Room Temperature For Newborn

[Jared]

Hi

My wife gave birth on tuesday and weve had our little boy home a few days now, hes the first child for both of us and we have a few conflicting issues on whats best or right for him. Im English my wifes Thai and were both 24. The main thing I would like to know is a good room temperature using aircon to keep the baby at the best temperature during the night. Most websites say 18 degrees, I know my aircon is freezing at 18 degrees. She also likes him to sleep with us and I dont like it because its safer for the baby to sleep in a cot, less chance of cot death. I would be gratfull for any advice from parents raising there children in Thailand to to help us clear a few things up.

[bina]

many med profs and well baby people say let child sleep with, no problem, there is less chance of SIDS if asleep with mother; something to do with heart beat.... many studies showed that (although there is higher infanct mortality in third world countries) there are less deaths due to SIDs in same countries...

the temp: 21 degrees not 18 (at least according to our well baby clinics in israel); a good indicator is if the baby is sluggish and hands, cheeks etc are cold to touch (too cold); or if baby is cranky, sweaty (overdressed or too hot) although many babies sweat while sleeping.

when in cot, only sleep on back, no toys (stuffed animals etc), no furry blankets etc... no smoking around baby (all supposedly possible causes for SIDS)

u will find many pros and many cons about the sleeping with parents; now in israel (as that is where i rasied my kids) the latest (ex sister in law gave birth yesterday)is a swing towards breast feeding as often as child wants, and as long as mom wants to feed (up to 3!! years, like my other sis in law); sleeping with parents (if u dont drink, dont take sleep causing medication, etc)...other parents have baby in different room with 'baby sense' device (it buzzes if the child stops breathing for a certain amount of time). i found it made me nuts as i was always listening and in the end, all three kids slept with us until about age 3 mo's and then in cot near our bed. they all moved to their own rooms at 6 mos' (when they start watching what u do at nite )

thai like their kids with them.....

whatever is most relaxing for mom is usually what is best for child. a tense mother can create many problems for her u and the baby... and she will be tired, tense and nervous.

sorry i cant find the references; they were in ex sis in law's computer. best bet is to google pediatric sites from culture u are frm and what u feel comfortabel with so if , god forbid, something were too happen, it wasnt because of bad advice from a forum...

bina and anon

israel

Edited October 29, 2006 by bina

[tutsiwarrior]

with a small infant, I say keep the kid swaddled up and in the bed...when the feeding noises start mama only has to rearrange to provide tiddybottle and less hassle for everyone. After a couple of months the baby should become accustomed to the prevailing bedroom temperature...some fussiness in this regard should advise otherwise.

Beware the pronouncements of an idiot called Penelope Leash who insists that all A/C is not recommended for any baby. I used to come home from work in Indonesia to find all the doors and windows wide open and the house fulla mosquitos and my then wife screaming 'A/C is killing our child!!!' I had to stake out another room in the house in order to sleep. Trial and error is recommended with common sense above all.

At 24 y.o. I can appreciate your nervousness but try to relax as much as you can. Seek the advice of support groups with mothers with small children. Look to see how local people handle the same as your concerns with much fewer resources than your own.

Childraising is one of the greatest challenges that anyone has to face...always try to approach it as wisely as you can...

Edited October 29, 2006 by tutsiwarrior

[sylvafern]

Hi there - I can understand how you must be feeling now - there's so many things to worry about with a newborn that later on you will probably look back at and think why was it ever a concern! You're probably going to get lots of conflicting advice here, so just do what feels right for you. I would say 18 degrees is very cold, but of course it depends on the effectiveness of your air-con. I had a baby book (which I've leant to a friend so can't refer to it exactly) that gave different temperatures and the number of blankets or sheets needed. I always went for 24 degrees and one blanket (and a full body sleepsuit) - this is what seemed to be best for my son. I think the book is a Doreen Kindersly (sp?) book and called something like Mother and Baby. It has purple writing on the cover and has lots of useful information in it right from conception up to 36 months, so it may be wortk having a look for it in Asia books or Kinokuniya.

Personally, I would be hesitant about letting a small new born sleep in your bed. Only because in rare cases it is possible to smother your child (and kill him/her) by accident especially if you are a heavy sleeper or drink, etc. Of course it's rare, but was enough to scare me. My son was in a cot right next to the bed so for night time feeds I just had to move a metre or two to get baby and sit in my 'breast feeding chair' (one of those wooden ones you get from chatuchak was perfect). I found that much more comfortable than lying down and feeding.

[vinny]

See also Birth to five: 2006 edition

[vegas]

I have a dodgy air conditioner that varies between 23-26 degrees and my 2 month old has been quite happy, with 1 1/2 blankets.

[britbaby]

Not many Thais will have heard of SIDs It seems to be a western paranoia.

