What to Dress a Baby in 20 Degrees Celsius Outside (UK)

To dress a baby in 20 degrees Celsius outside (20°C, 68°F) when the forecast’s ‘feels like’ figure is 20–22°C, our starting point for an awake baby in the shade is: short-sleeve bodysuit, light cotton trousers. If a baby of 6 months or older is in direct sun: long-sleeve cotton top, light cotton trousers, brimmed sun hat.

Written by the Babbez team for UK parents · Checked November 2026

What to know first

• Pack a thin long-sleeve layer for shade or a breeze.
• The start of your outing can sit on a cooler row than a 20°C peak, so read the forecast hour by hour.
• Under 6 months, use the shade column only; the NHS line on babies and direct sunlight is quoted below.
• The NHS lines on sun, layers and checking your baby are quoted word for word further down. The rows are our own.

This page covers daytime outings outdoors with a baby or toddler who is awake: the school run, the park, a walk to the shops. It stops at the cot and the car door.

Naps and nights are outside it, in the pram too, and it sets no room temperature: for sleep, see the NHS SIDS page and The Lullaby Trust on hot weather. For car seats, see RoSPA’s car seat pages.

Which outfit goes on at 20°C, shade or sun?

Three rows of the Warm-Day Ladder sit around 20°C. Choose by the forecast: pick the ladder row from the ‘feels like’ temperature on the forecast, not the air temperature.

Three warm rows around 20°C

Feels like	In the shade	In direct sun, 6 months and up
18–19°C (64–66°F)	long-sleeve bodysuit, light cotton trousers, thin socks	long-sleeve bodysuit, light cotton trousers, thin socks, brimmed sun hat
20–22°C (68–72°F)	short-sleeve bodysuit, light cotton trousers	long-sleeve cotton top, light cotton trousers, brimmed sun hat
23–25°C (73–77°F)	short-sleeve cotton romper	loose long-sleeve cotton romper, brimmed sun hat

Rows: Babbez, November 2026; the outfits are the 65, 70 and 75°F rows of our warm-weather guide. That guide is written for US forecasts and says ‘pants’ for trousers; on this page, go by the ‘feels like’ figure. °F is our conversion, to the nearest whole degree. Our starting point; adjust for your child.

To carry, our bring-along item: at 18–19°C, a light cardigan or zip-up for shade or a breeze; at 20–22°C, a thin long-sleeve layer for shade or a breeze; at 23–25°C, a thin long-sleeve layer.

Our warm-weather guide has the next rows up and hotter days. Bodysuit or romper? See our clothing types guide, and baby fabrics compared for materials. Buying for warmer months? Try our summer clothes guide and summer collection.

What comes off as it warms up?

Below 18°C our UK cold-weather ladder takes over, so 17 to 18°C is where the two ladders meet. At 17°C, the Mild row reads: vest or bodysuit and a sleepsuit, or a top and leggings; socks; a light cardigan in the bag. From there, the Warm-Up Steps, in the shade column:

• 17°C to 18°C: the sleepsuit goes: our Mild row’s vest and sleepsuit give way to a long-sleeve bodysuit and light cotton trousers.
• 19°C to 20°C: long sleeves turn short, and the thin socks leave the row.
• 22°C to 23°C: two pieces become one: a short-sleeve cotton romper.

Our starting point; adjust for your child.

Is 19°C a different outfit from 21°C? The Finder

Yes, on our ladder: a single degree can cross a row. The Finder takes each whole degree from 16 to 25°C and names its row.

The 20°C Finder, one degree at a time

Feels like (°C)	°F	Our row
16°C	61°F	Mild (14–17°C)
17°C	63°F	Mild (14–17°C)
18°C	64°F	18–19°C
19°C	66°F	18–19°C
20°C	68°F	20–22°C
21°C	70°F	20–22°C
22°C	72°F	20–22°C
23°C	73°F	23–25°C
24°C	75°F	23–25°C
25°C	77°F	23–25°C

Every whole degree C from 16 to 25 sits in exactly one row; we checked this in code. From 26°C, use our warm-weather guide. Below 16°C, use the cold-weather ladder or our Cool-row guide.

Why can a 20°C day need two outfits?

Whatever the headline figure, your outing lasts for hours, and on our ladder the morning can actually sit on a cooler row.

