In case you have been living in the north pole for the last couple of weeks, here in the UK we are having a heatwave.
Yeyyyy, about time too, with all the snow and cold weather we’ve had, its about time we got some sun.
But when you have a baby, you will have your hands full trying to find ways of keeping them safe and cool in this lovely weather.
Here are my top tips for keeping your baby cool during the heatwave:
1. Shade
It may sound simple but try and keep in the shade as much as possible. You can get a sun brolly for your baby’s pushchair. But whatever you do DO NOT cover your pushchair with a blanket, or even a muslin cloth. This can trap the heat inside the buggy and temperatures can quickly rise. You can see a video here
2. Dress code
Dress baby in loose fitting cool clothes, you can even just leave them in a nappy. Just be sure to apply sunscreen to any exposed skin if you are going out and about.
3. babies room
Keep an eye on the temperature in your baby’s bedroom with a thermometer. The room should be between 16C & 20C. You can keep the windows open and keep the curtains closed during the day to stop the sun coming in and heating the room up even more.
4. Doors and Windows
Keep windows and internal doors open to allow a natural air flow during the night.
5. Fan
Now a fan is a brilliant idea to help keep the air flowing but when its really hot i can feel like its just pushing hot air around. So freeze a big 2 litter bottle of water and put just in front of your fan. Don’t forget hot air rises so put your fan up high (of course make sure its out of reach of your baby and not blowing directly on them).
6. Bedding
Remove any waterproof mattress protector as this can make your baby sweat. Remove all non essential covers and in really hot weather consider putting your baby to bed in just a short sleeve vest or even just a nappy .
7. Too hot to handle
If your baby is hot to the touch, take a cool wet cloth and wipe their face, neck, arms and legs.