Don't let people tell you that you shouldn't sleep with your baby. A newborn baby does nothing but feed and sleep. If those two things are immediately adjacent it is all the more convenient for baby and mum.

The compromise would be to get a 'beside' cot. This is a cot with one open side which butts up to the parental bed. Mum and baby are therefore safely separated but only an arm's length away.

My wife and I slept with our son for several months. The main issue is that daddy might not get much sleep and may have to retreat to another room for fear of falling asleep at the wheel or getting the sack for nodding off at work.

The main points to remember are:

Don't let baby overheat

Don't cover baby with a duvet

Don't sleep with baby if you are hugely overweight, drunk or on sleeping tablets

My son gets dry skin with the aircon going all the time so I have to run humidifiers in the room. The ones I use are 'ultrasonic' so that they don't produce hot steam and counteract the aircon.

The trouble with aircon is windchill. Whilst the thermostat reads 25 the cold air blast feels more like a november day in blighty. There are a couple of things you can do for this; Don't put baby in line of the air draft, give her a little scull cap to cover her head.

If you can, don't have a bedsheet. Sleep in bedclothes and give your baby a baby sleeping bag. I would recommend a 1 Tog Sleepingbag from Grobag. A sleeping bag will ensure that the bedsheet doesn't either slip over the baby's head or slip off completely making her wake up freezing.

If you don't sleep in the same room you may wish to invest in one of the new types of baby monitors which transmits the room temperature to the parental reciever.

At the end of the day, SIDs is very rare. Don't be paranoid. Just remember that:

Nothing covers the baby's head/face

There is no chance of overheating

Put baby to sleep on her back.

A temperature of between 21 and 18 should be fine.

If you want more advice on this, or if you are looking for a sleeping bag, you can send me a PM. (edited by moderator PB)

Hi

My wife gave birth on tuesday and weve had our little boy home a few days now, hes the first child for both of us and we have a few conflicting issues on whats best or right for him. Im English my wifes Thai and were both 24. The main thing I would like to know is a good room temperature using aircon to keep the baby at the best temperature during the night. Most websites say 18 degrees, I know my aircon is freezing at 18 degrees. She also likes him to sleep with us and I dont like it because its safer for the baby to sleep in a cot, less chance of cot death. I would be gratfull for any advice from parents raising there children in Thailand to to help us clear a few things up.

[Jared]

Thank you for all your advice, weve had him home for 2 weeks now and I feel comfortable with everything. We put the aircon on at night, he seems to be fine with it, it doesnt give him dry skin. We tried putting him in his cot a few times but he hates it and has slept with us everynight. Oviously I was very scared about this to begin with because of SIDs but he prefers it and so does the wife, so its good to keep them happy and I now feel safe with the situation. The only thing in struggling to get across to the misses is that he doesnt need to be wrapped up so much all the time, she loves to over wrap him. I tried explaning to her that we were both in underware and were hot, he was dressed, had a hat, gloves, socks, one blanket wrapped around him then a towel folded in 2 over him and he must be baking. She finally started to listen to me when he started to get spots around his neck and under his arms where he was sweating and it was rubbing his skin.

[PeaceBlondie]

In much of the developing world, infants sleep with their mother and father on a common bed. We did it with our last four, and sometimes I think we had five people in that big bed (the kids came close together, such as twins).

Are most Thais cold at 24 degrees? My partner is. He gets under heavy blankets at 22 degrees, and I only need a light sheet.

[helicoptor]

I have a dodgy air conditioner that varies between 23-26 degrees and my 2 month old has been quite happy, with 1 1/2 blankets.

First of all congratulations!! I know how you are feeling

the temperature OF 21 I would say is about right, the great thing about babies is they will tell you if they are uncomfortable, agreed 18C is a tad too cold. MAKE THE MOST OF THESE FIRST FEW WEEKS/MONTHS - it is an unforgettable time, CHERISH IT - its such a cliche but they do grow at such a fast rate!

Your uncertainty/prtective streak is completely understandable, they are soooo dependant and tiny when they are newborn, it is amamazing also at how hardy they are as well.

Congratulations again - if that is him on the Av then you have been truly blessed with a little gem.

[think_too_mut]

Anything, 24C or around would be good.

That's the temp the baby does not sweat.

[Strap]

Anything, 24C or around would be good.

That's the temp the baby does not sweat.

1st Congratulations !!

2nd Thats Funny , ( about the temp ) I was acting like a paranoid sycopath when I walked in the hospital room for the first time and It was freezing ... I asked the nurse about the temp and she said cold was better it was set at 20 . They had our baby wrapped up in 2 blankets and the head bonnet . Also having the baby sleep with us scared the He_l out of me. Mom sleept fine and dad was up all night.!! Good Luck and Enjoy it while you can , They do grow up fast.

