Cot death linked to ‘overheated’ babies
As the temperature drops outside, campaigners are warning parents not to turn up the heat in their babies’ rooms.
A new survey by the Foundation for the Study of Infant Deaths has suggested that parents could be putting their babies at an increased risk of cot death by overheating them without realising it.
More than half of the parents questioned didn’t know what the correct room temperature should be for a sleeping baby, and were unable to judge the temperature of their own home.
One in five thought it should be hotter than the recommended temperature band of 16 to 20 C (or 61 to 68 F).
FSID director Joyce Epstein said: “The clocks have gone back and winter is setting in – it’s a time to wrap up warm outdoors. But not indoors. Babies who get too hot are at an increased risk of cot death. Our message to parents is: look at and touch your baby to see if they are too warm, and keep an eye on the room temperature. Getting a simple room thermometer will help you create a safer sleep environment for your baby.”
When asked to estimate how warm it was in their own home, four out of ten parents thought their home was cooler than it actually was, with only one in five correctly guessing the temperature within two degrees Celsius.
Yet only a third of families with young babies have a room thermometer in the room where their baby sleeps. Cow & Gate, the baby food manufacturer, supported the survey and is providing 9,000 free room thermometers to parents who call 08457 623 623.
The FSID has pointed out that sick babies needed fewer bedclothes, rather than more, and that cold hands and feet are normal for infants.
Seven baby deaths every week are attributed to cot death – otherwise known as sudden infant death syndrome. The majority of deaths occur in children under the age of six months old.
