Caring for a baby requires a parent’s complete attention. These adorable little tots are dependent on their caretakers for everything, including keeping their body temperatures in check.
According to Stanford Children’s Health, a baby’s body surface-to-mass ratio is three times higher than the average adult. They don’t have enough body mass to help them self-regulate their body temperature when the immediate surrounding becomes too hot or too cold. As a result, babies lose body heat four times faster than adults and are more susceptible to heat exhaustion.
When you’re feeling too hot or too cold at home, it’s likely that your baby has it worse. You can ensure your baby’s comfort by making sure your heating and cooling systems at home are always in top shape. Putting off a call to HVAC repair professionals in Knoxville could be harmful to your child, especially when the hottest or coldest months of the year approach.
Extreme Temperatures and Babies’ Health
Babies sweat less than adults, which means their bodies can’t easily cool down on their own. It’s why babies, and children in general, can get overheated and dehydrated quickly when the weather turns warm. They could develop symptoms of heat-related illnesses like heat exhaustion or even heat stroke.
Chilly weather isn’t the best for babies, either. Stanford Children’s Health estimates that for every one-degree drop in their ideal skin temperature (97.7o F or 36.5o C), babies use 10 percent more oxygen to generate body heat. Babies don’t shiver (which is the body’s adaptation to cold which enables us to create heat through friction), so their tiny bodies make up for the heat loss by using more energy and oxygen to stay warm.
Either scenario is not ideal for babies. It would be better and easier to ensure their comfort and well-being by maintaining a cool, well-controlled temperature inside your home.
Improved Comfort and Quality of Sleep
Maintaining a comfortable indoor temperature regardless if it’s summer or winter is best for babies. It’s the only way to be sure your child is neither overheated nor chilled. More importantly, your baby is more likely to get quality sleep when he or she isn’t disturbed by rapid temperature changes overnight.
Sleep.org recommends setting the thermostat in your baby’s room at a comfortable 65 to 70o F. As humans sleep our body temperature drops to induce the brain to go into a deeper stage of sleep. So, by keeping the room at just the right coolness, your baby can fall asleep faster and longer.
Final Reminders
Babies benefit from air conditioning; just keep their cribs away from the AC fan. Infants thrive in a comfortable temperature, but not when they are in direct path of the cold air.
In winter, it’s best to keep a vaporizer handy in the baby’s room, too. The cold air that flows through the vent and into your home contains very little moisture. Turning up the heat will keep your baby warm, but the air could still feel dry. Use a vaporizer to increase the room’s humidity. It helps the baby breathe easily, especially if he or she has a stuffy nose.
Create a comfortable and safe environment for your baby to grow up in. Maintaining the temperature of your home is just one aspect of it, but it can make a significant difference. JC’s Heating and Air will be happy to help you out. Call us for your HVAC installation and repair needs.
