How Should We Dress a Baby?
How should you dress your newborn in the summer?
Short answer:
During the day: Dress them in one layer of lightweight cotton clothing and protect them from direct sunlight with a wide-brimmed hat and a stroller sunshade.
At night: Minimal clothing — usually just a vest or diaper — and use only a light, securely tucked-in sheet if needed.
In more detail:
During the day
Babies less than 6 months old should be kept out of direct sunlight, so try to stay in the shade as much as possible. Their skin contains too little melanin to give any protection from the sun so they should not be exposed at all.
Generally, when it’s hot, a single layer is enough – lightweight cotton is best as it’s breathable.
When you’re out and about, make sure your baby has a wide brim hat on to keep the sun off their face.
The pram should have a clip-on parasol or sunshade. Never cover the pram with muslin or blanket as your baby can overheat.
At night
Keep nightwear and bedclothes to a minimum. A vest or just a nappy is fine on the warmest nights.
If your baby kicks or pushes off the covers during the night, just leave their nappy on and have a single, well-secured sheet. Make sure the sheet is secure enough so it cannot cover their face, or get entangled during the night.
According to the National Health Service (NHS, UK):
How to dress your newborn in winter?
Short answer:
During the day: Dress them in one more layer of clothing than you are wearing, and remove hats or extra layers once indoors to prevent overheating.
At night: A footed sleeper with an appropriate sleep sack or a light sheet/blanket is usually enough.
In more detail:
During the day
A good rule of thumb is to give your baby 1 extra layer of clothing than what you’re wearing.
For example, if you’re in a t-shirt and jumper, dress them in a vest, sleepsuit and cardigan or jumper. If you feel chilly, your baby probably does too.
Always remove hats and extra clothing as soon as you’re indoors or get into a warm car, bus or train – even if it means waking your baby.
At night
It can be tempting to wrap your baby up to keep them warm. However, we know that overheating a baby increases the chances of SIDS (also known as cot death). Research shows babies are better to be cooler than too hot.
A sleepsuit and either a sleeping bag (check the manufacturer’s recommendation for winter tog thickness) or a sheet and/or blanket should be fine.
If you’re using a sleeping bag and feel like your baby is cold, add an extra layer of clothing – but not extra blankets.
If you’re using sheets and/or blankets, use lightweight cellular blankets. Avoid thick, fleecy or padded blankets.
According to the National Health Service (NHS, UK):
Read more in our article about safe sleep: “Recommendations for Safe Baby Sleep.”
* Most of these materials are sourced from original English-language sources. The translations were created with the help of Google Translate and ChatGPT. For the most complete and accurate information, please always refer to and verify the original source first. For the most complete and accurate information, please always refer to and verify the original source of the information.
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Cited Sources
- How to dress a newborn baby NHS.uk
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