[INFOGRAPHIC] How to Dress Your Baby for Sleep

Are you a new or expecting parent wondering how to keep baby warm at night?

Dressing your baby for sleep isn't always obvious. Should they wear that extra fuzzy sleeper or just a diaper? Should you layer multiple clothing items? What if they wake up freezing because they're under dressed? What if the room gets really hot at night?

Should you dress them similarly to how you're dressed? What if you're always cold and walk around with a down jacket inside the house (like me)? Or the opposite: what if you tend to run hot and are most comfortable in just a t-shirt? Since your baby can't talk, how will they tell you whether they're feeling hot or cold?

Plus, it's not like you can give them a blanket or two and let them decide how they'd like to sleep. (Even if your baby is capable of pulling a blanket on and off, loose bedding is a suffocation risk).

The infographic below will make it easy to know which sleepwear to layer to ensure that your baby is cozy but not too warm.

Here's what you’ll want to have on hand: A short sleeved onesie, a long sleeved onesie, a long sleeved romper (with pants), and socks. It’s also nice to have sleep sacks of different warmth levels, as indicated by “TOG” on the infographic. The 0.5 TOG sleep sacks are the thinnest and 2.0 TOG sleep sacks are the most heat-retaining.

Let’s say it’s 62 degrees in your baby’s nursery, which is pretty chilly. You should dress them in a long sleeved onesie underneath a long sleeved romper (with pants). Put a pair of socks on your baby as well. Then put them in a warm sleep sack, preferably a TOG 2.0.

Note that even in cooler temperatures, it’s not safe to put a hat on your baby for sleep. It’s also best to avoid mittens, as they can become suffocation hazards if removed.

On the other end of the spectrum, let’s say it’s 78 degrees inside your baby’s room. Since this temperature is pretty hot, it’s important not to over bundle your little one. The only thing a baby should wear to sleep in this scenario is a short sleeved onesie over a diaper. No sleep sack or swaddle.

This is important because overheating is a risk factor of Sudden and Unexpected Infant Death (SUID) and its better-known subset, Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS).

Always feel your baby’s core (tummy or back) to make sure they feel warm but not hot, and definitely not sweaty.

Save this infographic for later so you always have a reference for how to dress your baby for bedtime, no matter the temperature in their room.

Adensmom.com is a blog for new parents with a strong emphasis on communicating the science behind safe sleep practices. Our easy-to-understand series of guides answer frequently asked questions about how to prevent SIDS and SUID. In addition to separating the evidence from the “you do you mama,” our mission is to normalize safe sleep and show that it’s not only lifesaving, but that it can be pretty too.