Another funny strange and difficult aspect of child care is temperature regulation. Not that it is hard to adjust for temperature and comfort, but more that it is difficult to tell that there this is the problem. It does, however, need to be on the "What's wrong with the baby?" checklist.
There are some things that they do tell you early on about babies and temperature. One, newborn babies have difficulty with temperature regulation. When they are in the womb, they are kept at a nice toasty 98.7 degrees (more or less) and when they come out the temperature is likely 68-75 (this is roughly "room temperature"). That means the ambient temperature just dropped for a baby 15-20 degrees which is kinda harsh on a wee one. Second, they tell you that if you are comfortable, the baby probably is too. Now, this comes into play after a couple of weeks or so (it of course varies with every baby, but you get the idea).
It is however important to take into consideration what you are wearing too. If you are comfy in a tank and shorts, the baby probably doesn't need to be dressed in long sleeves and pants. Sadly, there is no set rule for this, it is merely a guideline.
I ran in to trouble very early with my baby. He was born in July in south Texas where the temperature varies between sauna and record breaking heat. Early on, he wore little more than a diaper. We always had a receiving blanket around him to protect him from drafts and such. As time went on, we realized that his feet seemed to get cold, so he often had socks on too. I had a little difficulty getting him to sleep at night and couldn't figure out why. After all, it was summer and hot, so I figured he'd be fine with just a light blanket swaddled around him, but he kept kicking it off. I almost thought he'd never be able to go to sleep in his bed very well. I tried to put him in full pajamas, feet, long sleeves, and even booties over his hands and what do you know, it worked! He slept like a dream. The problem was that he was too cold. Even in the hot Texas summer, apparently our temp inside the house was cool enough that when he stopped moving (well, squirming, as he was quite young) and no longer had another person close to his body, he got cold very easily. Since he didn't stay in a swaddle and kicked off every blanket we gave him, the only solution was to put him in pajamas and we no longer had to worry about the blanket (which was ok really, because of the suffocation hazard).
This worked so well and then recently, we had a turn of events. One night the baby awakened in the wee hours of the morning and would not go back down for anything. I tried nursing him down, I tried changing his diaper. Finally I felt how warm his hands were and figured maybe he was too hot. It was kind of a last resort because I had no clue what else to do. And surprisingly (to me anyway) he settled as soon as I took his pajamas off. I was so relieved to see him calm and go back to sleep with no problem. He was back to sleeping in a diaper with a blanket.
There are even more temperature concerns than just plain comfort. Eventually, all babies will get sick. it is just a matter of when. When my baby was six months old he got sick for the first time. He was so cranky and tired and wanted to cuddle and had up and down temperatures. He felt so warm, especially on his little head. I took his temperature several times over the five days or so that it lasted. I would take it under his arm which is not as accurate as a rectal, but a whole lot easier. The rule of thumb I've heard (from a several sources) is that you add one whole degree to an underarm temperature reading to determine the core body temperature. Fevers are of course, the body's way of killing off pathogens, however, sometimes the immune system doesn't realize that it can kill off the body too if the temperature is driven too high. So, the pediatrician's office told me I didn't have to worry about it too much unless his temperature was over 101.0 degrees and if the fever lasted for more than a certain number of days to go ahead and bring him in.
When his temperature did spike that high, I was able to give him some Tylenol to reduce it and it worked like a charm. I didn't have to give him more than one dose in a single day. His fever would go away and he would act happy again. He was still clingy and wanting to cuddle and sleep, but I'd get a random smile and his temperature was normal so I was able to relax some.
It certainly is an interesting thing to see how the baby responds to temperatures. My baby happens to be a little radiator and gets hot very easily. It is just one of those things that we have to work with. Light, breathable clothing is important. Light colors also seem to keep him more comfortable than dark colors. Onesies seem to be the best clothing option if he wears anything other than a diaper. During the colder weather, he mostly wore light clothing and had blankets added. We did layers rather than heavy pieces of clothing so we had the option of removing layers if he got warm or the weather warmed up during the day. It's just one of those things you have to figure out on your own, but make sure to keep it in mind. A fussy baby could just be uncomfortably hot or cold. Who would of thought?
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