PSS: Im not saying to put your air down to 20 just telling you what the hospital had it set at. I keep it at about 23-25 and all was well.

Strap

Edited November 12, 2006 by Strap

[Jared]

Thank you for all of your replys, yes that is him on my av, hes a handsome little chap luckily he gets his good looks from his mother. I have another issue on my mind. How much water if at all any would you reconmend we give him a day. Ive read loads about how water can damage a baby and that it shouldnt be drunk. When we was at the hospiatal all the nurses were feeding the babys with water so i guess its ok I just cant find anything on the net but negative comments about it. My mums a nurse in the UK and she said we shouldnt give it to him but once i told her about the Thai hospital nurses giving them water we kind of guest that its ok because of the weather is so hot out here. Ive also noticed his mouth drying up and getting sticky if he doesnt have any water. Thanks again for you comments and im sure my mind will be at ease soon.

[tutsiwarrior]

Thank you for all of your replys, yes that is him on my av, hes a handsome little chap luckily he gets his good looks from his mother. I have another issue on my mind. How much water if at all any would you reconmend we give him a day. Ive read loads about how water can damage a baby and that it shouldnt be drunk. When we was at the hospiatal all the nurses were feeding the babys with water so i guess its ok I just cant find anything on the net but negative comments about it. My mums a nurse in the UK and she said we shouldnt give it to him but once i told her about the Thai hospital nurses giving them water we kind of guest that its ok because of the weather is so hot out here. Ive also noticed his mouth drying up and getting sticky if he doesnt have any water. Thanks again for you comments and im sure my mind will be at ease soon.

if the baby is breast feeding he should get all the water he needs from mother's milk. Lot's of women in third world countries don't breast feed so a supplement is required.

Anybody remember the Nestles scandal with baby formula about 30 years ago?...tryin' to push it on poor women that had no access to clean water to mix it in...you can guess the result...

[Jared]

Yeah thats what I thought but my wife and her mother are insistant that he gets water aswell. Also the nurses at the hospitals were giving the babys water after there milk. Does anyone else that has raised children in Thailand have any advice on this matter?

[markuk]

the pro's and cons of breast feeding eh!

my son was breast fed only until he went on solids and he is a right little lump so no problems with malnourishment problem comes when you need to get them off the brest completely!!

[Jared]

Yeah he is breast feed most of the time but some times we give him Dumex hi Q. We only give him this if we run out of bottled breast milk or shes to soar to feed him.

[Benyapa Barrett]

Thank you for all of your replys, yes that is him on my av, hes a handsome little chap luckily he gets his good looks from his mother. I have another issue on my mind. How much water if at all any would you reconmend we give him a day. Ive read loads about how water can damage a baby and that it shouldnt be drunk. When we was at the hospiatal all the nurses were feeding the babys with water so i guess its ok I just cant find anything on the net but negative comments about it. My mums a nurse in the UK and she said we shouldnt give it to him but once i told her about the Thai hospital nurses giving them water we kind of guest that its ok because of the weather is so hot out here. Ive also noticed his mouth drying up and getting sticky if he doesnt have any water. Thanks again for you comments and im sure my mind will be at ease soon.

Hi I did not give any water to my baby at all because it is not good to him, however, I had him here in England, so it might be different issue in Thailand cos it's hot there. I would use the humidifier instead to keep the moisture in the air, because the air con would make him thirsty. My son is 19 months old and he is a happy chap. Benyapa.

[bina]

in hot countries we also give water AFTER the breast or bottle, boiled for ten minutes, then cooled to room temp... if u dont give water, the baby nurses more frequently and it can be hard on mom , also mom should drink water while breasting or after, if she doesnt drink, she doesnt produce enough milk - like a goat or a cow.

also, if she is sore, then she is feeding improperly= the baby maybe pulling on her nipple and not latching on the whole area around the nipple, and if she has hard lumpy areas, then she should nurse him maybe more frequently or express some milk before she nurses him...

look up la leche league in the internet... i used to help women after birth for breast feeding.... tell her to massage her breast a bit and express some milk and then help the baby latch on...

also, swaddling a baby is great -- u mentioned all wrapped up== it keeps them relaxed in the first few weeks of life

enjoy..

bina

[think_too_mut]

My baby...when she was 18 months old...never breast fed..never cared about temperature (although it was around her).

Being a surfer myself, I have always welcome any fear trashing:

My wife told me the hearsay around the pool in Pattaya - "only a crazy farang could do this to their children", Have a look, if you have time:

The water is about 160cm deep, far from her feet reach:

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=4043539533087374568

She is the smallest one, climbing up the water splashed cone, unsupervised...Then, on her bum, goes down the slide

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=3077179556787835804

Edited November 22, 2006 by think_too_mut