A good temperature, fresh air, darkness at night and calm: that is what matters in a nursery. Even so, the advice varies, including between official sources. Here is what Belgium's two child health agencies, Kind en Gezin in Flanders and ONE in Wallonia and Brussels, and the Dutch sources recommend.
How warm should a nursery be?
Not too warm. The Belgian and Dutch sources sit between 15 and 20 °C, most of them around 16 to 18 °C.
| Source | Room temperature |
|---|---|
| Kind en Gezin (Flanders) | 15 to 18 °C is warm enough |
| ONE (French-speaking Belgium) | 18 to 20 °C, where possible |
| Netherlands Youth Institute (NJi) | 16 to 18 °C |
| VeiligheidNL | 16 to 18 °C |
Kind en Gezin says so on its page about a healthy, smoke-free environment (in Dutch). ONE (in French) adds: if you cannot keep the room below 20 °C, cover your child less. NJi and VeiligheidNL (both in Dutch) give 16 to 18 °C.
Is your baby too warm or too cold?
Feel the neck or tummy. Cool hands and feet are normal, says Kind en Gezin. If the neck or the tummy feels warm, your baby is not too cold. VeiligheidNL suggests feeling the back of the neck with the backs of your fingers: lukewarm is fine. A baby who is sweating is already very warm (VeiligheidNL).
- Indoors, your baby does not need a hat. Keep their head and face uncovered so they do not get too warm (Kind en Gezin).
- If the room is warmer, adjust their clothing and bedding.
- Match the thickness of the sleeping bag to the room temperature and your baby's clothing. VeiligheidNL has a table of TOG values (in Dutch).
Fresh air and humidity
Ventilate and air the room well, so harmful substances and moisture do not build up, says Kind en Gezin. ONE recommends airing the room twice a day for 15 minutes.
On their pages about sleep, neither Kind en Gezin nor ONE gives a specific humidity figure. For homes in general, the Flemish government gives a relative humidity of 40 to 60% in winter and 30 to 70% in summer.
Light: dark at night, daylight during the day
At night, the room can be dark. A calm, dark and safe room is important for a good night's sleep, says NJi. Kind en Gezin advises making it really dark if your child struggles to fall asleep in summer because of the daylight at bedtime. Blackout curtains can help.
During the day, the room does not need to be fully blacked out, according to the Dutch youth health care guideline (in Dutch), because young children are developing a day and night rhythm. ONE says something similar: at around 2 to 3 months, you help your baby recognise daytime by not letting them sleep in semi-darkness and complete silence. Get outside often during the day too, so your baby gets enough daylight (NJi).
- Night light: some babies like a night light (NJi). For night-time bottle feeds, Kind en Gezin recommends a soft night light and no bright light.
- Screens: smartphones, laptops and tablets are best kept out of the bedroom, says Kind en Gezin (in Dutch). On another page, Kind en Gezin refers to the WHO, which advises against screen time under 2.
Noise in the nursery
Where possible, choose a quiet place for sleep, ONE advises: a noisy environment can disturb your child's sleep. At the same time, daytime does not need to be completely silent, as you read above.
A white noise machine makes a constant sound. Kind en Gezin does not consider it necessary for a child's natural sleep development, and warns that continuous signals to the ears and brain can lead to overstimulation. If you use one anyway, do not place it too close to the cot, use the lowest volume, and switch it off once your baby is asleep.
The Dutch guideline goes further. There is little research in babies. Recent research, in babies and adults, found no convincing evidence that white noise helps people fall asleep faster or sleep better. The guideline advises against continuous sound to promote babies' sleep. If you use it, keep the volume low and place the device at least 30 cm from the child, outside the cot.
Where should the cot go?
Not right next to a heat source, and not beside a window that can open. Also check that no cords hang in or near the cot, says Kind en Gezin. What belongs in the cot itself is covered in our safe sleep checklist.
Tracking temperature and humidity with the Dream Sight
A baby monitor never replaces direct supervision and closeness, says Kind en Gezin. On its page about radiation, it advises placing a baby monitor at least 1 metre from the cot. The instructions for the Owlet Dream Sight give a different rule, about cords: they warn of a choking hazard from cords and ask for the Dream Sight and all cables to be placed 92 cm from the edge of the cot, with cables covered within that distance. During installation, the camera is mounted 92 cm above the mattress. So these are two different rules: Kind en Gezin's metre is about radiation, the 92 cm in the instructions is about cords and mounting height.
The Dream Sight streams video to your phone and, with a sensor, also tracks the temperature and humidity in the nursery. If either goes outside its limits and notifications are switched on, you get a notification. By default, those limits are wide: 16 °C as the lower temperature limit, and 10 and 90% for humidity. You can change them in the Owlet Dream app, so set them to the temperature you want to keep. The sensor is on the camera's power cable: keep that cable away from heat sources and cold spots, or the readings will be off.
To also follow heart rate and oxygen level during sleep, combine the Dream Sight with the Dream Sock in the Owlet Dream Duo. The Dream Sock is intended for routine home monitoring of healthy babies. Its notifications help you decide whether to seek medical advice. They do not replace a diagnosis or treatment by a doctor. More questions? See our FAQ. How your baby's sleep develops is covered in our article on baby sleep patterns.