Nursery Humidity and Air-Con in Singapore
We have air-conditioning in one bedroom and nowhere else. A great many homes here are set up the same way, so most of what's written about nursery temperature doesn't fit how we live.
The guidance assumes a house where you set a thermostat and the whole building obeys. What we have is one cold room, three warm ones, a corridor in between, and a decision to make every night about electricity.
What temperature should a nursery be in Singapore?
The recommended range is 16 to 20°C, but almost nobody here manages that. Running a bedroom at 18°C all night is expensive, and it's far colder than the rest of the flat, so a baby moving between rooms would cross ten degrees several times a day. Most families here run 24 to 26°C, which works as long as you dress her to match. Her body tells you more than the thermostat does. Put your hand on the back of her neck or her chest. Warm and dry is right. Damp means she's too hot, so take something off. If her chest feels cool, add a layer. Her hands and feet will feel cool almost all the time and tell you nothing. They're the reason so many babies here wear socks they don't need.
Overheating raises risk, so when you're unsure, use one layer fewer.
What humidity level should a baby's room be?
Between 40 and 60 per cent is the range usually given, and outdoors here we're somewhere around 80.
High humidity is why bedding feels slightly damp in the morning, why folded things start to smell, and part of why heat rash is so common. Dust mites and mould also thrive in it, which matters a great deal if anyone at home has eczema or asthma.
Air-conditioning also dehumidifies. It pulls moisture out as it cools, so an air-conditioned bedroom often sits around 50 to 60 per cent while the living room next door is at 75. A cheap hygrometer costs about S$15 and ends the guessing. I bought one after our second wet season and wouldn't be without it.
Whether to use a humidifier in an air-conditioned nursery
Usually no, and this is the question I get asked most often by friends who've read American parenting sites.
A humidifier is made for dry winter climates. Here, the air-conditioning takes a room from very humid to comfortably humid, and adding moisture back pushes it towards the levels where mites and mould do well. Check with a hygrometer before you buy anything. If the room is above 50 per cent, a humidifier is solving a problem you don't have.
One can help in a room that's air-conditioned hard and all the time, which can drop below 40 per cent and cause dry skin and a stuffy nose. If you use one, use cool mist and plain water, clean and dry it every day without fail, and never point it at the cot. A neglected humidifier sprays mould into the room your baby sleeps in. I don't know whether ours ever did. It went in the bin after the second wet season.
The air-conditioner filter needs regular cleaning too. In this climate it's the thing that most needs looking after, and almost nobody does it. Ours gets washed monthly and serviced properly twice a year, and you can smell the difference.
What to dress for it
How to dress a baby for an air-conditioned room
Her clothes do the work, so they change when the room changes. The cot stays bare whatever the temperature.
- At 24 to 26°C: a short-sleeved bodysuit and a light sleep sack, or a long-sleeved sleepsuit on its own.
- At 22 to 23°C: a long-sleeved sleepsuit with a slightly warmer sleep sack.
- No hat for sleep indoors. Babies lose heat through their heads, and covering the head is a known overheating risk.
- Nothing loose in the cot at any temperature. No blankets, no bumpers, no soft toys for the first year, however cold the room feels to you.
- Put the cot out of the air-conditioner's direct airflow, and away from the window too, because the wall by a window gets warmer than the rest of the room in the afternoon.
- If you use a blanket at all, put her feet to the foot of the cot and tuck it in no higher than her shoulders. A sleep sack avoids the question, so most families here end up with one.
In a flat like ours, moving between rooms is the part that needs thought. She goes from a 24°C bedroom to a 30°C living room several times a day, so give her a layer that comes off at the bedroom door and goes back on at bedtime. It sounds fussy. It takes four seconds, and it keeps her neck folds from getting damp.
Mentioned above
When to ask someone qualified
Most of this is about comfort. The list below isn't, and a thermostat won't fix it.
- Persistent coughing, wheezing or noisy breathing, particularly at night or on entering a particular room, which can point at damp or mould.
- Visible mould anywhere in the room. If there's a lot of it, it needs proper treatment, not a cleaning spray.
- Eczema or asthma that flares every time she's in one particular room.
- A baby who feels persistently hot to the touch on the chest, or who's sweating in her sleep despite fewer layers.
- An air-conditioner that smells musty when it starts. It needs servicing, not a scented candle.
Sources: The Lullaby Trust: Baby room temperature · American Academy of Pediatrics: A Parent's Guide to Safe Sleep · HealthHub: Ministry of Health Singapore
This guide is general information, written to help you understand a topic and ask better questions. It is not medical advice and does not replace your own doctor, midwife or paediatrician. Anything that worries you about your baby belongs with them.
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