How To Dress A Newborn Baby For Sleep
Wondering how I should dress my newborn for bed?
Then let us help you with our ultimate guide on dressing a baby for sleep!
Whether you’ve recently given birth to your bundle of joy, or you’re coming towards the end of your pregnancy and want to be prepared, one of the biggest questions that you’re probably asking yourself is how to safely dress your newborn when it’s time for sleep.
Besides wanting to make sure that your little baby sleeps comfortably and gets plenty of rest, we’re sure that you’ll also want to make sure that you’re implementing all of the necessary safety precautions to ensure that your baby is safe from any sleeping hazards – and that’s where we come in to lend you a helping hand.
Below, you will find a helpful guide on how to correctly dress your newborn baby for bedtime and how to keep baby warm at night, so that you can rest easy knowing that your baby is comfortable, safe, and sleeping soundly.
Along the way, we’ll also be sharing with you some additional safety sleeping tips to ensure a safe sleeping environment.
And if you love this guide on dressing your baby for sleep, then make sure you read these guides on newborn tips for sleeping, how many baby clothes do I need, and how many crib sheets do I need.
This post contains affiliate links. See our full disclosure here
How To Dress A Newborn Baby For Sleep
Even though deciding what your newborn baby should wear for bed each night sounds like it should be an easy decision to make, the reality is often quite different.
As a new parent, the last thing you want is to stay up all night wondering about whether or not your baby is too hot or too cold, so what should your baby wear? If you’re currently asking yourself this question, the nest assured that you’re in the right place.
Making sure that you’re dressing your newborn appropriately for bed can often be tricky business, so check out the following tips to make sure your baby is comfortable and safe at night:
Consider What You’d Feel Comfortable Wearing
Generally speaking, one of the simplest ways to decide what your newborn baby should wear for bed is to determine how you feel in the room that your baby is going to be asleep in. Is the room warm? Or is there a chill?
Do you feel warm enough in a pair of lightweight pajamas or do you need something warmer?
As a general rule of thumb, you should decide what you’d feel comfortable wearing and then dress your baby in something that is around two times warmer than that.
To give you an idea of what we mean by that, if you feel comfortable in a pair of sweats, then you should dress your baby in a warm sleepsuit (such as these), as well as an additional blanket.
Check The Room Temperature
Alongside the above, another way that you will be able to determine what you should be dressing your newborn in for sleep is by determining the temperature of the room that they will be sleeping in.
Room temperature is one of the most important indicators of what your baby should be wearing while they are sleeping, so we strongly recommend that you check it each evening.
The recommended, optimal temperature for a newborn to sleep in is between 16 degrees Celsius and 20 degrees Celsius, so you’d be making a good choice to invest in a thermometer.
If you keep your room in this optimal temperature range, then you will only need to dress your newborn in a vest, cotton sleeping suit, as well as a lightweight blanket to ensure that they stay warm.
What Time Of Year Is It?
Another important factor that you should take into consideration when deciding how to dress your newborn for sleep is by considering what time of year it is.
Even though you might try your best to maintain optimal room temperature for your baby, sometimes that can’t be achieved – so it’s important to know how to dress your baby, no matter what season you mighty currently be in,
With that being said, during the summer months, it’s important to make sure that you are dressing your baby appropriately so that they do not overheat, as this could put your baby at risk of SIDS.
With that being said, if the temperature in your newborn’s room is over 24 degrees celsius, then you should only dress your baby in a vest, with a lightweight cloth that is tucked in at the sides for safety reasons.
On the other hand, during the winter months where temperatures can dip below 16 degrees celsius, you should make sure to dress your newborn in a thermal sleeping suit and vest, while also ensuring that you are tucking a warm blanket over them.
Additional Safe-Sleeping Tips For Your Newborn
Alongside making sure that your baby is wearing the proper clothing, there are a variety of other ways that you can ensure your baby stays safe at night. Check them out below:
Consider Using A Pacifier
In recent times, many studies have shown that sleeping with a pacifier (or dummy) has the ability to reduce the chances of SIDS from occurring.
If you’re interested in trying out your baby with a pacifier, then we recommend slowly introducing it throughout the day to allow your baby to get familiar with one.
However, if your newborn repeatedly rejects using a pacifier, then we recommend that you do not force your baby to take one, and instead re-attempt at a later date.
You may also like: How many pacifiers do I need?
Create A Safe Sleeping Environment
One of the biggest ways that you can ensure your baby stays safe at night is by creating a safe sleeping environment free from any potential hazards.
Ideally, you should make sure that your baby has a dark, quiet, and cool room to sleep in at night, ensuring that there are no stuffed animals or loose bedding.
It is also important to make sure that your baby sleeps on a firm surface, as soft surfaces can lead to a high risk of suffocation.
Stop Swaddling When Your Baby Begins To Roll Over
Even though swaddling is an effective method of keeping your newborn safe while they sleep, it’s very important to ensure that you stop swaddling as soon as your baby starts to roll over, which is typically around the 3-month mark or so.
The main reason for this is that, if a baby rolls over onto their tummies while they are swaddled and asleep, there is a risk of suffocation – and this risk is higher in developing babies that are beginning to move around and roll.
Final Thoughts on How To Dress Baby For Sleep
Dressing your baby properly for sleep helps you to rest easy knowing that your baby is comfortable, safe, and sleeping soundly.
We hope this guide has been helpful in helping you decide how to best dress your newborn for sleep.
And if you’re looking for more great guides, then check out these sleeping guides on best nightlight for baby, what should baby wear under sleep sack, and where to put a humidifier in a nursery.
