With your baby, on guard against the heat!
Summer is here and with it the high temperatures. Babies of a few months are usually uncomfortable with excessive heat. To fight against the weather we can always resort to some small tricks that will relieve our baby.
There is nothing better than a warm environment to fully enjoy our baby. Far from the annoying colds, the summer weather is ideal for the child to play free of the heavy winter clothes. But, yes, remember that high temperatures can be dangerous for a child so young.
Symptoms associated with heat
There are two types of clinical pictures that can appear in the hand of high temperatures. One is "heat exhaustion": a benign disorder that occurs suddenly in children exposed to excessive heat promptly (when we introduce the child in the car and it is very hot, for example).
The other is the so-called "heatstroke" that usually appears after a prolonged exposure to a really high temperature. In both cases, it is necessary to act quickly by transferring the child to a cool room or in the shade, stripping and moisturizing the skin. If the child does not react quickly, it is best to go to the usual health center to check their temperature, as well as their general condition.
Common sense to protect you in the hottest hours
One of the best ways to avoid these or other similar disorders is by using common sense. Thus, for example, when we walk our little one we will try to avoid the hours when the heat is strongest.
It is true that pediatricians advise daily departures even in summer but, yes, as long as these occur away from the hottest times of the day (approximately between 1:00 pm and 6:00 pm). In addition, during the walk, either in the morning or in the late afternoon, we will always protect the child with a thin cotton quilt and the corresponding umbrella of the stroller.
Be careful with the car!
Another of the most dangerous situations that usually occur at these dates are the transfers by car. A car in full sun can reach temperatures of up to 40º.
Precisely for this reason, we should try to ventilate the car before introducing the child into it. On the other hand, every time we have to travel, we will try to make the journeys as short as possible, especially if we do not have air conditioning. When the trips are inevitably long we will try to stop frequently. Leaving at dawn can be a good solution but, above all, it is essential that we try to avoid the rush hours of the day.
A good way to prevent our baby from getting dehydrated, especially if we no longer breastfeed, is offering bottles of water from time to time. In the event that the child is not thirsty, he will refuse the bottle. On the other hand, when you feel hot, you will not hesitate to drink as much as you need.
Under the sun, never
As for direct sun exposure, dermatologists often advise avoiding them in babies. The sun's rays are so damaging to our baby's delicate skin that it could suffer serious burns almost without realizing it.
To prevent these types of risks it is advisable to provide the child with the most adequate sunscreen even when our little one is in the shade. There are many creams on the market whose protection factor is especially suitable for children of such a young age.
Tips to protect your baby from the intense heat
1. Try to make your baby's room cool enough and ventilated at all times. To achieve this, we will try to ventilate the room first thing in the morning. Afterwards, we will keep your room isolated by lowering the blinds or its corresponding awning.
2. An ideal solution to combat heat is air conditioning. If we plan to install it in the baby's room, keep in mind that the room temperature can never be below 19 degrees.
3. Take advantage of the good weather to bathe your baby more often. A plastic bath, for example, can be an ideal swimming pool for the baby, since he will enjoy the beautiful splashing and playing with his favorite dolls in the water.
4. A good trick to find out if the child has heat or not is to stroke the back of his neck. If this is completely sweaty there is no doubt that our little one is hot and needs, therefore, that we take off some clothes.
5. Dress your baby with natural fabrics. The garments with mixture or fibers prevent the correct perspiration so they can even cause annoying irritations.
When it comes to choosing the holiday destination we should think about our baby. In the case that it is still very small, let's opt for cool places like the mountain.We must bear in mind that protecting a baby of a few months from the heats of the coast is quite difficult no matter how many precautions are taken.
Is my baby sufficiently hydrated?
There are many mothers with nursing babies who wonder if their child is sufficiently hydrated with the milk they ingest throughout the day. In the case that we are breastfeeding, we must bear in mind that, in the heat, the mother's organism usually adapts in such a way that the milk it produces is much more liquefied.
Therefore, if the baby ingests each of their intakes with normality it would be very strange for the child to manifest symptoms of dehydration. That does not mean that at any given time and if the child has been subjected to a strong heat we do not offer a bottle of water. This resource is equally valid for small children usually fed with a bottle.
Marisol Nuevo Espín
