When my son was a baby, he was a terrible sleeper. Even when he was in Elementary school, he was still not a perfect sleeper. I grew to accept that until he became a teenager when I had to drag him out of bed. My son was sensitive to schedule and routine changes and was, in general, a light sleeper. What I later figured out was that he was also sensitive to the room temperature and what he was wearing. In this post, I share the best temperature for a sleeping baby after much research and 10+ years as a sleep consultant.
Temperature and Sleep
When my son was a toddler, I realized that the same night he started waking up at night again was when we had put thermals on underneath his fleece footed PJ’s. Because it was so freezing outside and we were worried about him being cold, we over-compensated. As parents, we often worry about our children being too cold but this can often cause more sleep problems than it solves! And, boy, was I happy to figure it out! You’d think your toddler would say, “Mommy, I’m too hot,” but they simply don’t always realize what’s waking them up. So, I did some homework so I could pass on the best temperature for your baby or toddler’s room when they sleep. Hopefully, my experience again will help others.
Temperature and SIDS
It is very important that you not overheat your newborn when they sleep as it increases the risk of SIDS.
Body Temperature
Our internal body clock controls our body temperature and when our temperature is high, like during the day, our bodies are more awake. We all have a dip in body temperature in the afternoon and we feel sleepy (Ferber calls this the “afternoon dip”). At night, when the sun goes down, our body temperature starts to drop and the hormone Melatonin is released in our bodies inducing sleep.
Our body temperature is lowest at night until around 4 a.m. our bodies start to prepare to wake up. Many parents complain about early waking. It’s the lightest sleep of the night.
What Temperature to Set Your Thermostat?
The best room temperature for a sleeping baby is between 65 and 70 degrees Fahrenheit (or 18.3 to 21.1 Celsius), but I recommend you use these numbers as a starting point. In my experience of over 10 years as a sleep consultant, the best temperature for your family will vary a little, depending on you (and your baby) and how many blankets you use. Keep in mind that your child won’t learn to keep a cover on all night until over 18-24 months.
With the air conditioning on, 72 degrees can feel cold whereas if you put your thermostat to 72 with the heater, it will probably be too hot. In the summer, at night, my family keeps our thermostat at 72 degrees Fahrenheit and during the winter we set it to 63 degrees Fahrenheit. Your baby or toddler’s skin should feel cool to the touch, but not frigid like their fingers are ice cubes. And, generally, your child should never be sweating.
For my youngest, we put on a onesie t-shirt, thermal pajamas, and then fleece pajamas over those this winter. For my eldest, we put just Fleece footed pajamas and to go with his sheet and comforter. In the summer, generally, pajamas and a sleep sack (or sheet and comforter) are sufficient.
If our body temperature being higher in the day keeps us awake, I would venture to guess that my son was waking up partially because his body temperature was too high as much as it was because he may or may not have been uncomfortable. The moral of the story is to keep the kids warm, but not too warm, and not too cold, either, yet another parenting magic trick!
Is 78 Degrees Too Hot for Baby to Sleep?
Yes, in my experience, 78 degrees is too hot for a baby to sleep well both in the summer and the winter. Overheating can also increase the risk of SIDS so can be unsafe. Ideally, the room temperature will be between 68 and 70 degrees. If you live in a warm climate, 72 to 74 degrees may work but you must not overdress your baby if you want them to sleep.
Is 80 Degrees Too Hot for Baby to Sleep?
Yes, again, 80 degrees is likely much too hot for your baby to sleep well. At 80 degrees, they are likely sweating through their pajamas and onto their sheets. When the sheets are wet, you can be even more uncomfortable!
Is 74 Degrees Too Hot for Baby to Sleep?
It is possible 74 degrees is comfortable enough for your baby to sleep but if they feel warm to the touch, you may want to dress them lighter, use a lighter sleep sack, or reduce the temperature of the house. At 74 degrees, it’s borderline.
One final thing to keep in mind is that in my family of four, two of us are extra sensitive to temperature but we all sleep poorly when the room temperature is TOO HOT. You might need to experiment with what the best temperature is for your particular baby since some of us run hotter than others. I hope this article will help you find the best temperature for your baby’s sleep!
