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How warm should my baby's room be for sleep newborn, under 3 months?

Canadian guidance says to keep the room at whatever temperature feels comfortable for you as an adult, without giving an exact number in degrees. If you want a specific range, UK health guidance suggests 16-20°C (about 61-68°F).

The key safety point everywhere is avoiding overheating, which is a known risk factor for sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS).

Strength of evidence

Good

Canadian and UK national guidelines agree on the overheating message, but the specific 16-20°C figure comes from UK guidance, not a Canadian source. Supporting temperature-SIDS links come from observational case-crossover studies, not trials.

What the evidence says

Health Canada and the Canadian Paediatric Society do not give an exact number of degrees for a baby's room. Instead, they say to keep the room at a comfortable temperature — if it feels right for you, it will feel right for your baby too.

The main concern is overheating, not being slightly cool. Getting too hot is a known risk factor for sudden infant death syndrome, sometimes called SIDS, which is the unexplained death of a baby during sleep. Canadian sources focus on dressing your baby in simple, fitted sleepwear rather than piling on blankets or hats indoors.

If you'd like an actual number, UK health services suggest keeping baby's room between about 16 and 20 degrees Celsius (roughly 61 to 68 Fahrenheit). This is UK guidance, not Canadian, but it lines up with the same idea: comfortably cool rather than warm.

A Canadian study from Montreal looked at real SIDS cases over 30 years and found that very hot days, especially above 29°C, were linked to a higher chance of sudden infant death, particularly in babies over 3 months. This supports the general advice to avoid a hot, stuffy room.

A simple way to check if your baby is too warm is to feel the back of their neck or their chest, not their hands or feet, which normally feel cooler. If your baby feels sweaty or hot to the touch, remove a layer of clothing or bedding rather than turning up the heat.

Sources

✓Reviewed by CH, MD, FRCPC

Reviewed by a specialist physician certified by the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada, who has read this answer against the sources listed above and confirmed it reflects them. That is not medical advice about your child. How we review

Answer checked August 6, 2026

Educational information only. Not medical advice, not a diagnosis, and no doctor-patient relationship is created by using this. Founded Parent has not examined your child and does not know their history, so this may not apply to you. In an emergency, call your local emergency number. What Founded Parent cannot do

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