Baby's dream in summer: how to get a good rest

If there is something that most parents agree on, it is that fatherhood is exhausting. Most babies wake up several times throughout the night during the first months (and even years) and this makes parents almost always tired.

The "problem" increases in summer, when high temperatures, changing hours and longer days make it difficult for parents and babies to rest. How can we get a good rest in summer? Can we or not put the air conditioning? Should we keep the rigid winter schedules? Can we share the bed with the baby? Can they sleep in places other than their crib?

We clarify below the most frequent questions of the consultation and give some "tips" to improve sleep in summer.

Yes to the air conditioner

Most parents are afraid to put the air conditioning or fan in summer if they have a baby at home; However, there is no reason not to use it.

  • Neither the cold nor the air conditioning will make our baby catch an infection (just use it with caution); The most likely cause of illness is that someone has transmitted that virus (or bacteria) through their hands or droplets of saliva.
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  • The heat of the room and over-brigging (excess clothing) have been linked to sudden infant death syndrome. Ideally, the room should be properly aerated and with a suitable temperature. The baby should be with little clothes (remember, except for newborns, children have the same heat and / or cold as we do)

  • Avoid the jet of the air conditioner directly from the baby. You can connect the air a couple of hours before bed so that the room is at a good temperature and / or place the crib away from the current.

  • Change and / or clean the air conditioning filters according to the manufacturer's recommendations.

  • Avoid sudden temperature changes. If the house is very hot, go cooling it progressively until an adequate temperature is achieved.

Should they always sleep in their crib?

It is common on vacations that we spend many hours away from home and babies cannot take a nap in their crib, but not all surfaces are equally suitable.

  • Not in the car seat. Chairs designed to take children in the car should not be used for babies to sleep or spend many hours there. The use of these chairs for younger children to sleep especially has been associated with sudden infant death syndrome. The mechanism involved would be related to the posture that would enhance gastroesophageal reflux and could reduce oxygenation in children.

  • If they sleep in travel cots or cart, we must comply with the same recommendations for safe sleep as when they sleep in their crib: the surface on which they sleep must be firm and devoid of objects (no stuffed animals, pillows, positioning cushions ...). The ideal position for sleeping under one year old is face up.

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  • Can you share a bed with parents?

Sometimes we do not take a travel cot or they do not provide it to us in the accommodation we are going to and we are in need of sharing a bed with the baby (or so we decide). We must take special care with the sleep of children under one year to avoid sudden infant death syndrome.

The AEP Breastfeeding Committee and the Sudden Infant Death Working Group of the Spanish Pediatrician Association consider that the colecho (share the bed with the baby) should not be practiced in:

  • Infants under three months of age.

  • Prematurity and low birth weight.

  • Parents who use tobacco, alcohol, drugs or sedative drugs.

  • Sickness situations, especially extreme fatigue, such as immediate postpartum.

  • Colecho on soft surfaces, water mattresses, sofa or armchairs

  • Share the bed with other family members, with other children or with multiple people

You can also consult the recommendations of safe collection of the Guide for mothers who breastfeed in this link.

How to adapt to the new schedule?

With the change of time and the arrival of summer the days are longer, there are more daylight hours and it is difficult to convince the children to go home, have dinner and prepare to go to bed. We have an internal clock that regulates sleep and wakefulness largely influenced by light; These mechanisms begin to develop around 3-6 months of life, so that the smallest ones may not be affected.

For the older ones, if they go to bed later but also get up late in the morning, sleep their corresponding hours and do not get up tired, there should be no problem. But what if they have to get up early to go to the camp / nursery and they don't get enough sleep? In that case we will have to try to advance the time to return home, try to reduce the light (lower the blinds at least partially), eat dinner soon, do more relaxed activities before going to bed and avoid using screens 1-2 hours before of going to bed.

And with all that said, enjoy the summer!

Photos | iStockphoto and amyelizabethquinn on Pixabay
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