How do I keep a baby's room at a safe, comfortable temperature year round?
The NHS recommends a nursery temperature between 16 and 20 degrees, which is harder to achieve in either direction than most parents expect. Summer overheating is the more dangerous of the two and usually demands fabric changes rather than mechanical cooling. Winter undershoot is normally a matter of where the room sits in the heating circuit.
What it usually looks like
These are the symptoms readers describe most often. None of them alone is diagnostic, but together they build a picture.
- Room reads above 22°C overnight in summer
- Room reads below 16°C overnight in winter
- Temperature varies several degrees through the night
- Baby waking from heat or cold
Most common in: Victorian terrace · Edwardian semi-detached · Interwar semi (1920s–1930s) · New-build flat · Loft conversion
Before you buy anything
Watch the house respond as you scroll.
These checks are listed in the order we would work through them. The illustration on the left changes with each one, so you can see what each check is actually addressing before deciding whether it is worth doing.
South-facing room in late afternoon. Sun on the glass for hours; the loft above is hotter still.
Use a reliable thermometer at cot height
Temperatures vary substantially within a single room. The number that matters is the one where the baby actually sleeps, not at the thermostat on the wall.
Look at how the room is treated for sun and shade
External shading is the safest way to prevent overheating in a child's room because it requires no machinery and no electricity.
Check the heating zoning and TRV setting
Many nurseries inherit the radiator setting of a previous use. A modern thermostatic valve set to the recommended range is often the simplest fix.
Plan a quiet, ducted source of fresh air
A noisy fan is unacceptable in a nursery. Continuous low-rate ventilation, or a planned night purge, provides fresh air without disturbing sleep.
Avoid portable heaters and unattended cooling units
Small unattended appliances in a child's bedroom carry safety and fire risks. Solutions that operate at fabric level are safer over time.
Products that may help
Only consider these once the checks above have been ruled out. A product fitted into the wrong cause is rarely satisfying.
The cheapest answer to getting a baby's room to the right temperature is usually the one that addresses the cause rather than the symptom. The list above is in the order we would work through it, because the checks at the top tend to rule out the most expensive mistakes further down.
Run the Home Comfort Score for this room
A two-minute reading gives you a number to compare against after each improvement, so you know what is actually working.