Adapting baby’s sleep routine to longer days

Just when you have your little one in a sleep routine, a change of season can disrupt it. Variations in daylight, temperature and air quality can disrupt their natural circadian rhythms and their comfort. The longer summer days can confuse their sleep-wake cycle by altering their natural production of melatonin, the sleep hormone.

Being too hot can lead to discomfort and frequent waking, disrupting their sleep (and therefore yours!). Summer colds – due to viral infections that prevail in the warm rainy season, especially among children, who have weaker immunity than adults – can cause congestion and difficulty breathing, affecting sleep quality, says West Coast paediatrician Dr Susan Annandale.

How to adapt your baby’s sleep routine in summer

• Control light: Help your baby keep to their usual bedtime by using blackout curtains to block light and create a darker environment conducive to sleep, says Marijke Coetser, a qualified sleep coach and sleep consultant for children, who is based in Randburg.

• Monitor room temperature: Aim for around 18-22⁰C, she says. To safely cool baby’s room, block the sun during the day with blinds or curtains, open windows in the morning and evening when it’s cooler, and use a fan to circulate air, but do not point it directly at baby. You can also create DIY air conditioning by placing a bowl of ice or frozen water bottles in front of the fan.

• Dress baby for summer: Use lightweight, breathable fabrics like cotton or bamboo, and opt for fewer layers, such as a short-sleeve bodysuit or just a nappy if it’s very hot.

• Use lightweight, breathable bedding: Cellular 100% cotton blankets can be useful as the cellular structure means they are warm in winter and cool in summer.

• Ensure they stay well-hydrated: Offer extra breast milk, or cooled boiled water if they are formula-fed.

• Maintain consistency: Keep to a consistent bedtime and wake-up time, even on weekends, to help regulate their internal body clock and sleep pattern.

• Keep to the same calming bedtime routine: This could be giving them a bath, putting them in a fresh nappy, putting them to bed, reading a bedtime story, dimming the lights, and giving a goodnight kiss and cuddle. “Predictability and consistency are key to relaxing baby for sleep,” says Coetser.

How to keep summer sleep safe for baby

Whatever the season, be constant in implementing safe sleep practices:

• Always lie baby on their back to reduce risk of SIDS (sudden infant death syndrome). “High risk of SIDs is 0-4 months, but it’s still a risk until 12 months,” Coetser says. “Put them on their back to sleep until they can roll both ways, then leave them in the position they prefer.”

• Don’t use car seats, swings, strollers, carriers, bouncers, infant slings or other inclined sleep surfaces for routine sleep, adds Dr Annandale – they raise the risk of positional asphyxia (when baby’s body blocks their airway) and suffocation.

• Take care that their sleep environment is free of hazards such as loose bedding, cot bumpers, pillows or plush toys. Infants under 12 months old don’t have the motor skills to move objects away from their faces, making these a risk for suffocation and SIDS. “An empty crib is a safe crib,” says Coetser.

• Never overdress them during sleep: Overheating can raise the risk of SIDS. On cooler summer nights, dress them in layers, and use a sleep sack for additional warmth without the risk of loose bedding.

Links:

1. https://mcsleepconsulting.com

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