What To Know Before Leaving The Windows Open In Your Baby’s Room

When it comes to your baby and his sleep environment, the topic of safety is bound to come up in conversation. The topic only becomes more complicated when you see all the mixed information. One pediatrician may recommend one thing, while another may advise against it. Take, for example, windows and your baby. Many parents find themselves asking "will my baby be safe if I leave the windows open at night?”

According to WebMD, infants who sleep in a room with a fan or sleep with the window open were found to have lower risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) than those who didn't. Before you go opening the windows in your baby’s room every day, however, it’s important to consider a few vital factors first.

If you live somewhere where the weather and seasons change drastically, you need to take that into consideration before opening a window. According to Baby Gooroo, most experts advise a baby’s room stay between 68 and 72 degrees Fahrenheit. If it gets cooler than that at night, opening the window can cause your baby to get too cold and increase SIDS risk. Similarly, keeping the window open during a scorching hot day or night can cause your baby to overheat, which is a serious medical condition, according to Swaddle Designs.

That doesn’t mean you should refrain from opening the windows in your baby’s room altogether; just be conscious of the temperature. If you’re wondering how keep your baby cool while they sleep in a stuffy home, you can sometimes open windows and let fresh air circulate through the house, according to Medic. This is best done at cooler times of the day during the summer, and if you’re in an area that doesn’t have a lot of humidity. Additionally, in an interview with National Post, home renovator Mike Holmes said that the air inside a home can be two to five times more polluted than the air outside.

Aside from temperature precautions, you also need to make sure your baby sleeps far away from windows, according to Parents. If your baby is sleeping too close to a window, it's a major safety precaution. With the baby close to a window, drapery cords can be hazardous, there's a chance they can try to climb through the window, and hot or cold temperatures can be overbearing. Taking standard safety measures like keeping a screen on the window and making sure drapery cords are out of reach are key, of course, in addition to keeping the crib away from the window.