Keeping your baby cool in hot weather.

There’s a lot to enjoy during the summer season with your baby or toddler. Fun days at the beach, playing in the park, strolls in the sunshine, and splashing in the pool are all great ways to make the most of the warm weather, but it couldn’t be more important to keep your little one safe from overheating when the mercury rises.

Keeping your child safe when the weather is hot can prove tricky. For a start, a hot baby is usually a grumpy baby, so finding a way to keep them cool and comfortable is crucial. Not only that, but high temperatures pose a health risk to young children and babies as they can rapidly lose body fluids when they perspire, and that can cause dehydration. Youngsters may also show no early symptoms or signs of ill effects from heat, so it can be hard to identify when they are at risk. Often, they may just be a little more irritable, need fewer nappy changes, or have dry skin. However, heat exhaustion and heatstroke are very dangerous for babies and toddlers, and symptoms can worsen very quickly, so it makes sense to keep your little one cool in the first place rather than trying to address an overheated baby.

With that in mind, here are five top tips for keeping young children at the right temperature all summer long, even on the hottest days and nights of the year.

1.Stay Out Of The Sun

It can be tempting to rush straight outdoors on sunny days to make the most of the good weather, but it’s essential to keep your young children well-protected from the sunlight, especially between 11am-3pm when the sun is at its hottest. Keep your little ones indoors between those hours and, if you must go out, make sure they’re wearing loose, light coloured clothes and suncream with a minimum factor of 30 so their skin is protected. Putting a sunhat on your child is also an essential part of sun protection. Choose one with a flap that covers their neck and a wider brim for maximum safety and try a Velcro or elastic strap underneath their chin so that it stays in place.

2.Stay Hydrated

Dehydration is a serious concern for everyone during the summer months, but especially for young children and babies. It couldn’t be more important to make sure your child remains well hydrated at all times with frequently drinks of water. If you’re going out of the house, make sure to take some water along with you, and keep a cup or bottle of water to hand when indoors ready for sipping. It’s also a good idea to give your little one an occasion ice lolly or piece of fruit with a higher water content such as watermelon. Avoid smoothies and undiluted fruit juices though as they could be responsible for tooth decay and aren’t recommended for under-fives.

3.Fill A Paddling Pool

If you have a yard, garden, or balcony you can use a paddling pool to help your little one cool down on hot days. Make sure that there is sufficient shade to protect your youngster while they splash about and, of course, it goes without saying that you should never leave them unattended in the water at any time. If you have no suitable outdoor space to put a paddling pool, give your little one a cool shower or bath instead as this will help to reduce their temperature. This is especially helpful just before bed so that they don’t feel all hot and bothered at night.

4.Avoid Using Your Car

Unless your car has air conditioning it’s best to leave your vehicle behind if you need to go out on hot days, especially between 11am and 3pm. Your car is a heat trap and it’s difficult to keep cool inside, even with the windows open. If the day is especially hot, try to travel during the evening or the early morning as the temperature will be lower, and never leave your little one inside the car on a hot day, even if it’s just for a couple of minutes.

5.Keep Cool By Day And By Night

On the hottest days, it can feel stiflingly hot inside your home. Luckily, though, there are ways to reduce the temperature indoors so your baby doesn’t overheat.

First, keep the blinds or curtains closed in any room that is facing the sun and keep the windows open if the outside air is at a cooler temperature than the indoor air. When the temperature is under 35 degrees Celsius, a fan could be the ideal solution for keeping your child cool, but don’t aim it directly at your toddler’s body since that may cause dehydration.

If your baby or toddler naps during the day, you’ll certainly need to think about how to keep them cool while they’re sleeping, and that’s certainly going to be a key consideration at night. Plan ahead for how you’re going to keep their room at the right temperature. Use light-coloured shades or curtains to keep the sun out and switch on a fan so the air can circulate. Keep the windows open too, although you must ensure that your child can’t reach them or climb out.

Babies sleep best when the room has a temperature between 16 and 20 degrees Celsius, so if they’re sleeping during the day when the weather is hot, you can keep their bedding to a minimum. However, it’s also important to make sure your child’s body temperature doesn’t drop too low. Our body temperatures naturally reduce when we sleep, and as the heat of the day disappears and night falls, it’s possible that your sleeping baby could get too cold. That’s why it’s so important to choose the right bedding for your infant.

Read more about Baby-Dohars here.

A dohar is the ideal solution. Made from three layers of naturally hypoallergenic cotton voile, dohars are breathable and trap cool air between the layers to help your little one stay comfortable all night long. Far lighter than a duvet, a dohar is a traditional Indian blanket designed specifically for use in hot climates to regulate body temperature, and that makes it a perfect choice of bedding for your little one on even the hottest nights of the year.

Even better, thanks to its three separate layers, a dohar is a perfect choice during the winter too, effectively trapping warm air and keeping your baby cosy when the weather changes.  It’s the ideal year-round bedding solution!

Check out our Baby-Dohar collection here!

More information here.