KEEPING BABY COOL IN HOT WEATHER

Children find it harder to stay cool when the weather is hot, children and babies need to be kept cool and have enough fluids.

One of the things I used to do with Amy was place her in the bath with some cool water (not cold) just an inch or two and let her splash away with her toys, if your afraid of them going to the toilet use one of the little swimmer nappies.

I always found that the bathroom was the coolest room in the house as its usually full of tiles and the window has privacy glass which helped with keeping cool and I just pulled the blind down.

If you don't have a bath use the shower in the same way but please do not leave any child unattended around any amount of water no matter how small the amount is.

Heat exhaustion is an illness which can happen in the heat which can turn into heatstroke if the body cannot cool down within 30 minutes.

If heat exhaustion turns into heatstroke your child will need to be treated as an emergency.

Children bodies heat up much faster than adults bodies, this is why children are more at risk of heat stroke.

Heat exhaustion and heatstroke can happen indoors as well as outdoors.  Any environment that is too warm can lead to this condition, including in a car or near a window on a hot day.

When I felt that the weather was going to be very warm I would go and do our activities like a walk very early in the morning or even go to the beach and be home again in time for the morning nap.  I kept all curtains and blinds closed all the time and I cannot stress enough how this really worked.

One thing which I found a great help was using shopping centres for their air conditioning (wasn't great for my pocket, I had no will power) and if I had to go out I used the underground parking to keep the car cool or a covered car park.

A parked car can heat up by at least 10 degrees celsius in just 10 minutes.  Opening the window of a parked car does not help keep the inside of a car cool enough.  Never leave a child in a car.

If you take your baby out for a walk please use an umbrella as a shade do not cover the buggy with a blanket this has exactly the same affect as leaving a child in a locked car, if you feel its a little windy even on a dull day do not use the plastic rain cover as this can become like a greenhouse and gets very very warm.

PREVENTING HEAT EXHAUSTION AND HEAT STROKE

* Drink plenty of cool drinks

* Take cool baths and showers

* Wear light coloured and loose clothing

* Sprinkle water over skin or clothes

* Keep in the shade between 11am - 3pm (or even longer)

SIGNS OF HEAT EXHAUSTION CAN INCLUDE

* Intense thirst

* Weakness or fainting

* Cramps in the arms, legs or stomach

* No appetite, feeling sick or vomiting

* Headache

* Sweating a lot

* Pale Clammy skin

* Temperature of more than 38 degrees

* Get them to rest in a cool place, with shade away from the heat

* Give them plenty of fluids to drink

* Undress your child and sponge skin with cool water

Le Grá

Hazel.x