BABY
Is Your Baby Overheating? Signs Your Baby Is Too Hot
Easy ways to tell if your baby is too warm.
Written by
Dr. Harvey Karp
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BABY
Written by
Dr. Harvey Karp
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You never want your little one to be too hot! If your baby is overheating, they're likely uncomfortable, their sleep may suffer, and they may get heat rash. But there’s an even more serious concern: Overheating in babies can raise the risk of infant sleep death, also called SIDS.
Studies have shown that thick clothing, too many layers, and high room temperatures increase the risk of SIDS. While it may seem counterintuitive, infants are at higher risk of SIDS during the winter months. That’s because parents worry their baby may get cold and they try to prevent that by overdressing them or cranking up the heat.
Infants are not great at regulating their core temperature. For one, their body temperature rises much faster than yours. Plus, babies and children sweat less, which greatly reduces their ability to cool down. And it’s not just that babies are more prone to overheating, they’re more likely to be affected by a heat-related illness, too. For instance, because babies’ sweat glands aren’t yet fully developed, they’re more likely to get heat rash or prickly heat.
Because overheating is a known SIDS risk factor, it’s especially important to make sure your sleeping baby isn’t too hot when they’re under 1 year—and especially if they’re under 6 months, when SIDS danger is greatest.
A normal temperature in babies is around 36.4 degrees Celsius. Overheating and fevers in babies are around 38 degrees Celsius or above. Keep in mind that normal baby body temperatures can vary throughout the day.
Luckily, there’s an easy way to know if your baby is too hot. Touch their ears and neck. If their ears are red and hot—and their neck is sweaty—your baby is too warm. Dress them more lightly or cool the room.
Below you’ll find a few baby overheating signs and symptoms:
While cold babies may resist sleep, being too hot may not always rouse your snoozing bub. That’s because sometimes overheating can cause lethargy. That’s why it’s important to monitor your babe for signs they’re too hot.
Touch your baby’s ears or neck. If they feel warm, then your baby might be too hot. Flushed skin and sweat are also telltales that your baby is too hot while sleeping.
No matter the season, keep the room your baby is in between 20 to 22.2 degrees Celsius. While you can measure the room temperature with a thermometer, in general, the temperature should not be too cool or too warm for an adult.
In addition to setting the thermostat to the ideal sleeping temperature, avoid over-bundling your baby for naps or at bedtime with extra layers of clothing or hats. Here are some pointers to keep your baby from getting too hot while sleeping:
Bundling babies for cold-weather adventures—plus cranking the indoor heat—can easily increase their risk of overheating. Not only are babies terrible at regulating their body temperature, they lack enough body fat to keep themselves insulated and snug. Plus, newborns have yet to develop the shiver reflex, which works to increase body heat in the cold. Here are common-sense steps to avoid your baby overheating in the winter:
It’s no surprise that high outdoor temperatures put babies and children at an elevated risk for becoming overheated. Here are some easy to-dos to keep your little one from overheating in the summer:
If you believe your baby is overheating, then here are some steps that you can try to cool down your little one:
If overheating symptoms do not improve, contact your pediatrician.
Babies develop heat rash (aka prickly heat) when their salty sweat gets trapped and irritates the skin. It most commonly appears on your baby’s neck, armpits, chest, back, elbows, or thighs. The rash presents as little red dots (irritated hair follicles) and splotchy skin and can be accompanied by fever, chills, and bumps. In most cases, heat rash generally fades on its own within two to three days. But if you think your child has a heat rash, give your doctor a call anyway. They may recommend you sprinkle on a dusting of cornstarch powder—never talcum—to absorb excess sweat and prevent irritation. Applying a cool compress to the heat rash and giving your bub cool baths can help, too.
It’s natural to think that your overheated baby may have a fever. To be sure, take your baby’s temperature and consult your healthcare provider if you have any concern. (For the most accurate temperature reading in babies and toddlers up to 3 years old, use a rectal thermometer.) Additionally, the symptoms below indicate that your baby may have a fever:
The thing to keep in mind is that babies cannot regulate their body temperature well, so you always want to avoid extremes in temperature, whether that’s hot or cold. If you’re ever not sure if your baby is too hot, do the “ear check” to be safe!
Disclaimer: The information on our site is NOT medical advice for any specific person or condition. It is only meant as general information. If you have any medical questions and concerns about your child or yourself, please contact your health provider. Breastmilk is the best source of nutrition for babies. It is important that, in preparation for and during breastfeeding, mothers eat a healthy, balanced diet. Combined breast- and bottle-feeding in the first weeks of life may reduce the supply of a mother's breastmilk and reversing the decision not to breastfeed is difficult. If you do decide to use infant formula, you should follow instructions carefully.
