As glorious as the wonderful summer season is, it’s sadly not all BBQ’s, beaches and bathing suits. The hot weather can also bring its own challenges, not least of which is trying to keep your little one cool, comfortable and safe in the sweltering heat.
Here are some of our top tips to keep your baby cool this summer:
Stay Shaded
Where possible, try and keep your little one out of the direct sunlight, especially during the hottest part of the day (between 11am and 3pm) when the sun rays are strongest. If you do need to go out and about, invest in a sun parasol that can cover the pram and keep your baby cool.
Wonderful H2o
Dehydration is incredibly dangerous, especially for little ones, so it is important that you keep them as hydrated as possible. If your baby is breastfed then you don’t need to give them any extra water, but you may find that they feed more often than normal. For bottle fed or weaned babies, offer them cooled boiled water throughout the day.
For babies that are starting solid foods and may want a bit more variety on their daily menu, you might also want to offer them fruit that has a high water content, like watermelon, or a homemade fruit ice lolly.
Water play is also a great way to keep you little one’s cool in the heat. Set up a paddling pool in a shaded part of your garden, or fill a few buckets or washing basins with water and let your baby splash about. You can buy a float, like the Bow Float, to help your baby bob around in the water, or perhaps just add some plastic kitchen utensils like pots, pans and jugs, and let your little one splash, splosh and pour to their hearts content.
Bothersome Bedtime
As the summer heat rises, you may find that your baby struggles to go to sleep – let’s face it, we all do when we’re hot and bothered! But there are few things you can do to help your baby feel cool and comfortable.
Throughout the day, keep the nursery curtains or blinds shut, this will help keep their room cool by blocking out the blazing sun. You might also want to put a fan in their room to keep the air circulating. If the heat is getting unbearable you can also put a bowl of water and ice just in front of the fan, so the air is cooler. But don’t point the fan directly at your little one.
Try giving them a cool bath before bedtime. Nightwear should be kept to a minimum, such as light cotton pj’s or in fact just a nappy will be perfect. Bedding should be very light, a cotton sheet/blanket or a low tog sleeping bag, especially handy if your little one has a habit of kicking off their covers in the night.
For peace of mind, it may also be a good idea to put a room thermometer in your child’s nursery, so you can keep an eye on the temperature of their room and make adjustments if needed. Optimal temperature should be between 16 and 20 degrees.
