Keeping baby cool in the heat

It’s beautifully sunny but very hot so how do you keep your baby cool? 

Babies are vulnerable to the effects of hot weather and can become dehydrated quickly. We’ve put together some tips to keep your baby cool in the heat.

Top tips for keeping your baby cool during the hot weather:

• Dress them in light fabrics, a nappy and vest or even just a nappy
• Always keep them in the shade if you’re outside, use a parasol for shade if needed but don’t cover their pram with a blanket, even a lightweight one, as this will restrict air flow.
• Keep them hydrated
  • Bottle fed babies can have a little cooled boiled water between feeds but not just before a feed.
  • Breastfed babies may just want to feed more frequently and breastmilk is as hydrating as water. 
• .Keeping baby cool at night; 
  • Room temperature is recommended to be between 16 and 20 degrees, room thermometers will give you an accurate reading
  • Baby can sleep in just a nappy and maybe a vest
  • Use a cotton sheet as a cover if they like to be covered
  • Keep baby’s room cool by shutting curtains/blinds during the heat of the day and open windows and curtains when it’s cooler in the evening
  • Try giving baby a cool bath before bed but not a cold bath
  • Put a fan in their room if you have one

If you’re worried your baby is too hot, take their temperature, the normal range is 36.4°C to 37.2°C. The NHS say a high temperature is above 38°C.

We can all get a little grumpy when we’re too hot, babies are the same! Don’t be surprised if your baby is more irritable than usual in the heat.

Babies like to be held a lot, if you’re hot when holding or feeding your baby, you’ll heat each other up! Take cold showers, keep hydrated, stay in the shade and use a fan to keep cool inside. Look after yourself as well as your baby.