How to survive the heat and enjoy your day out with children

Sunshine brings rising temperatures too — leaving you wondering if it’s ever too hot for your child to be outside. The good news is there is no specific temperature that’s too high for a baby or child to go outdoors, according to experts at the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP). What is important is to limit the amount of time your kids spend outside during the hottest hours and gear up with the right protection to safely enjoy the summer sunshine. Here are two key tips to safely head outside when it’s hot with a baby.

Protecting Baby On-the-GoIf you keep your baby in an infant seat or stroller while outside, consider one with a large canopy that provides extra sun protection for delicate skin. Canopy extenders can also help keep your baby shaded from head to toe. Avoid draping a blanket over your stroller or car seat for sun protection — even those made with breathable fabrics — as they can pose suffocation risks, increase the chance of baby overheating from poor air circulation, and prevent you from seeing your baby if she’s in distress. 

Recognizing Signs of Overheating
Since your baby can’t tell you if she’s feeling uncomfortable, it’s important to keep on the lookout for cues of heat exhaustion or otherheat-related conditions. Warning signs include being very warm to the touch (more than how your baby’s typically-warm belly feels), extreme thirst, sweating profusely, acting very tired or weak and showing a general lack of energy. Since your baby may just be tired because it’s nearing naptime or he had an exciting morning, your instinct will tell you if your baby seems more off than usual. 

Stay out of the sun, if possible, even if your out for the day and drink lots of cool water.

Our day was a success with these tips in mind as we had a total of two babies and three children. Even though the downtown aquarium had fun activities outside, they also had entertaining activities inside that we were able to enjoy comfortably. As the sun went down, we were then able to enjoy the outside activities with our babies and kiddos safe from the heat.