🥵 It's Gettin' Hot in Here: Reals Tips for Keeping Kids Cool at Night
When summer finally shows up, it’s lovely… for about five minutes. Then reality sets in: bedtime routines go sideways, sleep gets disrupted, and you find yourself googling “how hot is too hot to sleep in?”
If your child’s room is feeling more like a greenhouse than a nursery, here are some practical, real-life tips to help keep your little one cool and settled — without adding stress to your day.
🧊 1. Cool the Room Before Bedtime
Between 4pm and 7pm, get a head start on cooling things down. Close blinds or curtains early to block out the heat, and set up a fan to get the air moving before it becomes stuffy.
If sunlight is streaming through the windows and heating the room up fast, try lining them with tin foil (shiny side out) or fleece blankets. Not the prettiest look, but it really helps — and they peel right off when the heatwave passes.
💨 2. The Damp Muslin Fan Trick
Take a muslin cloth, dampen it with cold water, wring it out well, and hang it over or in front of a fan (safely, of course!). It’s a simple way to bring down the room temp slightly — and it adds a little moisture to dry air too. If your child uses one as a comforter, slightly dampen that too. You can swap it out or a dry one (if it’s not dry already!) when you go to bed.
🛏 3. Keep Layers to a Minimum
Now’s not the time for 2.5 tog sleeping bags or even pyjamas. A nappy alone, or with a light cotton vest, is usually enough. If they are used to a sleeping bag, choose the thinnest one you can find, or try without at bedtime and zip it on when you go to bed.
💧 4. Water for Early Morning Thirst
If your little one can drink independently and you trust them not to spill it everywhere (although that might actually be quite nice for them), leave a leak-proof beaker of water in their cot or bed after they are asleep. It can save you an early wake-up call from a thirsty toddler at 5am.
🌙 5. Recover Later (If Needed)
If your child usually has a light cover once asleep, hold off until your bedtime. The room might feel cooler then, and you can gently pop in to cover them if it feels right. No rush — they’ll sleep fine uncovered while it’s still warm.
🧳 6. Travel Cot Trial Run? Now’s the Time
Planning a summer holiday? These warm nights are a great time to practise naps or overnight sleeps in the travel cot — especially if you're using a cooler room downstairs. Familiarising your little one with the travel setup now makes things smoother later when you’re all sharing a space abroad.
💡 Bonus Tips:
Lukewarm baths before bed help bring core temperature down gently.
Loft hatches open? Great! Hot air rises and needs somewhere to escape.
An ice pack wrapped in a muslin, placed safely near the cot, can slightly cool the air.
Give them foods that keep them hydrated, like melon and cucumber
And of course: keep fluids up throughout the day to help them stay hydrated into the night.
Final Thoughts (and Sweaty Hugs)
You’re doing brilliantly. Yes, it’s hot. Yes, it’s harder than usual. But this season will pass — and until it does, we’re all just trying to keep tiny humans cool and asleep while resisting the urge to climb into the fridge ourselves.
You’ve got this. And if not — we’ve got ice lollies and iced coffees
And if you need a bit more help getting sleep back on track (heatwave or not), I’m here.
👉 Let’s work together
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