Newborns often have difficulty regulating their body temperature, and as a parent, it is your job to assist them in doing so. There are several ways that you can help your child regulate their body temperature, including dressing them in different layers, using skin-to-skin contact, and improving your current heating and cooling system. It is important to realize that babies thrive in a temperature range from 65 to 74 degrees Fahrenheit and that the ideal indoor temperature may differ based on the outdoor temperature, the season, or the time of day. Below are a few ways that you can exercise greater control over your child's room temperature.
Consider Zoning Your HVAC System
If you have central heating and cooling, consider installing zoning to help you have more precise control in your baby's room. Occasionally closing the register in your baby's room to help control the temperature is not a major problem, but if you find that you are closing registers in other rooms to try to redirect hot or cold air towards your baby's room, then you risk damaging your heating and cooling system. Instead, you should try putting your baby's nursery and other bedrooms on a separate heating and cooling system or installing a secondary air conditioner directly in your baby's room.
Avoid Coolers Unless the Room Is Well Ventilated
Both air conditioners and coolers can affect the humidity in your baby's room. A cooler can add water to the air while an air conditioner will remove water. This means that a cooler can make a nursery humid while an air conditioner can lead to dry skin and chapped lips. To help avoid negative affects, make sure that the baby's room is well-ventilated any time the air conditioner or cooler is running. Additionally, you may want to install a humidifier or dehumidifier to help balance the air quality in the room.
Keep the Baby Well Away from Vents and Coolers
A baby should not be placed directly under or next to a heating or cooling vent. If you are installing a new HVAC system, carefully consider your vent placement in your nursery. If your vents are already in place, you should place the baby's crib out of direct air flow. This will help keep your baby's temperature more consistent and prevent them from overheating or getting chills.
Keep an Accurate Thermometer Near the Baby
Many air conditioners have a digital thermometer on the unit. However, this will give you the temperature of the air around the unit, which may differ significantly from the temperature of the air around your baby at the other side of the room. To make sure that you get an accurate temperature of the space around your baby, keep a thermometer next to your baby where you can easily read it when you are checking on your baby. This is especially important if you have central HVAC and do not have an individual thermostat in your baby's room.
Make Sure Your HVAC System Is Up to Date and Well Maintained
You should have your HVAC system checked and cleaned at least once a year, usually in the spring. However, you may want to have an extra cleaning before your baby arrives to make sure that your air quality is good and that your system is working efficiently. Doing this at least a month before your baby is born gives you plenty of time to repair any issues or install a new system if you find major problems with your current system.
Creating a comfortable and safe environment for your baby is an important part of being a parent. Making sure you have ample control of the temperature and air quality in their room is the first step to doing so.
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