It’s A Heatwave!

Here in the UK we are experiencing a heatwave with talk of temperatures heading into the late 30’s in the South East. Us Brits don’t cope well when the temperature is 23 degrees let alone into the 30’s. So how is this going to affect your child’s sleep and should you consider stopping sleep training if you are currently doing it.

We’ve all experienced those hot, sweaty nights where the sheets stick to your clammy skin, you toss and turn and you flip the pillow to get that brief respite of the relatively cool side of the pillow. It makes sense that if we feel that way then our little ones are feeling the same.

Babies and small children’s bodies are still learning how to regulate their temperature effectively. Therefore, they will struggle in the heat more than adults. It goes without saying to make sure you give them more liquids, dress them appropriately and seek the shade.

Bedrooms can be particularly hot when putting a child down to sleep at bedtime as the heat of the day has gradually been increasing the temperature inside the house and the cool air of the night has yet to have any effect. Fans in a room are great (make sure not to point them directly at the child), not only for their cooling effect but for the white noise that they provide. Studies have shown that white noise doesn’t necessarily help get a baby or child to sleep but it is effective in helping them stay asleep. This can only be beneficial during a hot night.

The warmth in the room may wake your little one during the night more than usual and chances are they may feel thirsty. Have a cup or bottle of water to hand in the bedroom to offer if they wake up. As with other aspects of sleep training, keep this encounter with your child brief and uneventful. Don’t get into a full-blown conversation, turn bright lights on or sit the child up anymore than is necessary. Be calm, quiet, offer the water, encourage the child to lay back down independently and hop off back to bed yourself. Minimal fuss, minimal talking, kisses on forehead encouraged.

So, what if you are in the middle of your sleep training journey. Should you carry on? Should you stop? Well, there are many things to consider and only you can decide what is right for you and your family.

In general, as a sleep coach, I would advise to do what you can in a heatwave. Hitting the “pause” button may be a good idea. So don’t go back to your old ways that you’ve worked hard at stopping but don’t feel like you have to push ahead to the next step. Older toddlers and children have a better understanding of what is going on and you can talk to them and explain what you are going to do in the night if they wake. For example, say “if you wake in the night, you can have some water but then you must lie down in your own bed and go straight back to sleep”. If your child listening to you and doing this in the middle of the night seems as unrealistic as an honest politician then consider using a reward chart. “If you stay in your own bed with no fuss you can get an extra ice pop tomorrow” [insert evil laugh because not only have you made their desire to stay in bed stronger, you’ve also got them to take in more liquids].

With a baby it can be harder. They may wake up more frequently, they may want to nurse more often. Do what you can to keep them calm and get the fluids into them. If that means you have as many night waking’s as you did before starting the sleep training then so be it. Once the heatwave is over and we’re back to moaning about the crap weather you can start again. A heatwave is one of the many challenges that we encounter with our own sleep as well as our children’s. Sleep training and sleep in general is never a linear process, there will always be ups and downs. Remember this is just a blip, cooler weather is round the corner and in the depths of winter we will reminisce about these glorious days when we had Mediterranean weather, clear blue skies and hot, sticky nights.

Until next time, stay cool!