Is Air Conditioning Harmful for Your Baby?by Mary Ann Romans | More from this Blogger 06 Aug 2008 04:37 AM
Two of my babies were summer babies. They were born in June and July and came home to a brick house that tended to retain the heat of the day. As infants, they slept in bassinets in our master bedroom that contained a window air conditioner. My mother-in-law wondered if this was good for them, to be in a room with air conditioning. The alternative to the air conditioned room would be a hot, humid and stuffy room, which I couldn't see as beneficial. Should I have kept that air conditioning on? The answer is a resounding yes. Fortunately, Dr. Alvin N. Eden, a pediatrician who has a regular column in the newsletter, Pediatrics for Parents agrees with me. He mentions how your baby's temperature is no different from your own and that he would be much more comfortable in a cool environment than that hot stuffy room. Imagine if you had to try to sleep in a room that was too hot. But because babies are little, I did take a few precautions with cooling the room. Here they are. I never put the baby close to the air conditioning so that it was directly on him. Instead, I placed the bassinet as far away from the window air conditioning as I could, this way they could benefit from the air conditioning without it blowing directly over their skin. I stayed away from using fans. Sometimes a fan can be too strong and have that "take your breath away" effect if they move too much air around where you are breathing. Babies breath very fast, so this worried me. I am sure that a gently blowing fan would probably have been fine. I kept the temperature reasonable, between 72 and 78 degrees. Dr. Eden recommends a temperature of between 68 and 72 degrees, but we, as adults, tended to be too cold at those settings. Most air conditioning systems, including window or wall air conditioners have temperature settings on them now. I dressed them lightly but had them covered. I usually dressed my babies in light clothing that covered their arms and legs when they slept, such as a thin bag or footies. This way there would be no cool air directly on their skin while they slept. Remember that infants should not be given blankets or bed coverings of any kind while sleeping unsupervised. How do you keep your baby comfortable? Click here for more articles by Mary Ann Romans. Related Posts: Protect Your Baby from Second Hand Smoke House Approves Legislation for Tougher Toy Standards Which Toys Don't Include Phthalates? Learn more about Mary Ann Romans  Mary Ann Romans is a freelance writer, wife and mother of three children. She lives in Pennsylvania with her husband, the kids and a 16-pound cat. Relevantbaby tags User Comments Samual (11722) 06 Aug 2008 04:49 AMYou just take the heat here, we don't have airconditioning in the UK apart from some shops. Though I do know that air blowing in the ears from fans, airconditioning, wind etc is bad for the ears, young or old.  Mary Ann Romans (26876) 06 Aug 2008 06:02 AMHow hot does it get there in the UK? Here in some areas of the country, it can go well over 100 degrees. And there is often high humidity. Heidi (5269) 06 Aug 2008 06:55 AMHere in Phoenix, AZ we have approx. 100 days/yr where the temp is over 100F. We have about 20-30 days/yr where the temp is 110+. Air conditioning isn't a luxury--it's a necessity. My son is an August baby and my daughter will be a Sept. baby. We kept the air conditioning on with DS and dressed him in long sleeved sleepers with feet. We tried dressing him in onesies with one of those velcro swaddlers that we'd been given, but he just wiggled right out and would wake up cold. The first night I dressed him in the footsies he slept 5 hours! He ended up sleeping 5 hrs each night after that (at only 3 wks and being exclusively breastfed!) Needless to say, I'm starting to stock up on those same sort of pj's for our little girl!  ruthann8 (6378) 06 Aug 2008 06:58 AMMy dd loves to play on top of the central air ducts! She loves the blowing air. But anyway I think the reason they recomend 68 -72 degrees is because when sleeping it helps reduce the risk of sids. I don't remember where I read that so I could be wrong. My brother had severe allergies/asthma and my mom had to get rid of our window air conditioner and get a special heating and cooling system. Something about window air conditioners and mold? Samual (11722) 06 Aug 2008 07:04 AMI live in the east midlands, here in the summer it gets to around 30c, I think thats 86f, but down south it gets to around 32cish. The heat is sticky here as we are an island. Eileen123 (40) 06 Aug 2008 10:08 AMDown here in Texas it's been 100 degrees lately... not too worried about making it too cold inside :) Simplestop.net - Stop your postal junk mail, Protect the environment, Protect your identity.  deedee1231 (4030) 06 Aug 2008 10:41 AMI have a friend from the UK, she has told me that they don't have AC in her home town because it rarely gets warm enough so you would need it. But she is not complaining any about using the air with the 100 degree weather here in TX.  Valorie Delp (49340) 06 Aug 2008 03:07 PMAir conditioning is not nearly as bad for my babies as non-air conditioning is bad for my spouse! ;-)  Kara (21275) 06 Aug 2008 03:50 PMlol I agree I'd be so miserable here without air! No one would hear the end of it Mary Ann Romans (26876) 07 Aug 2008 03:55 AMI don't turn on the AC if it is 86 out. My standard is generally about 90 outside or 84 and humid inside. I do put it on at night when opening the windows is too noisy. We have all sorts of crickets and frogs and things that put on summer evening concerts. Valorie Delp (49340) 07 Aug 2008 04:40 AMWow--my standard is 75!!! But that may well change in a house. Right now we have two windows that work and can be opened. Therefore, 75 outside often means hotter than 80 degrees inside. My whole household behaves badly if I let it get too hot! Mary Ann Romans (26876) 07 Aug 2008 05:32 AMThe city is different. Brick buildings and sidewalks tend to retain heat, so the inside is usually hotter than the outside. I spent many a pre-air conditioning day outside on the stoop. Some families even slept on the fire escapes, although I was never allowed. Kara (21275) 07 Aug 2008 07:28 AMOurs is central air and is on if it is over 77 in our apartment because if it goes over 77 I can't do anything with out sweating all over the place...its yucky. I hate feeling dirty. Mary Ann Romans (26876) 07 Aug 2008 08:49 AMI think central air can be more efficient than window air conditioners. I am hoping that we will be able to install central air some day. Mary Ann Romans (26876) 08 Aug 2008 06:41 AMIt is a beautiful day here today. In fact, I opened the windows to cool down the house! Community Tags air conditioning, baby, infant, safety Discuss this article
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