a long sleeved onesie, socks, and a cotton (not fleece) sleep sack at night.

Agree with the above poster- check the back of baby's neck to determine if they're too hot.

calibr8te · October 2013

Great advice from pp's. My doctor said that baby should be wearing two layers more than we would wear. So far baby has been just fine in a cotton sleeper/onesie and a cotton blanket. If it feels cold I will add a warmer blanket around his lower half.