Do drafty bedrooms or ceiling fans put kids at risk for more upper respiratory infections? Also, my spouse and I have been fiddling with the thermostat trying to make sure it is no colder or warmer than 68 degrees. The sane part of me says that one degree cannot possibly make a difference; the hormonal part of me says that the nurse is right and if we don’t readjust we’ll cause SIDS (the warning was that severe).
What is the evidence for the top and bottom of the temperature ranges for safe sleep recommendations for infants under four months old? And how should we evaluate risk around the edges of those temperatures — is it a slope or a cliff?
—Katie
Let me start with your first question: no. Illness is a result of exposure to viruses and bacteria. It is not a result of being cold.
If you are already sick, a very aggressive fan can sometimes further exacerbate the issues by drying out your nasal passages. (Some people find fans make them feel better, so this isn’t universal.) However, fans and drafts do not cause illness.
Moving to your second question, please listen to the sane part of you. If a temperature of 67 degrees was a cliff, child-rearing would look pretty different. Even at the top end here, I’ve talked about the fairly weak evidence on overheating. On the bottom end of this range, there is no SIDS concern about lower temperatures. The concern is that infants might be too cold to sleep comfortably.
However: there is no reason to think 67 degrees or 68 degrees or even, god forbid, 65 degrees would matter for this. The American Academy of Pediatrics safe sleep guidelines do not mention a temperature range that I can see and, in addition, say nothing at all about babies being too cold.
Please do not revisit your household temperature range right now. You likely have plenty on your plate. Congratulations!
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In regards to what temperature to keep a room at for a baby, I think it makes sense to look at TOG ratings for sleep sacks (if you’re using them) or start there as an understanding to layering depending on the temperature. 75 degrees and 68 degrees in the room could both be acceptable, but what baby is wearing should look different.