Keeping the little ones nice and cosy throughout chilly nights

THIS time of year the temperature starts to plummet and nights get chilly. While it may mean winter pyjamas, woolly socks and extra layers nights can certainly get tricky.

If you have noticed your baby or child waking up more often starting at 1am … chances are they are waking because of the cold.

Often babies are seeking warm milk or a cuddle and this can be enough to make them comfortable so as to fall back to sleep.

Without the extra feed you will find your child starts to wake often … maybe even hourly.

For most children aged under five years, trying to keep extra layers of blankets on can certainly be a challenge.

They tend to sleep sideways, head at the bottom of the bed or any other unusual position.

A tip here is if your baby or child is snuggled up tight in a ball or lying on their tummy they are trying to conserve body heat and need help warming up.

Babies will roll onto their tummy when cold as well. So my advice is to forgo the extra layers of blankets if you have a restless sleeper and add an extra layer on them – so dress them to keep them warm throughout the night.

This in itself can be tricky. If this isn’t possible or the temperature fluctuates too much then warm their room instead.

There are a few ways to do this and reversal cycle heating is the easiest. Not everyone, however, has this system. Heat the room as best you can and keep an eye on the temperature.

You can buy a cheap digital temperature gauge and place it in your child’s room, most monitors have an in- built temperature gauge too and have a look at some guidelines on temperature and bedding.

If your baby is young enough to still use a sleeping bag, check the tog – the tog is simply the thickness of the bag. Different togs are different thickness, there are bedding/ bag guides available online.

I personally like the Gro- Egg Night Light and Temperature Gauge which is a night light that changes colour based on the temperature of the room. It’s an easy way to keep an eye on the room temperature through your monitor or by peaking in the door.

If you are past using a monitor you can turn it to silent and use it, if video compatible, to check the room temperature.

Once you get the temperature right your child should continue to sleep with minimal wake ups.

They will, however, most likely need to be warmer than you think.

Another time to watch for the cold is about 4am … again where the temperature plummets. So if your child is waking around that time, the cold is most likely to be the reason.

Warmth is the key to a good night’s sleep.