How Do You Dress a Newborn for 65 Degree Room?

sounds pretty stifling. i'd go with a long-sleeved onesie and a light blanket.
but the best way to tell is to actually feel the little one's skin. if he's sweating a little, remove a layer. if he feels cool (and babies DO get cold easily, but demonstrate it very clearly) then add a blankie or socks. i think most babies tend to get overdressed.
khairete
S.

I would stop reading things that tell me to keep a house at 65 degrees, keep the rooms at a comfortable temperature and dress the baby appropriately

Oh dear, I would file this one under "just use some common sense."
As a mother it's pretty easy to figure out how to make your baby comfortable.
If your baby is too hot she will be warm and fussy.
If your baby is too cool she will be shivering and fussy.
I would imagine 65-68 is an average, there's no telling what temperature YOUR baby prefers, so you're just going to have to get to know her!
ETA: this reminds me of the old "every child needs a hearty breakfast before school" advice. Guess what? Breakfast made two of my three kids sick if they ate before the ride to school, much like it did to me as a child. So follow your child's cues and needs, that's much, much more important than any ideal.

Ditto Julie. And do you know what the humidity should be? A really dry room could dry out her little mucous membranes.

I don't know many people who do what you're talking about with their newborns. And their babies turn out fine.

68 degrees is normal room temperature. My kids wore a onsie and a fleece footed sleeper in the winter.

We keep the house set at 68-70, 68 is typically in the middle of the night because all the bedrooms are upstairs so except on the coldest nights (20s-30s) it's a touch warmer than that 68. We never used that many layers. They always did just fine in a fleece blanket sleeper. Sometimes I would add socks. 65 would be too cold for me. Honestly though, set things at a temperature that you are all comfortable at and dress appropriately. I think too much of this "advice" is going overboard.

I just kept my house at what I felt comfortable at. I think 65 may be too cold - I agree.

Don't overthink this - we moms need to rely on our own common sense. To me that sounds too warm. You'll know if your baby gets clammy and their fuzzy hair gets damp. That means they are overheating and they get a bit pink.

Similarly if they are cold, they will let you know - their hands will be chilly, and they fuss.

Basically, I dressed my babies as I did, but had one extra layer I could put on them. So if it was a lightweight cardigan I could easily slip on or off I went with that. If it was just a light weight blanket - I would just cover them up if they had nodded off.

At bed time I used those sleep sacks. Kept my babies snuggly warm all night long. Good luck :)

Just use an infant sleep sack.
They are easy to use and safe (no chance of baby smothering like you'd have with a normal blanket).

http://www.halosleep.com/sleepsack-swaddle/
or
http://www.halosleep.com/sleepsack/

As long as they are dressed for it, babies can nap in sub zero temps.
We don't do it in the US but in Nordic countries they've been doing it for years.

"The babies who nap in sub-zero temperatures"
http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-21537988

Babies are different just like adults are different. My oldest would need the extra layers and always wore those fleece pj's. My youngest is naturally very warm, so he worn the thinner pj's.

I would try the clothes you've picked out, then check on baby before you go to bed. I always checked the face, hands and chest (if possible). That should give you a pretty good idea of too many clothes, too few clothes or just right.

First of all, life isn't ideal last I checked.... I am in Florida and we only occasionally have weather that chilly. My pediatrician told me that newborns should be dressed in one layer more than adults. First baby born in April - pleasant weather...he wore onesies all the time. Second baby, late August, extremely hot. He wanted onesie and swaddling! To this day he likes warmer temps. The only time that boy stopped crying as a newborn was on the porch swing - it was 90+ degrees outside!

I did nurse that second baby in DC at Christmas that year - I am amazed that nursing moms manage up north! I hated being cold while nursing!!

I am also cold in 65 degree weather and was even before moving to Florida. Everyone is different as for what temperature they are comfortable at. You will need to check your baby's skin to know if he/she is too hot or too cold, you don't want to be at either extreme.

I would go with long sleeved onesie, long pants and socks, at night footed pj's and light blanket, unless you keep it cooler at night then a onesie under the pj's and a heavier blanket (my daughter always pushed the blanket off even when she was a baby). I always preferred the sleep sack at bedtime when she was a baby. It kept her warm and made sleepy diaper changes a breeze.

I feel badly for a newborn being in 65 degree temps when they are used to 98. Unless that's your norm, I certainly wouldn't keep it colder than you are used to. At night, I always kept it at 68 and they would be in a fleece footed PJ and swaddle. Daytime, I keep the house at 73-74, and dressed the baby in long sleeve onesie and long pants with socks. Baby would also have a blanket/swaddle when sleeping.

Doctor told me once they feel the same as we do, so dress baby same as you would yourself. Comfy clothing and can add more if cooler. Babies let you know when they are uncomfortable.

Well, I live in Oklahoma and if it's 65 outside I'm okay with that. If it's 65 inside and it's night time I'm not okay with that. I won't sleep well. I like to have a comfortable temp while I sleep.

I think it's up to you to have your house what is comfortable for you. You know people don't go by that stuff don't you? If you want the house 65 degrees then I think that's way too cool for anyone. My opinion.

I want my house about 70-71 at night. I can sleep without a ton of blankets and if I wake up to go pee I am not shaking with cold. I am comfortable enough to get up and go quickly.

So, if you go ahead and decide that 65 degrees is comfortable for you I suggest you do not pack your baby up in sleepers and blankets. Why? They are going to be covered in sweat and can easily get their faces covered up and suffocate.

There is no way I'd make the house any cooler than where my kiddo can sleep in a normal onsie with feet and where they can move around when they're a little older.

One thing, how are you going to get your house down to 65 in the heat of summer? If "that's" the proper temp for babies then that goes year round, right? It's not just a "Don't heat your house in winter but make it hot in summer" sort of thing, if it's the "best" temp for babies then you might want to start saving now so that you can pay that high electric bill next summer. It's down right hard to get a house that cool in summer.

Some may disagree, but I don't think that's too much for a newborn. They don't have the ability to warm themselves as well as older kids. My son doesn't use a blanket so I dress him in a long sleeved onesie, one long-sleeved shirt with another long sleeved fleece pj top, two pairs of pants with fleece pj pants (so 3 layers on top and bottom), and of course, he wears socks to bed. The room can get really cold during the night -- into the low-60s. I also have a space heater on timer so the heater is on from 4am-6am (the coldest time of the night). Yet, he STILL wakes up with cold hands and cheeks in the morning. And he's almost a year old! It may be overkill, but I would rather him not wake with the sniffles.

But the general rule that pediatricians use is...whatever you wear + an extra layer.