How to keep baby cool in summer.

 Bring on the heat!!!   After  a long cold summer leaving most indoors it's time to open the windows and get  outside. We are going from cold weather warnings to extreme heat warnings. So  now is the time to educate ourselves on how to help keep our
babies feeling cool  while being outside.  

 
Because many babies can't tell their parents or caregivers that they're  thirsty, they can become dangerously dehydrated in hot weather, which also can  lead to hyperthermia. So, it's extremely important to be alert to the following  warning signs of dehydration in babies:


• Dry mouth or  tongue
• Few tears when  crying 
• Few wet  diapers (less than six a day) 
• Dark yellow or  smelly urine
• Sunken "soft  spots," eyes or cheeks 
• Mottled,  grayish, skin that's cool to the touch.
• High  fever
• Listlessness

 
If you think your baby is dehydrated, please go see your doctor immediately  and try to get him or her to drink an electrolyte replacement solution (such as  Pedialyte) or water (depending on age). Because dehydration causes babies' core  temperature to rise rapidly, it puts them at increased risk for heat exhaustion  and heat stroke.


The best way to keep babies safe in the summer heat is to prevent them from  becoming overheated and dehydrated in the first place.
 
Here are  great tips.  

1. on the go we  highly recommend a uv cover to cover your stroller. Babeez recommends the  snooze  shade that doubles as a black out shade for strollers as well as it  provides  ideal uv protection. Keeping baby and stroller in a shaded area under
a tree is  optimum. There are tools such as stroller fans and stroller liners to keep baby  cool if you will be out for extended periods of time. Spritzing  baby with a  water bottle or wetting a washcloth to wipe over their body is also a great  alternative. If your baby must go outdoors, dress him or her in light-weight,  light-colored clothes. A hat, sunglasses and sunscreen (if the baby is over 6  months of age) are a must. They also help protect a baby
from dangerous sun  rays. Babies are very susceptible to sunburn and when children become sunburned,  their sweat glands don't function as well. And sunburns in babies put them at  increased risk for skin cancer, even in childhood.
 

 2. Keep your  baby indoors in an air-conditioned room during heat waves. The number one  protection against heat-related illness and death is air conditioning. If your  home isn't air conditioned, find some place that is, such as a shopping mall,  public library or a heat-relief shelter. Fans can help a bit, but when the  temperature soars into the 90s, fans cannot prevent heat exhaustion and stroke.
  The best range for baby is 18-22 degrees indoors.  

3.     keep your baby  hydrated. If nursing, be sure you are offering your full nurses and top up  nurses as needed and note the 2.4 oz of water is ok to give in a 24 hrs period  as long as its not in replacement of food. If your child is on solids Watermelon  and high water content fruits are great. ice pops can not only help
with  teething but can help keep baby cool and hydrated. 


Have fun with your little  ones, Enjoy and be safe!
By Sabrina Crimeli