5 Essential Tips to Keep Your Baby Safe and Cool in the Heat Wave

During a heatwave, it’s critical to adopt the right measures to protect infants from dangers such as dehydration and heatstroke. Essential actions include removing unnecessary items from the stroller to enhance airflow, attaching an umbrella to the stroller or a sunshade in the car, covering the baby’s head with a hat, using sunscreen suitable for their age that provides broad-spectrum UVA and UVB protection, offering water frequently (even if they don’t ask for it) and avoiding going out between 11 a.m. and 4 p.m., when the sun’s rays are strongest. While these steps might seem like common sense, other seemingly innocuous behaviors can actually be highly discouraged, as they increase the risk of overheating.

1 – Avoid Covering the Baby Stroller

The first action to avoid is covering the stroller with a blanket to shield the baby from the sun. This common practice is misleading. Pediatrician Svante Norgren from the children’s hospital in Stockholm points out that it creates a “greenhouse effect”. Moreover, it disrupts proper air circulation, which hinders adequate ventilation. As a result, the child may struggle to breathe and “the temperature inside the stroller can increase significantly”, he told the Swedish newspaper Svenska Dagbladet. In his tests, he found that after an hour and a half, a covered stroller reached 99°F, compared to 72°F for one left open—a significant difference of 27°F!

2 – Avoid Milk Bottles in the Sun or Heat

Another practice to avoid is giving a child a warm bottle of milk. Under the heat, milk can spoil more quickly, thus promoting the growth of bacteria. If your baby doesn’t finish their bottle and it remains in the sun too long, definitely do not give it back to them.

3 – Be Cautious with Refrigerated Misters

Furthermore, to cool down a baby, parents often use a mister. While it can be very helpful, for young children, ensure that the spray is not kept in the refrigerator, as spraying too cold a mist might cause a thermal shock due to the difference between the coolness of the water and the ambient heat. It’s better to store the spray in a cool, shaded place, like a cupboard or a temperate room.

4 – Be Wary of Air Conditioning or Fans

Finally, placing a baby near air conditioning, whether portable or wall-mounted, is strongly advised against for the same reason: the risk of thermal shock. Instead, use the air conditioning in the house or in their room while they are not there to cool down the environment before they return. You can also place a fan in the main room but make sure it’s not directed at the child and that it’s placed far enough away to prevent them from reaching it with their little fingers.

5 – Choose the Right Clothing Materials

In hot weather, it’s also crucial not to dress the baby in synthetic textiles or layer their clothes excessively. These artificial materials can exacerbate irritations on a baby’s sensitive skin, which is already affected by the heat and sun. Instead, opt for natural fibers like cotton or linen, which allow the skin to breathe better. And if your child dislikes staying just in a diaper during summer, consider a short-sleeved bodysuit.