Is my baby too hot or too cold?

The check only needs two or three fingers. Slide them inside the collar and rest them where the neck meets the shoulders. If that spot is hard to reach, use the upper chest instead.

Your fingers need skin, not the bodysuit, jacket or sleep bag, but there's no need to undress your baby. After a cold walk, warm your hands for a moment first, because cold fingers make any neck feel hot.

A comfortable baby's neck often feels warmer than your hand. That's fine as long as it's dry.

Change one thing at a time. Fold back the blanket, open the jacket or take off the cardigan, then feel again a few minutes later. Change three things at once and you won't know which one did it.

Hands and feet often feel cooler than the body. Add socks and a blanket every time the toes feel cold, and a baby who was fine ends up far too warm. A baby who is too cold usually looks pale, and the chest feels cool.

The head often misleads the other way. It can feel hot to a kiss while the chest is fine, and cheeks turn red in cold wind or after a good cry. Grandparents tend to worry about both. Feel the neck together and let that settle it.

Yes

The back of the neck

On bare skin under the collar you feel both warmth and sweat.

No

The hands and feet

Fingers and toes often feel cool even when your baby is warm enough.

At night, dress for the room temperature and the sleep bag maker's chart, then slip your fingers through the neckline onto the upper chest. A thick bag feels warm on the outside even when the skin under it is just right.

A layer at night means the clothes under the sleep bag, or the bag itself. A cool chest means warmer pajamas or a warmer bag, not a blanket on top. A sweaty one means less underneath.

Babies often sweat in deep sleep and during a feed in your arms, so a damp head on its own is common. Feel the chest before you change anything. A baby who keeps waking as the room cools down may simply be cold.

Feel the neck whenever the place changes, once the outdoor things are off. In the car seat, reach the neck without moving the straps, and fold the blanket down once the car is warm.

In a carrier, your body warms your baby's chest and tummy, so clothes that look thin can be plenty. Reach behind the collar from above. The head often gets damp where it lies against you, which is your warmth, so go by the neck.

You can often see a baby who is too warm before you touch: damp hair at the back of the head, a sticky fold under the chin, red cheeks and a hot chest. Tiny red spots on the neck or chest are heat rash, which comes after a baby has been too warm for a while.

A baby who is too warm often acts it, too: fussy and hard to settle, waking more than usual, or breathing faster than normal. Heat also makes babies drowsy, so some go quiet and unusually sleepy instead.

A baby lets off extra heat through the head, so damp hair is often the first thing you notice, especially on the side that lies against you in a contact nap. Whether it means too warm depends on the back of the neck.

Good: Damp hair, dry neck

Your baby is letting off heat and is comfortable. Leave the clothes as they are.

Not good: Damp hair, damp neck

The warmth has reached the body, so the cardigan comes off.

When the neck is damp and the chest feels hot, make the changes together rather than one at a time, starting with the first of these.

Afterward, put your baby in a dry bodysuit, so the damp one doesn't chill your baby once the sweating stops. A few minutes later, the neck should feel warm and dry again. If your baby stays hot or seems unwell, the box at the end of this page says when to call.

A baby gets too warm from too many clothes or covers, or from a place that holds the heat, in winter as well as in summer. These are the usual places:

• In bed: a hat, heavy bedding, a hot water bottle, or a crib next to the radiator. Babies sleep with the head bare, in a sleep bag or light bedding, away from heaters.
• On you: in a long contact nap or feed, your body warms your baby too, so a lighter outfit than usual is plenty, with no blanket over you both.
• In the stroller: a muslin or blanket over the front traps the air inside, even a thin one. A clip-⁠on sunshade or a parasol gives shade and leaves the sides open.
• In the car: the padded seat holds heat and the sun through the window adds more, so shade the window on long drives. A parked car heats up fast, so your baby never waits in it, even for a minute.