A baby's room in winter: the right temperature
The range commonly recommended in France for a baby's room is 18 to 20 °C. The figure is simple, but it refers to air temperature: what the child feels near a window also depends on the temperature of the glass, which can be far lower.
It is the gap between the two that explains a cold cot in a room at the right temperature. A dense curtain reduces that gap, and it deals at the same time with morning light, which shortens nights in late winter.
Two temperatures, not one
The thermometer measures air. The body also exchanges heat by radiation with the surfaces around it. A cold pane behaves like a well: it draws that radiation in, and you feel cold a metre away from it despite 19 °C shown on the wall.
That is why a bed placed under a window is the worst possible position in winter, and why moving it is sometimes enough to settle the matter without buying anything.
What gets settled, in order
| Step | What it addresses |
|---|---|
| Move the bed away from the window | The direct exchange with the cold surface. Free and immediate. |
| Cover the glass with a dense fabric at night | The cold surface and the heat loss. A 620 gsm fabric in three layers gives up to 7 °C difference at the glass. |
| Check the side overlap | The air passing along the sides of the panel, which the glass alone does not explain. |
| Air the room briefly and fully every day | The room's humidity, which settles on the glass at first light. |
Light counts as much as heat
In late winter the day breaks earlier and earlier, and a poorly darkened room wakes the child before time. This is where the two functions meet: a three-layer fabric blocks 100% of the light and insulates at the same time, on the same panel.
Two points of care specific to a child's room, independent of the fabric: the length of the panel and the reach of cords or rods. A curtain stopping above the floor, out of reach of the bed, is safer than a panel that trails.
Cold and damp go together
A room closed all night with an occupant produces water vapour, which settles on the coldest surface at first light. The curtain does not create that condensation, but a panel pressed against the glass and left permanently closed encourages it, by keeping the pane colder.
The remedy is simple: a gap behind the panel, and an opening in the morning at the same time as airing. The full subject is in condensation on windows.
According to ADEME, windows account for 10 to 15% of a home's heat loss, and the Union des Fabricants de Menuiseries notes that this estimate does not count air leakage around windows already installed.
Frequently asked questions
What temperature for a baby's room in winter?
The range commonly recommended in France is 18 to 20 °C. That marker applies to the air; if the room is at the right temperature but the bed is near a window, the child can still feel cold.
Is a thermal curtain enough to warm the room?
No, it produces no heat. It reduces the speed at which the room loses its own and removes the cold-surface sensation near the window. Heating remains what sets the temperature.
Should a child's room be fully darkened?
That depends on the child and on when they wake. Full blackout helps mostly in spring and summer, when the day breaks early. In midwinter it is the thermal function that serves most.
Can the curtain make the room damper?
It can accentuate it if pressed against the glass and left closed day and night, because the pane stays colder. A gap behind the panel and an opening in the morning are enough to avoid it.
The whole season is gathered on our winter curtains page, and our made-to-measure thermal curtains are made to the exact height of the bedroom window.
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