How do I keep my baby cool during the day during heatwave?
The basics
There are some basic care rules that are advised for caring for babies during the summer and hot weather. So we’ll quickly cover some of those before going on to our handy tips for keeping baby cool during these hot summer months.
Babies under 6 months should be kept out of direct sunlight. At this young age, their skin contains too little melanin, which is the pigment that provides protection from the sun.
Babies older than 6 months should be kept out of the sun as much as possible, especially when the sun is at its strongest between 11am and 3pm. Make sure to use a sunshade or parasol to help keep your little one out of direct sunlight.
Make sure your baby wears a sunhat, one with a wide brim or a long flap is great as this will help protect and cover their ears and the back of their neck.
Apply a sunscreen with a skin protection factor (SPF) of at least 30. Also make sure the product protects against UVA and UVB rays. Apply regularly, especially if your little one is playing in water.
Keep your little one hydrated. Exclusively breast fed babies may want to feed more often during hot weather.
Top tips.
Now that we have the basics out of the way, lets take a look at the tips we’ve bundled together for you, to help keep your little one cool during the summer months!
Pram/pushchair fans are a great way to help keep your little one feeling cool when you’re out and about. We did some research and we found this one has crazy good reviews.
Cooling teethers - pop a a bundle of your baby’s favourite teethers in the fridge at the beginning of the day. Take one out as and when you need it, for baby to chew on. Holding a cold teether will help them feel cooler before they even start to chew! (Quick note here to say, please do not put teethers in the freezer, this can cause an injury to babies gums)
However, if your little one isn’t keen on holding a cold teether, Gummee glove is perfect as it goes on to their hand like a mitten and has a pocket in the top to hold a teething ring. The ring IS supplied with the Gummee glove!
Playing in a small paddling pool is a great way to keep your little ones cool. Supervise at all times and if possible, put the pool in a shaded area.
Keep curtains closed in bedrooms during the day to help keep it cool for night time.
Give baby a cool bath before bedtime.
We asked for your tips on our social media channels on how you keep your little ones cool in hot weather, we've shared a couple below:
- ‘Use the high chair tray as a mini splash pad! Also doubles as a way to clean grubby hands!’ @shrinking_walters_world on Instagram
- ‘Breast milk ice lollies if baby is old enough.’ @hollie_jade_kenney (Side note, not advised for formula milk)
We’ll be back with another blog post next month, full of cooling activities for your children.