New Baby Hot Summer Weather Hacks
Helping babies cope with the hot summer weather can be tricky so we have put together our top tips....
Although we had the hottest June day for forty years the sun hasn't made much of an appearance lately, but we must be due some hot weather soon and those lucky enough to be holidaying abroad will have to contend with rising temperatures which is trickier with a new baby around. There is some great general advice out there around safer sleeping with your baby and this link (https://www.lullabytrust.org.uk/safer-sleep-advice/) is a great place to start, but as always, if you are worried about your baby give your GP or health visitor a call. In the meantime, we have put together our top tips for helping your baby cope with the hot summer weather.
Get yourself a room thermometer, then take a look at the chart below for some guidance on how to dress baby at bedtime in the heat. This is handy information but you know your baby best so this is intended as a guide. Usually baby's room will cool down as evening turns into night so it might be worth checking the temperature again before you go to bed. It is best to check baby's temperature by gently touching the back of their neck or their tummy, it is normal for a baby's hands and feet to feel cool to the touch but this doesn't always give you an accurate indication of how warm they actually are. Just whilst the weather is particularly warm it is worth removing any waterproof mattress cover as the plastic retains heat and can cause baby to sweat.
Create as much of a breeze as possible, open the windows but draw the curtains two thirds of the way across to keep out the sun. Open a loft hatch if you have one and some of the hot air should escape upwards.
At bedtime, a quick, tepid bath before bed should cool baby down and placing some large (one litre or more) frozen bottles of water in baby's room overnight will cool the room as it melts. If you have a fan in the room, placing the bottles (or a large bowl of ice) in front of the fan will cool the air.
In the daytime it is best to dress baby in loose cotton clothing with a wide brimmed hat and any baby under 6 months old should be kept out of the sun as their delicate skin has less melanin than older children and so they will sunburn much more easily. As very young babies do not perspire effectively they can overheat very quickly so care should be taken not to leave them for too long in a very hot room or car.
If it is very warm and humid and baby gets a bit sweaty they may develop a little bit of heat rash, which looks like tiny red bumps around the neck, groin, back of the knees or crease of the elbow. If you cool baby down and remove any tight clothing this should just disappear by itself, but again if you are concerned give your GP or health visitor a call.
Dehydration can be an issue for little babies in the heat and it is worth keeping a check on how many wet nappies your baby has. A breastfed baby does not need additional water, but will probably need to feed more often, so make sure mum gets lots of cool drinks. A bottle- fed baby can have cooled, boiled water throughout the day and night in addition to their normal feeds. Again, if you think your little baby might be dehydrated, have a chat with your doctor.
We here at Babyblooms HQ hope these tips help baby (and you!) get a bit more sleep during those long, hot summer nights. Stop by again soon for more baby life hacks and new baby gift ideas.
Although we had the hottest June day for forty years the sun hasn't made much of an appearance lately, but we must be due some hot weather soon and those lucky enough to be holidaying abroad will have to contend with rising temperatures which is trickier with a new baby around. There is some great general advice out there around safer sleeping with your baby and this link (https://www.lullabytrust.org.uk/safer-sleep-advice/) is a great place to start, but as always, if you are worried about your baby give your GP or health visitor a call. In the meantime, we have put together our top tips for helping your baby cope with the hot summer weather.
Get yourself a room thermometer, then take a look at the chart below for some guidance on how to dress baby at bedtime in the heat. This is handy information but you know your baby best so this is intended as a guide. Usually baby's room will cool down as evening turns into night so it might be worth checking the temperature again before you go to bed. It is best to check baby's temperature by gently touching the back of their neck or their tummy, it is normal for a baby's hands and feet to feel cool to the touch but this doesn't always give you an accurate indication of how warm they actually are. Just whilst the weather is particularly warm it is worth removing any waterproof mattress cover as the plastic retains heat and can cause baby to sweat.
Create as much of a breeze as possible, open the windows but draw the curtains two thirds of the way across to keep out the sun. Open a loft hatch if you have one and some of the hot air should escape upwards.
At bedtime, a quick, tepid bath before bed should cool baby down and placing some large (one litre or more) frozen bottles of water in baby's room overnight will cool the room as it melts. If you have a fan in the room, placing the bottles (or a large bowl of ice) in front of the fan will cool the air.
In the daytime it is best to dress baby in loose cotton clothing with a wide brimmed hat and any baby under 6 months old should be kept out of the sun as their delicate skin has less melanin than older children and so they will sunburn much more easily. As very young babies do not perspire effectively they can overheat very quickly so care should be taken not to leave them for too long in a very hot room or car.
If it is very warm and humid and baby gets a bit sweaty they may develop a little bit of heat rash, which looks like tiny red bumps around the neck, groin, back of the knees or crease of the elbow. If you cool baby down and remove any tight clothing this should just disappear by itself, but again if you are concerned give your GP or health visitor a call.
Dehydration can be an issue for little babies in the heat and it is worth keeping a check on how many wet nappies your baby has. A breastfed baby does not need additional water, but will probably need to feed more often, so make sure mum gets lots of cool drinks. A bottle- fed baby can have cooled, boiled water throughout the day and night in addition to their normal feeds. Again, if you think your little baby might be dehydrated, have a chat with your doctor.
We here at Babyblooms HQ hope these tips help baby (and you!) get a bit more sleep during those long, hot summer nights. Stop by again soon for more baby life hacks and new baby gift ideas.
