When a heatwave arrives it's important to look after your baby. We've put together some tips on baby summer safety so you can keep baby safe when the weather gets hot!
6 tips for keeping baby cool
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Babies’ prams and buggies should not be covered with blankets, cloths or any cover that prevents the air circulating. Covering a pram with a blanket can lead to your baby overheating!
Some parents feel they are protecting their babies from the sun, when in actual fact the heat within that shaded area is hotter than it would be outside. Instead, clip on a sunshade and check if your baby is getting too hot by feeling their chest or the back of their neck.
And try and keep your baby out of direct sunlight as much as possible.
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Like adults, babies and young children need to drink plenty of fluids to avoid becoming dehydrated! When the weather is hot, it's important to make sure that your baby has plenty of fluids.
From 0-6 months, fully breastfed babies do not need any water until they've started eating solid foods. During hot weather they may want to breastfeed more than usual.
If you're bottle feeding, as well as their usual milk feeds, you can give your baby a little cooled boiled water. If your baby wakes at night, they'll probably want milk. If they have had their usual milk feeds, try cooled boiled water as well.
From 6-12 months, once you have started to introduce solid foods, you can offer your baby sips of water from a cup or beaker with meals. Remember that breastmilk or infant formula should be their main drinks during the first year. In hot weather, you may need to offer some additional water outside of mealtimes.
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Your baby will sleep most comfortably when their room is between 16C and 20C. If your baby's nursery gets very hot and is difficult to cool, use lighter bedding and clothing and open the bedroom door and a window, if it is safe to do so.
You might also like to use a fan to cool the room, but don’t aim it directly on the baby. Another parenting hack is to keep a two litre bottle of frozen water in the room or a bowl of ice below the fan. This should drop the temperature by about 1-2 degree celcius.
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A vest or just a nappy are fine on the hottest nights. If your baby kicks or pushes off the covers during the night, consider putting them in just a nappy with a single well-secured sheet.
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Playing in a paddling pool is a good way of keeping babies cool. Keep the pool in the shade during very hot weather and supervise the your baby very carefully at all times. A cool bath before bedtime is often helpful, especially before bed.
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If you're driving long distance and your baby is in a car seat, stop regularly and take them him out into some fresh air. Keep a wet face cloth or towel/muslin on hand and dab your baby's forehead or back of their neck.
And for extra advice in visual format, the UK Baby Centre has kindly shared a handy infographic for parents to refer to. Happy summer!
While you're here
We've partnered with the best early years experts, like NCT, to design the EasyPeasy parenting app. It's full of ideas, hacks and tips to help you in meltdown moments and make life a little easier (and more fun!). Head over to the App Store and check it out!
