Tag Archives: temperature

Are muslin swaddle blankets too thin for the winter?

Posted by on December 11, 2012 Comments Off

I’m a big fan of the muslin blankets because I live in a traditional warm area of the United States. But, with winter upon us the night temperature can easily drop below 60 degrees Fahrenheit. As a cautious parent, you are probably thinking a muslin swaddle blanket is not warm enough for your baby. You are probably right because muslin blankets are designed for hot and humid environments to help cool your baby.  Here are some things you can do to make sure your baby is adequately kept warm in their swaddle blanket –

  1. Turn on the room heater for the baby’s room and keep it nicely warmed around 70 degrees Fahrenheit.
  2. Instead of using a single muslin swaddle blanket, I’ve seen parents use 2 muslin blankets at a time to further insulate their baby from the winter cold.  But you can always use more muslin blankets until the baby is warm enough.
  3. Mix and match a muslin swaddle blanket with another thicker cotton swaddle blanket or fleece swaddle blankets.
  4. Switch to the pouch swaddle blankets by SwaddleMe, Miracle Blanket, and Halo. These items are great because after I swaddle my baby in a muslin fabric, I can further cover them in one of these ouch swaddle blankets. It provides another layer that I don’t have to worry about my baby kicking off in the middle of the night.
  5. Go away from the swaddle blanket if your baby is old enough and start using sleepsacks to help keep them warm. There are plenty of thick and warm sacks from Halo or Merino Kids that are great and comfortable for any baby to sleep in

During the winter, parents can sometime cover their babies with so much insulation that they can actually get too hot. Here are some signs you need to look for to make sure you are not overheating your baby

  1. Check for redness in his face.
  2. Check for sweat on his forehead and hair.
  3. Check for wet and damp clothing that is un-related to a leaky diaper. Usually the spots that I look for is the back of the clothes around the shoulder area.
  4. Increase fussiness during the night because he or she is uncomfortable

Yes, muslin blankets are too thin for a baby during the winter. Muslin swaddle blankets are great for hot and humid days, but during this winter season, parents should look at alternatives for better options in keeping their little ones warm and comfortable during those cold nights.

 

What does your little one wear under the SwaddleMe?

Posted by on July 8, 2012 Comments Off

This question is often brought up because parents are worried they may be overheating or not providing enough warm to their newborn in the SwaddleMe blanket. But, with the proper care and attention parents can rest assure their newborn is fine.

Typically, babies can be dressed in a onesie, pants, and socks before they are swaddle in the SwaddleMe blanket. But, if you noticed your baby’s onesie is wet from sweat then you need to regulate the room temperature because the baby is probably too warm. You can try swaddling without the socks and pants as these extra insulations are not needed. If your baby’s onesie is still wet from sweat, then you might want to try a different version of the Summer Infant SwaddleMe blanket. There is fleece and a thinner cotton SwaddleMe blankets. The fleece is great for providing the extra keeping babies warm during the winter and when room temperature might drop below 68 degrees Fahrenheit during the night. For those hot summer days, use the thinner cotton SwaddleMe blanket. If the onesie is still wet from sweat, then dress the baby only in a diaper before swaddling him in the SwaddleMe.

If changing the outfits they wear underneath do not help, then adjust the room temperature to a slightly cooler value then before.

Here are some other tricks to help you monitor your baby’s temperature:

1. Touch the back of their neck as this is a good spot to gauge warmth or coldness.

2. Touch the baby’s hands for coldness

Keep up the swaddling because it has a lot benefits!

How mothers keep their baby warm

Posted by on June 6, 2012 Comments Off

More parents are worried that their babies are too cold and than too hot. If babies are too cold they might be in danger of hypothermia. But if they are too hot, what is the impact of the thermal stress? Sudden Infant death Syndromes (SIDS) has been linked to as a potential hazard because of too much covering can escalate a fever, or babies may slip beneath the cover and loose their way to release excess heat.

A study review by CJ Bacon and colleagues from the Department of Child Health Medical School in the University of Newcastle tracked 649 babies from the age of 8 to 26 weeks to answer the question, “How mothers keep their baby warm? The research group detailed room temperature, clothing, and bedding used by night and night. They also tracked the outside temperature during the winter and summer times to see potential trends.

The sample size did not find any correlation between excess swaddling to SIDS, but the rate of SIDS occurrence is below the sample size of this study. But, they found mothers tend to insult their baby more during the winter and when the room temperature is low. Additionally, mother’s also used thicker swaddling blankets and duvets during these colder temperature ranges.

When newborns are heavily insulted, at least 50% three of some or all of their bedding covers at night and at least a quarter was reported to have sweated during the same time.

Temperature and insulation graph

Overall, the study did found babies who were expose to warmer temperature with more clothing, swaddling, or bedding cover exhibited more thermal stress as indicated by their sweat found on their garments. But, these high temperatures may be tolerable under normal circumstances, but other factors like insufficient cooling if head is covered is a potential danger.