summer co-sleeping « Back to Group Discussions

[tarabelle]

are any of you anti-air conditioning in hot climates?  what do you do to keep you and baby comfy on hot nights?

[Thursday Girl]

I am not at all anti air conditioning, we live in Florida and it gets mad hot. Although we did live for a year with no Ac and then 6 years with just a window units in the bedrooms.  ceiling fans!! good ones and most of the good ones are ugly metal shop fans.  Open windows and blinds at night. shut all blinds at around 8-9am.  When you have windows open try to have ones that are across from each other it will help the air to circulate. No covers when you sleep (or if you HAVE to have a cover like I do just a sheet) and don't let your bodies touch if at all possible, which really isn't with a bitty baby.

[jess in hawaii]

What Courtney said echoes my experience in New Orleans.

The only thing I would add is to keep the bedroom curtains closed during the day, especially if the sun hits in the afternoon, so it will stay cooler to begin with.

[thomatuttle]

we always sleep with the windows open in the summer or else we have fans going.  DH and i don't typically wear anything to bed, so that helps with the coolness factor for us.  we just dressed DD in a light onesie or on super hot nights, just a diaper.  we'll do that with DS too.  we also slept with just a sheet but had a coverlet at the end of the bed because early mornings on the coast can be cool even if it was super hot at the beginning of the night. 
 

[Thursday Girl]

Originally Posted by jess in hawaii 

What Courtney said echoes my experience in New Orleans.

The only thing I would add is to keep the bedroom curtains closed during the day, especially if the sun hits in the afternoon, so it will stay cooler to begin with.

yeah, blinds/curtains. we only have those wooden blinds and no curtains, but sometimes I wish we did.

[tarabelle]

I don't think I would be anti-air conditioning if i lived in Florida or New Orleans!  I find Rosie is a super warm baby already and she likes to sleep on my chest.  It was warm but not hot last night and I woke up with a slick of sweat on my chest between Rosie and I... I'm no sure if it was hers or mine, but I have noticed she tends to sweat at night so I am already dressing her very lightly.  Even on cool nights she kicks off all the covers so I think she'll be in a diaper only when it gets really hot!

Thanks for all the tips, ladies!

[ReadingRenee]

I also really like the thermal and sun blocking curtains you can buy.  Our bedroom window gets sun all day long and these really help.  We also have some on our sidelights at the front of the house and it has really helped keep the house cool.  We do use AC but we keep it at 78 so its fairly warm in the house at night.