How to keep your baby sleeping safely in cold weather

Here are her 6 expert cold-weather safe sleeping tips:

1. Know what's a safe temperature your baby's room

The ideal room temperature for your baby is 16°C to 20°C. Having a room thermometer in your baby's nursery is highly advisable, so you can keep an eye on this.

Use light bedding or a lightweight, well-fitting baby sleep bag for your little one and add layers as needed (see below).

2. Adjust layers according to the room temperature

Room temperatures can vary and so you can add or remove layers to ensure your baby is safely warm enough, following the guidelines below.

If you normally use sheets and blankets and put your baby in a sleepsuit at bedtime, use our video guide (at the top of this article) to see how layers they'll need for each temperature reading (please do remember that all sheets and blankets should be firmly tucked in and not above shoulder height).

You can also check our chart below:

What if your baby sleeps in a baby sleeping bag?

If you prefer to put your baby in a sleeping bag and ditch the sheet and blankets, see our sleeping bag cold-weather video guide, above, to see what you dress your baby in underneath the sleeping bag and/or which Tog sleeping bag is best, according to the temperature in your baby's room.

You can also check our chart below:

3. Check the back of your baby's neck

If you want to make sure you haven't got them in too many layers, the back of the neck, or tummy, give clearer indicators of whether your little one's overheating than their hands or feet do.

"If your baby is too hot," says Kate, "their skin will feel slightly clammy and sweaty, and you will need to remove some layers."

4. Don't put a hat on your baby indoors

You should never put a hat on a baby indoors, even when it's cold, because a bare head is important for maintaining body temperature and releasing heat. (Obviously, if you're taking your baby outside in cold weather, then a baby hat is an important way of keeping them warm.)

5. Don't have the heating on high all night

In super cold weather, it's tempting to turn radiators up to full heat and leave them on as you sleep. But this isn't only expensive, it's not recommended for your baby.

"The house could get too hot overnight while you're asleep," explains Kate. "If you absolutely do feel you want the central heating on through the night, set it no higher than 20°C."

6. Even though it's cold, never put your baby's cot by the radiator

Never place your crib or cot next to a radiator as this could lead to overheating or possible burns if your baby reaches out of their cot and touches the hot radiator surface.

Also, as radiators are often under windows that may have blind cords, moving your baby's cot closer to an under-the-window radiator could present a risk of strangulation.

Pics: Getty Images. Illustrations: Jordan Edmonds-Moore. Video production: Janet Mtima and Emily Longman Wall.

Read more:

• Safe sleep rules for babies under 6 months
• When do babies sit up?
• Are baby sleeping pods and nest safe?