The state advises not to heat above 19°. But what can you do to keep baby warm at home?
When wearing your baby keeps your baby warm
The contact between the worn baby and the parent naturally leads to mutual warming. Wearing your baby in a house where the heat would be too low is a good, simple and pragmatic option to supplement the heat. Having your infant against you guarantees a suitable and regulated temperature even in a cold house.
If the room temperature is too low to leave an infant alone and not mature enough to thermoregulate on its own, don't hesitate to wear it in a baby wrap, sling or baby carrier.
Indoor babywearing tips
- Don't necessarily cover your baby too much.
- Cover the extremities with a light cap and an extra pair of socks.
- Favor a garment where your baby will be in contact with your chest, avoid a heavy sweater where the heat would circulate less between your skin and the child's.
- Check regularly that your baby is not too hot and find the right balance with the temperature of your house.
- Be careful not to cover baby too much, do not wear baby in a pilot or full body suit, there would be a risk of too high temperature and difficult to assess for the parent who would not be in contact with the baby's skin.
Skin-to-skin
Being in skin-to-skin contact with your baby allows you to get a better feel for their temperature. Be aware, however, that direct skin-to-skin contact without any clothing is very effective at heating and can lead to heat very quickly. In general a light piece of clothing between the area in contact between the wearer and the baby is what you will need for safety and comfort.
Warming baby in extreme cold
If the contact area between baby and wearer is directly skin-to-skin, with no clothing, it heats up the wearer and baby very quickly. (This is actually how babies from traditional Eskimo tribes are carried)
Skin-to-skin is very practical if you need to warm up a hypothermic baby very quickly, for example. But keep in mind that this can lead to sweating on the contact area. So be careful when changing the diaper or putting the baby back in the room at room temperature. The temperature difference could be abrupt and cause him to catch a cold.
Commonest Cases for Warming Baby Indoors Safely and Comfortably
Lightweight clothing over the wearer and baby is the most common way and suitable for the biggest situations especially indoors.
Do not do when carrying baby indoors, even without heating
Clothes that are too covering or with too many layers on the carrier or baby will prevent you from having a good heat exchange and regulation. Baby risks overheating or on the contrary being too cold without you noticing.
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In any case pay attention and you'll have in a few days your own habits and bearings in relation to the temperature of the place.