Infant Thermoregulation

[NewMotherBabyRN]

Hi all! Recently I have had several new moms ask me how long it takes for the infant to stabilize their temp - or how long they have to keep them bundled up or worry about a drop in temp. I never know/can find a good answer for this.

[SBJustBreathe, ASN, RN]

I'm curious to know this also

[Elvish, BSN, DNP, RN, NP]

Assuming the infant is term, healthy, dry, and properly covered away from drafts, they should be able to thermoregulate pretty much from birth. If they're cold it indicates that something is off. Sometimes that 'something' is minor - say, they need to be better wrapped or wearing a hat. Other times it's a BIG deal - sugar, sepsis, etc. Once we had a term kid whose temp wouldn't stay up but nothing else obvious that we could pinpoint. Turns out he'd had a stroke in utero that affected his thermoregulation centers. All that to say, if you've got a kid that's not keeping its temp up from birth, it warrants checking out.

Any baby of any age that's cold worries me waaay more than a warm baby.

[Marymoomoo]

Babies should be kept skin to skin as much as possible. Mother's body is baby's habitat and mothers and babies were designed to stay together. Mother's breasts can increase temp to warm her baby. Pretty cool, eh? When babies are separated, their temperature is much more likely to drop. A drop in temp can also lead to a drop in blood sugars. Keeping moms and babies together makes a difference!

Here's some info from the WHO:

[NewMotherBabyRN]

I guess I really meant after the infant leaves the hospital.

[NicuGal, MSN, RN]

They should be regulating their temp by time they leave. If a kiddo can't keep their temp normal, especially dressed properly for conditions/weather then there is a problem.