The Met Office says: “Understanding the difference between air temperature and how it feels can help when planning outdoor activities or choosing what to wear.”

Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

For an outing that runs from a cooler hour to a warmer one, our own answer is the Warm-Up Check, in three steps:

1. Find the hourly ‘feels like’ figure for the start and the end of your outing.
2. Read each one across to its row in the Finder.
3. Dress from the row nearest the temperature for the hours you will be out, and carry the bring-along item for the cooler start. If the two rows are further apart, as with the first two examples below, treat it as two outfits: set off in the cooler row, then take off or change layers as the hours move up the rows.

One made-up 20°C day, read with the check (not real forecasts). Our starting point; adjust for your child:

• Example: The 8:30 school run. 12°C, feels like 11°C. Row: Cool (9–13°C) on our cold-weather ladder: vest, sleepsuit and a cardigan or light jacket; a thin hat and socks.
• Example: The 12:30 park trip. 20°C, feels like 20°C. Row: 20–22°C. In the shade, short-sleeve bodysuit, light cotton trousers.
• Example: A breezy walk home. 20°C and windy, no ‘feels like’ figure shown. Our rule: if the forecast shows no ‘feels like’ figure and it is windy, use the next colder row. Here that is 18–19°C.
• Example: A drizzly afternoon. 20°C, feels like 19°C, light rain. Row: 18–19°C. Rain or drizzle does not change the row: it adds a waterproof outer or a puddle suit on a walking toddler.

These are separate trips; for one long outing, the last step applies. For a walking toddler in rain or drizzle, the Warm row (18°C and up) of our puddle suit guide names the waterproof: unlined suit, or just a rain jacket for drizzle. That guide lists what goes under the suit for a walking toddler; at 18–19°C it is lighter than our row here, which is for any awake baby or toddler.

Does direct sun change the outfit?

Yes, on the three warm rows. As it warms up, the shade outfit gets lighter and its sleeves turn short. The exception is direct sun: in direct sun (6 months and up), every row uses long sleeves and adds a brimmed sun hat. Under 6 months, use the shade column only. These are our dressing rules, not health advice.

The sun column says what to put on if your child is in direct sun; it is not a suggestion to be there.

What does the NHS say about sun, layers and checking?

The NHS page on keeping your baby safe in the sun says:

“Babies under 6 months old should be kept out of direct sunlight. Older babies should also be kept out of the sun as much as possible, particularly in the summer and between 11am and 3pm, when the sun is at its strongest.” (Information from the NHS website, as at 011126).

On clothes, in its tips for the heat: “Do not dress your baby in too many layers. Choose lightweight clothing.” (Information from the NHS website, as at 011126).

And on hats: “Make sure your child wears loose-fitting clothing, sunglasses and a sunhat with a wide brim or a long flap at the back to protect their head, ears and neck from the sun.” (Information from the NHS website, as at 011126).

Clothes are only part of that page: read it in full for sun and hot weather.

On its page about sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), in the section on a baby getting too hot or cold, the NHS says: “Check your baby's temperature by feeling their chest or the back of their neck. Do not worry if their hands or feet feel cool, this is normal.” (Information from the NHS website, as at 011126).

Under “To reduce the risk of SIDS:”, the same page adds: “remove hats and extra clothing as soon as you come indoors or enter a car, bus or train even if it means waking your baby” (Information from the NHS website, as at 011126).

Pram, sling or on foot: what changes?

For an awake child in a pram or on foot, the row stays the same. This is not about a baby asleep in the pram.

• Baby in a pram or pushchair. The row as it stands. We set no rule on rain covers at these temperatures.
• Walking toddler. At 20–22°C in the shade: the same row, with a short-sleeve top in place of the bodysuit once they have stopped wearing bodysuits.

On pushchairs, the NHS sun page says: “If you go out when it's hot, attach a parasol or sunshade to your baby's pushchair to keep them out of direct sunlight. Do not cover your baby's pushchair or pram with a blanket because it could lead to overheating. Check on them regularly to make sure they're not getting too hot.” (Information from the NHS website, as at 011126).

On slings, the NHS SIDS page says: “When using a sling or carrier do not let the material cover your baby's head.” (Information from the NHS website, as at 011126).

Frequently asked questions