The heat of summer is great if you’re next to the pool or at the beach, but it’s certainly no fun when you’re dealing with a baby who’s struggling with the hot weather. Babies don’t sweat, so they can get hot very quickly as they can’t regulate their body temperature. So, what can you do to help your little one stay cool during the summer?
These handy tips will help keep your baby cool:
- Put up thicker blackout curtains or blinds – and draw them during the day to keep the room cool. Not only are these great for sleep (darkness encourages the body to produce more melatonin), they will also block out heat and sunlight in the day and keep the room cool.
- Make use of a ceiling fan (if the height of your ceiling allows) or a swivel fan that circulates the air in the room. Keep it on the lower setting and make sure it doesn’t blow directly onto your baby.
- If you do use an air conditioner, make sure it’s set between 18 and 21 degrees. This is the optimal room temperature. It should not be set lower than this, and shouldn’t blow cold air directly onto your child.
- Open windows throughout the house and let air circulate naturally.
- Use light, cotton linen on your child’s cot/bed, and avoid thick or fleece blankets and bumpers.
- Use a cool-mist humidifier in your child’s room as it cools the temperature slightly, but won’t make your child’s room too cold.
- If you don’t have an air-conditioner, you can place a 2 litre bottle of frozen water in front of a stand-alone fan to cool down the room temperature.
- Place your baby’s crib or cot where there is a slight breeze from an open door or window.
- Cover your baby with a cool, cotton towel as a top “sheet”.
- Place a few bottles of frozen water or ice packs in the crib – but make sure it doesn’t touch your baby. Alternatively, you can use a hot water bottle that has been filled with iced water (not hot water) and place it alongside your baby.
Other tips to keep baby cool
In addition to keeping the temperature of your baby’s room comfortable for your baby, a lukewarm bath is always cooling for your baby as it reduces her core body temperature. She adds that a small facecloth that has been rinsed in cold water and wrung out well, then placed onto your baby’s forehead and feet work well to cool baby down, too. When it comes to dressing your baby at night, less is more in summer. If it’s very hot, it’s fine to let your baby sleep with just her nappy on. Otherwise use light cotton, short-sleeved babygrows.
