Overheating puts babies at risk

Main Category: Sleep / Sleep Disorders / Insomnia
Article Date: 27 Oct 2003 - 0:00 PDT

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Parents could be putting their babies at an increased risk of cot death by overheating them without realising it, research finds.

The survey, by the Foundation for the Study of Infant Deaths, found 56% of parents did not know the correct room temperature for their baby.

One in five thought it should be hotter than the recommended range of 16-20C (61-68°F).

Four out of ten parents thought their home was cooler than it actually was.

Just one in five correctly guessing the temperature within 2C.

Yet only a third of families with young babies have a room thermometer in the room where their baby sleeps.

Joyce Epstein, FSID's Director, said: 'Babies who get too hot are at an increased risk of cot death.

'Our message to parents is: look at and touch your baby to see if they are too warm, and keep an eye on the room temperature.

'Getting a simple room thermometer will help you create a safer sleep environment for your baby.'

If a baby is sweating, then they are too hot. Cold hands and feet are nothing to worry about.

The best way to cool a baby down is to remove one or more layers of blankets.

Babies who are unwell need fewer, not more bedclothes.

A total of 187 parents with babies aged under one year took part in the survey.

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