How to dress the baby for the night?
How to make my baby feel comfortable at night? To keep him safe, to keep him from getting too cold or overheating? To get a good night's sleep for him and (ideally) for me? At first glance, this may seem like a trivial question, but in reality, the answers can be endless. So which is the right one? It's probably not what you want to hear right now, but: different for everyone. But don't worry, it does have a few principles, and if you stick to them, you and your baby will sleep well at night.
One more layer?
Most of the time when we talk about dressing young children, we come across the advice: Wear him what you wear, just one extra layer. This advice is fine, but it's pretty general and can sometimes do more harm than good. First of all, we would look at the temperature of the room. Experts agree that the room where the baby sleeps should be between 18°C and 22°C. Ideally, you should already be able to see which temperature suits your own baby best and adjust the layering accordingly, but we understand that it's more challenging at first. That's why we've prepared some examples for you to try at the end of this article.
Merino takes care
When you're still not sure, merino wool makes sure of it. You can't go wrong with her, she'll make sure your little one is the right temperature for you. Really. Really. (She won't go around covering him, though, but she'll do all the work for you.) In fact, merino sheep's wool has great thermoregulating properties. It keeps you warm in the cold and cool in the heat. It doesn't sweat, it doesn't smell, it adapts perfectly to our body temperature and it wicks away moisture perfectly. (You can read more about it in this article.) So we put baby in merino pajamas and a sleep sack and we moms don't have to worry about anything else. Fitted.
Opossums (Vacice) are contact creatures
... and that's why we're all for co-sleeping, which promotes a healthy bond between mother and baby, is safe, and makes breastfeeding easier. That's why we keep newborn babies close together, ideally in skin-to-skin contact. Yes, even at night. If you decide to co-sleep with your baby in one big bed, among other things, you need to adapt your baby's clothes to this. If mum sleeps in close proximity to the baby, she will match her breathing and body temperature to the baby's. In this case, we would choose fewer layers or more breathable materials. Using a merino sleeping bag will also do no harm, on the contrary.
To wrap or not to wrap? That is the question!
Wraps of any type for sleep are not a safe choice. The baby needs to have freedom of movement to be able to signal his needs so that mum can respond to them correctly and in a timely manner. What baby needs most of all is the immediate closeness of his mother, which is denied to him in this way. Swaddling is also one of the factors impairing breastfeeding, not to mention the risks associated with overfeeding and suffocation. The safest combination is simply pyjamas + sleeping bag. Done.
So how to dress the baby for the night?
The short answer: pyjamas and a sleeping bag.
Long answer: It depends on the material, the season, the temperature in the room, your preferences and your baby's preferences. Here are a few examples from us to inspire you:
Examples of how to dress a child for the night in summer
1. diaper + year-round merino sleeping bag
2. nappy + cotton/merino short-sleeved bodysuit + summer sleeping bag
3. nappy + cotton/merino short-sleeved pyjamas + summer sleeping bag
4. nappy + cotton/merino short sleeve nightdress
Examples of transitional night outfit
1. diaper + cotton/merino long sleeve bodysuit + year-round merino sleeping bag
2. diaper + cotton/merino long-sleeved pyjamas + year-round merino sleeping bag
3. diaper + cotton/merino long sleeve nightie + year-round merino sleeping bag
4. diaper + cotton/merino long sleeve nightgown + cotton/merino leggings + year-round merino sleeping bag
Examples of winter night outfit
1. diaper + long sleeve merino nightgown + merino leggings + year-round merino sleeping bag
2. diaper + long-sleeved merino winter nightdress + merino leggings + year-round merino sleeping bag
3. 2nd nappy + long sleeved merino pyjamas + year-round sleeping bag
4. diaper + long-sleeved merino pyjamas + winter sleeping bag
We hope we've helped you untangle yourself at least a little bit from the tangle that is dressing babies for the night. If you have any questions about this topic, we're here for you, just ask away.
Good night