Megan Zaragoza says
I need advice we have family
2 elderly people
One infant
30 year old
What’s the best temperature
I told my grandparents 64 but they say it’s too cold for them how can I get it to the point as an agreement
My baby sleeps with onies
I sleep with shorts and tank top
I have thermometer in my room
I like to keep it around 61
Me my baby cosleep so we bounce heat off of each other
Janelle Reid says
Hi @Megan Zaragoza, thanks for writing to us. I’m sorry your household is not in agreement over the temperature. I would just suggest finding a compromise to help everyone be comfortable, which may be meeting in the middle, or that some people get floor fans or heaters, depending on the situation. Good luck, I hope you find a happy medium with everyone!
David says
Does the body temperature of a baby increase when falling asleep on the chest of a woman and if it does or doesn’t does it cause the baby to sweat thank you
Debbye @ The Baby Sleep Site says
Hi @David – Thank you for writing! If baby is sleeping on a caregiver’s chest, yes, the body heat from the both of them may cause parent or baby to get warmer and to sweat a little! This would depend on the temperature in the air, as well as clothing being worn too. : )
Lori says
We have a thermometer in our 8-month-old’s room and try to keep the temp at 69 or 70. However, the temperature changes drastically at night, and we’re afraid to go in and check because he is such a light sleeper. Just the click of the door opening will wake him sometimes. Thanks for all of the experiences.
Karin, I love the idea of a remote thermometer! Where did you get it?
Rebecca says
I was just wondering, at what age to you stop adding that extra layer to keep them warm and have them wear just the same clothes as us?
My daughter is 15months old and her room is warmer than ours, (in summer it’s a horrible 28 degrees celcius at night in there) which makes it hard for me to be sure she’s not too hot without actually being in the room myself. I don’t want to give her that extra layer, as I’ve read many times, in case it’s too hot… I also read that too much heat induces bad dreams and I REALLY don’t want to do that lol.
Nicole says
@Rebecca I can attest to when my son is too warm, he seems to have more nightmares, too. We kept an extra layer on our son until he was in a regular bed and when he started keeping (most of) the covers on most of the night. Our younger son is still in extra layers because he doesn’t keep a blanket on, yet, and he’ll be 2 in February. Hope this helps!
Lainie says
That’s all helpful to read. I got a space heater, but I’m too paranoid to let it run while she’s asleep. So I run it before, then turn it off. I think it has helped. The spot where she sleeps was about 60 degrees. Brrrr.
Karin says
I bought a remote thermometer to monitor the temperature…the thermometer stays in her room and digital readout piece is in our room. It gives me piece of mind because I was worrying about the same thing. Her room is chillier than the rest of the house, but luckily we have a space heater in there, which we keep at about about 67-68 degrees…that seems to be best for her. I feel like the few nights it got hotter than that, she didn’t sleep as well, so I’m happy to hear the same from the rest of you. We dress her in PJs (weight depending upon temp) and then use a fleece sleep sack, which is great.
Joyce says
My son’s room is colder than ours, even though the thermostat says 70 it feels much colder than that. We started using a space heater in his room at night, and he is now sleeping better. In fact at almost 11 months, he’s finally sleeping through the night! Now I wonder if he’s been waking up because it was too cold?! He’s little hands are now warm. 🙂
Nicole says
@Donna Thank you for sharing your experience.
@Lainie Yes, I would think they would wake up if they are too cold just the same as if they were too hot. If you’re comfortable, it’s harder to sleep. You might try one more layer on her, but I’m not sure what she’s wearing now. They say to put one more layer on them than you have on.
Lainie Rusco says
Our thermostat is at about 68, but where she sleeps is freezing. Do they wake up if they’re too cold, too? I’m afraid to bundle her up too much because I don’t want her to get too warm. But when she wakes up in the middle of the night (presumably to eat, but maybe cause of the temperature) her little hands and lower arms are cold, and sometimes her feet are too. Should I put more clothes on her?
Donna says
We too keep the thermostat at 68 degrees. My husband was concerned about the proper temperature when our daughter was a baby and asked her doctor. He said not below 68 degrees overnight. Now that she is in a big girl bed we have adjusted her winter pajamas to include fleece and/or socks on the coldest of nights and regular cotton on the warmer nights.