Baby-Sitting Body Heat

It is very important that as parents we are extremely careful of our babies' body temperatures. As an adult there are a variety of things that we can do to warm or cool ourselves as needed. Unfortunately, at only a few months old our youngest children do not have many options.

You shiver when you get cold and sweat when you get hot. We can add or remove clothing as needed to feel comfortable. On a hot summer day kids will play in a sprinkler or go to the pool. After working outside on a cold day some people will put on sweats and sit in front of the fireplace, others will curl up in a blanket, or take a hot bath.

As adults we know about all these different things that we can do, and we have the experience and physical development to act on them. Babies can not do most of these things though. They do not have the muscle control to change clothing at need, nor the wisdom to do things like move into the shade or out in the sun or change rooms. Also, for a while babies can not shiver to keep warm, since their muscles and nervous system are not yet sufficiently developed. In fact, about the only thing a baby can do is to sweat. While this can help on a hot day, it can also lead to dehydration, which brings us back to the child can not run over and get a drink if they need it. Also, this presents the same problem anyone else can have in the winter. If you dress too warm you can start to sweat. If it is bad enough that your clothing gets damp then your body temperature can drop rather drastically as a result...