The sunny days of summer are finally upon us! Pool parties, backyard BBQs, and days full of splash pad fun! But the extreme heat can have a tough impact on your child’s sleep. Here are five ways to help your kiddo sleep well in the midst of the summer heat:
1. Avoid direct sunlight in your child’s room
After a day of the sun beating in on your child’s sleep space, her room will be pretty humid by bedtime! Keep out the heat with blackout blinds and blackout curtains, or consider a portable blackout blind like the Sleepout Blackout Curtain (and use code HAPPYSLEEP10 for a discount!)
2. Consider a cool bath
A bath is a fantastic way to start a bedtime routine all year round, as it’s very different than anything else that happens in your child’s day, so it sends a good cue that we are transitioning from daytime to bedtime. However, in the summer, a cool bath can have the added bonus of bringing your little one’s body temperature down a bit after a hot day of play.
3. Make sure you’ve got the temperature correct
Optimal room temperature for sleep is 18-20 degrees Celsius. If you’re unsure of the temperature in your child’s room, consider getting a digital thermometer to check.
4. Don’t dress too heavily for bed
Consider light, cotton sheets, and shorts and a t-shirt for PJs (or a simple onesie for babies), rather than full-length pajamas that your little one may become too hot while wearing in the summer months. Ry & Pen has some of our favourite PJs – use code HAPPYSLEEP for a discount!
5. Circulate the air with a fan
While we don’t want the air blowing directly on your child, having a fan in your little one’s room in the summer months can help to circulate the air and keep it from becoming stagnant and too humid for comfy sleep.