I am not a doctor, but I wanted to inform the group about something that our pediatrician showed us recently that was a total shock to my wife and I, as well as everyone I've shared it with.

He showed us a recent study that indicated that one of the most prominent trends found in SIDS fatalities in infants was due to body temperature of the baby, notably overheating.
I found this interesting because of the general idea that it is always best to wrap up the baby, to swaddle it in as much blankets and clothes as possible, no matter what. I had been doing it, as was my wife, but we were wrong.
We would feel the baby and realize that her hands were cold or her feet were clammy, and we would grab some blankets and socks and cover her up more to fix it, but then we would pick her up and realize that she was very warm (I would sweat a baby-shaped sweat stain on my chest when holding her).
The trust, from the study and from what we know about our own bodies, is that our feet and hands can get cold while our body temps are totally normal. This is true for babies, but our tendency to want to cover them up can actually lead to overheating, and that overheating can easily lead to SIDS. It was something like 70% of SIDS deaths being related to overheating.

The reason that I feel compelled to bring this up, beyond the obvious sharing of safety and health news, is because I see far too many babies being carried around in swaddles and blankets and hats and gloves, when it is 95 degrees outside... I saw it tons this summer in the hottest summer on record.

the doctor told us that the best way to accurately judge a body temp of a baby is to touch your forehead to theirs, and compare the temp to your own. If it feels hot, the baby is too hot. If it feels cold, then the baby is cold. If it doesn't feel that differently than yours, the baby is fine.
Don't assume that because the air condition is on 72 that the baby is cold. Don't assume that since she is a baby that she isn't warming herself enough. Don't open the door to SIDS or other heating related sickness.

I am open to hearing any information you have about this, but as I stated - I am not a doctor, rather I am just sharing what I was told from my pediatrician - so if you ask a question or make a comment, I may decline to answer because I may have no right answering...

take care!
JD

Interesting information. I'll do a little follow up -- might make for a good episode. Although, as a dad of a preemie, you also have to know about all the research regarding the benefits of skin to skin contact (kangaroo care).

I do not think that parents should avoid holding, touching, or keeping the baby close to the body -- this has been shown repeatedly to have very beneficial effects.

I think I'd like more info on how these two issues overlap.

Thanks for posting.

Very interesting. Our pediatrician told us, that your baby can pretty much handle whatever you can. If you're feeling chilly, then your baby might, so bundle up a bit more. If you're comfy in a t-shirt, then a onesie is just fine.

We still don't like to cover up TheBoy (3.5) when he's sleeping because he is a lil' furnace! He heats up more than a cat. So we try to make sure he has covers available if he gets a chill, but for the most part, he does fine. Incidentally, this makes for some awesome snuggle nappage. Best cuddle naps ever!