Is Baby Hot or Soiled?

Babies can develop a pimply heat rash, particularly on their face and chest if they are dressed too warmly, too often.

If you take a look at the baby in this image, you will see that she is being held closely and dressed for winter - however, her family only has summer clothes on. Babies need little more than you do in relation to clothing. Perhaps just a light swaddle in the early weeks.

In the first week after birth babies often lose weight, particularly when there is little milk or if they are not feeding well. In this newborn period, it is helpful to use a swaddle to limit the number of times they spring out their arms with the Moro or startle reflex - which takes energy and therefore weight from them. Your baby will show you if they like being swaddled to keep themselves contained as if in the womb. Just know they don't have to be and watch for when they begin to grow out of the need for this, as swaddling is not recommended once a baby begins to move around the cot and tries to turn over.

It is important to know that babies cool themselves when they are overheating by losing heat largely through their feet, the chest area below the neck and from the soft part of the head known as the fontanelle. Headwear has been identified as a SIDS risk for a while now, but our nursing experience also tells us that certain cultures give meaning to the wearing of a hat or bonnet. If you want your baby to wear a hat for a belief that you or your family hold, try to dress your baby appropriately to counter for the heat retention it will create.

You may also notice parents out and about with their babies in prams and carriers where their infant is covered over completely by a muslin or blanket - potentially as a measure of protection from the sun? We invite parents differently, to not overdress them and to expose their baby to the surroundings they are moving in more. Let daylight fall on the retina of the eye and expose the baby's skin to support the production of Vitamin D, with appropriate skin protection. Allow them to take in the changing background of faces and scenery which will stimulate and feed their senses. Each of these things is important for healthy brain development and the regulation of sleep.

In this day and age where we now worry about the risk of COVID, please know that a baby's face should never be directly covered over with any material, including what might seem like a light breathable muslin. Your baby will be at risk of breathing back in the carbon dioxide waste from breathing and becoming drowsy from this. Your baby could also suffocate.

Another primitive need an infant has, is to have a clean nappy. It is not uncommon for a baby to be quite unsettled if their nappy is soiled - and then settle immediately once it is changed! However, many babies will also happily sit in a soiled nappy, feeling content that their tummies have settled. You will get to know what your baby likes and what upsets them.

Keeping your baby's groin and bottom clean is important to prevent nappy rash, which can become very sore. However, you can use your discretion during the night feeds whether your baby needs a nappy change if they have dropped off to sleep with a feed. They don't need changing unless they have opened their bowels or have a rash. Just use a generous amount of a good nappy skin barrier cream when you prepare them for bed.