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May 21, 2025

How to help your child find peace in the summer heat

Summer heat can be a challenge for many families when it comes to getting their children to sleep well both indoors and outdoors in the pram. When the temperature rises, it can be difficult for children to find rest and comfort, which can affect their sleep quality and lead to restlessness and sleep problems.

We know that the body's core temperature needs to drop by 0.5-1.0 degrees to fall asleep. This partly explains why many children sleep wonderfully well in their pram outdoors in January. They are wrapped up nice and warm, but the cold air the child breathes in slightly lowers their core temperature, making it easier to fall asleep. I live in a 70s villa with a black roof and large west-facing windows, and all summer long, I rotate like a rotisserie chicken due to the heat, trying to find peace. It's hard to sleep when you're too hot. Period.

So what do you do then? It's not possible to envelop the child in a big, thick sleeping bag when it's 25 degrees outside and inside.

Here are some guidelines that can help you ensure your children sleep well in the summer heat.

1. Create a cool sleeping environment if possible:

Indoors: Make sure the bedroom is well-ventilated and keep the temperature comfortable. If necessary, use a fan to help reduce the heat. Most of us probably think opening windows all day is a good idea, but if bedrooms face south or west, it can actually be beneficial to keep the room dark during the day so that all objects and furniture in the room haven't been baking in the sun all day. Open windows that face away from the sun.
If the cot bumper is very high and the bed is very small, the air can stagnate in the bed. Ensure good ventilation.
Outdoors: If you put your child to sleep in a pram outside, find a shady area and avoid direct sunlight. If necessary, use a sunshade to create extra shade over the pram. Never use a cloth diaper that blocks airflow. If the pram can be opened at both ends, definitely do so to allow air circulation in the pram.
Remember that the sun moves, and it may be necessary to move the pram during the nap.

2. Help the body release heat:

It might sound counterintuitive, but a warm bath in the evening actually helps hands and feet release heat from the body's core, allowing the body to get rid of excess heat. This is certainly one of the reasons why an evening bath has been known as a good idea for many years.
The body releases a lot of heat through the head, actually up to 70%, so make sure there's good airflow around the child's head. Children should generally never wear a hat in the pram, unless you would put a hat on an older child going out to play that day. It's calm in the pram, so it's only about temperature and not wind.

3. Appropriate clothing:

· Choose light and loose clothing materials that allow good air circulation. Consider using a thin wool bodysuit that allows the skin to breathe. Layering is a really good idea so you can remove layers. You can always assess the child's temperature by feeling their neck. The neck should be dry. If the neck is wet, the child is too hot. Hands and feet can easily be cool. In fact, many children and adults themselves stick their feet out from under the duvet at night to cool their core temperature. If the child's arms or legs are cool, they are too cold.

4. Hydration and breastfeeding:

Infants will seek breastfeeding and formula more often in the heat. Breastfeed your infant more frequently. The first milk in the breast is more watery, which is super smart in the heat. Remember to drink plenty yourself too. Older children can be offered water regularly.

5. Children are extremely different

Some children are like living radiators. It takes nothing for them to get too hot. Other children are super sensitive to cold, and you simply have to experiment until you get to know your child. Even siblings can be like night and day in this area. You therefore cannot dress your child according to a formula, but must try things out.

By Karen Kildahl, co-founder of "Center for Børn og Unges Søvn" (Center for Children and Youth Sleep) and sleep expert, child health guide, and midwife.