How to help children sleep in summer heat

Lighter evenings and warmer bedrooms can create unexpected challenges, especially for babies and young children who are sensitive to light, heat, or changes in routine. Sleep consultant Lucy Wolfe offers some advice on how to manage the heatwave

Lucy Wolfe is a sleep consultant with advice on how to help keep your kids cool in extreme summer heat. Picture: iStock 

Summertime means longer, brighter evenings and earlier, brighter mornings. It’s a lovely season for family life, with more time outdoors and a sense that everyone can stretch the day out. However, lighter evenings and warmer bedrooms can also create unexpected sleep challenges, especially for babies and young children who are sensitive to light, heat or changes in routine. During summer, the light is not the only sleep challenge. Heat can also make it harder for children to settle and stay asleep. A study in the Journal of Sleep Medicine found that higher indoor or outdoor temperatures are generally associated with poorer sleep quality and reduced sleep duration, so it is worth monitoring the bedroom temperature, as well as the timing of bedtime.

Keep bedrooms cool

The HSE recommends that a baby’s sleep space is kept at a comfortable temperature, ideally between 16°C and 20°C. Using a baby thermometer can help guide you. On warmer days, help keep the room cooler by closing curtains or blinds during the day, especially if the sun shines directly into the room. When it is safe to do so, open windows later in the evening or overnight to allow cooler air to circulate. Anecdotally, a fan with a bottle of frozen water placed in front of it may help circulate cool air around the room, but it should not point directly at your child.

Avoid overheating

Your child is unlikely to sleep well if they are too hot or too cold. Additionally, overheating in babies is a safety consideration. The HSE advises that overheating can increase a baby’s risk of SIDS and that a baby can overheat due to too much bedding, too many clothes, or because the room is too hot. You can reduce this risk by dressing your child lightly for sleep and adjusting layers according to the room temperature. For babies during the summer, use a lightweight, well-fitting, low-tog sleeping bag or lighter clothing as appropriate.

When it is very warm, you can strip down to the nappy, but I am inclined to keep the sleeping bag, as it is a great sleep cue and many children prefer to be covered, even when it is warm. Otherwise, avoid hats, heavy blankets, duvets, pillows, or loose bedding, and remove waterproof mattress protectors where appropriate to aid airflow circulation.

If in any doubt, check your baby’s chest, back, or the back of their neck to see whether they feel too hot/ clammy or cool, and remove or replace layers as necessary. Be mindful that hands and feet can feel cool even when the baby is warm enough.

Safe sleep comes first

Safe sleep is always a priority, and in recent times the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC) has removed some 1,100 unsafe baby sleep items for sale across sites such as Amazon, AliExpress, and Fruugo.

The products included baby sleep pillows, baby sleep positioners, and baby patters or sleep companions. All are marketed as sleep aids for babies, but pose a risk of death. If you already own one of these items, stop using it immediately and dispose of it appropriately so that no one else will use it.

Bath time before bed

If your child feels hot or sticky before bed, a cool or lukewarm bath can help them feel more comfortable.

The HSE recommends using a lukewarm bath or shower to help children stay cool, especially before bed. Broader sleep research recommends warm bathing one to two hours before bed, which can support the body’s natural pre-sleep drop in core temperature and may help with sleep onset.

Avoid very cold baths, as they may be uncomfortable and can cause shivering, which is counterproductive.

Stick to a regular bedtime

Due to the brighter evenings, some children may begin to resist bedtime because it still looks and feels like daytime outside. You may feel tempted to push bedtime later, but not all children tolerate this well. A later bedtime can mean that your child takes longer to fall asleep, becomes overtired, wakes more overnight, or starts the day too early. Additionally, irregular bedtimes may affect learning.

A longitudinal study  of 10,000 children in Britain assessed at ages three, five, and seven years of age suggested consistent bedtimes were associated with better cognitive performance in reading and maths.

Managing bright evenings

Bright evenings do not mean bedtime needs to move later unless that suits the child and your family as a whole. Blackout blinds or curtains can be helpful, at bedtime and in the early morning. A dark sleep space helps send the message to your child’s body and brain that it is time to sleep. Darkness supports the natural evening rise in melatonin, the hormone involved in sleep timing, and may help promote deeper, more settled sleep.

Handling early wake-ups

Even if bedtime is later than term time, keep a predictable bedtime routine, ideally in the bedroom where your child will sleep. This helps your child retain positive associations with the bedroom and with sleep. It also promotes the calming impact of the routine, transitioning from the busyness of the day and preparing their body to go to sleep.

Outdoor play and fresh air throughout the day are important, but in the final 30-40 minutes before bedtime, bring your child inside. Offer their last drink, wash up, brush teeth, and provide the calm bedtime routine in a dimly lit space. If possible, avoid screens before bed. Use songs, stories, cuddles and connected time to help your child relax.

To encourage waking later in the morning, make sure no early light is entering the room from windows, doors, landing lights or electronic devices. If your child wakes before 6am, treat this as nighttime and respond predictably. If needed, use the ‘stay-and-support’ approach at bedtime and overnight to help your child achieve and maintain optimal sleep.

Sleep tips for holidays

If you are planning a family holiday, try to have your child well-rested before you travel.

Bring portable elements of your bedtime routine with you: Familiar storybooks, sleepwear, a sleeping bag, a comfort item (if age-appropriate and safe), and any familiar sound or routine cues you already use.

It may be helpful to add more time to your usual bedtime routine, having spent non-sleep time in the room beforehand to acclimatise them. These predictable elements can help your child transition to sleep in a new location.

Maintaining positive sleep associations and practices does not have to be completely restrictive. You can still enjoy summer, travel, and days out. Some naps may happen safely in the buggy or car when needed. Remember to avoid covering the pram with a blanket as this can be a heat hazard. Additionally, while you may be more flexible on vacation, avoid too many missed naps or too many late bedtimes in a row.

When you return home, you can reset sleep routines with a few earlier bedtimes, so that an overtired cycle does not develop.

Overall, enjoy the summertime and all it has to offer, while continuing to promote rest for everyone.