Spending Time With Your Baby in Hot Climate?

Learn how to avoid dehydration, prickly heat and having a sad, burnt baby

The first time I was going on vacation with a baby in hot climate, I was quite nervous. Babies can get dehydrated and overheated fast. It went really well, though.

Below you'll find tips on how to make your baby comfortable and safe in hot weather.

Tips for Caring for a Baby in Hot Climate

• Stay out of the sun
• Avoid dehydration
• Hot spots
• Bathing your baby
• Take off the diapers
• Food storage

Stay out of the sun

Baby skin is very thin and can't handle the sun very well. Babies younger than 12 months really should not be exposed to sun at all. Keep your baby in the shadow and protect him with thin clothes and hats. Sunscreen cream is really a last resort solution, as it can contain harmful substances. If you really need to use sun screen, use on especially made for babies and with really high sun protection factor.

If you haven't yet bought a mosquito net for your baby's stroller, consider buying one that contains UV protection for your child.

Or,a ctually even more convenient if it is the sun rather than the mosquitos that are the main problem, buy a sunshade for your stroller.. These are a great invention that allow air to flow into the stroller much better than most mosquity nets. And many of them do protect from mosquitos as well.

Avoid dehydration

Babies can't really say that their thirsty and can get dehydrated fast. If you breastfeed, consider feeding your baby more often than usual if it is very hot. Also remember to drink a lot of water yourself, to stimulate milk production. If your baby has started to eat solid food, offer water also between meals.

Signs of dehydration:

• Not looking well
• Being more irritable than usual
• Having a dry skin and/or a sunken fontanel
• Peeing less than usual

If you suspect that your baby is becoming dehydrated, offer a lot of extra fluid. Contact a doctor if you are worried and your baby refuses to drink.

Hot spots

In addition to the risk of SIDS, your child can get heat stroke.

Signs of heat stroke are:

• A hot baby with a rising body temperature
• Peeing less than usual
• A headache - of course hard to know if your baby suffers from headache, but an older kid might be able to tell you.
• Dry mouth and eyes
• Being sleepy and irritable
• In bad cases - confusion, vomiting and even coma

If your baby appears to suffer from heat stroke, he might need hospital treatment. Call for urgent help!

In the meantime, bring him to a cool (not cold) place, try make your baby drink fluid (if conscious) and cool him off by using cool damp cloths.

You can learn more about heat stroke in babies here.

Bathing your baby

For a baby in hot climate, a bath can be a great way to prevent heat stroke. Many babies get crazy with happiness when splashing the water. Just remember to let your baby decide if he wants to just dip his toes or have a real bath. If the water is colder than 90 F (32 C), your baby should not swim only splash; it is simply too cold for his little body.

If you're going to swim in a pool, consider smearing your baby with baby oil before bathing. The chlorine in the water can really make both your and your baby's skin dry. But remember, your baby will become very slippery, so be careful!

Also remember that the combination of sun and water is even more dangerous for your baby's skin that just the sun. Bathe your baby in the shadow or put on some good sun protection clothing. Some are not only good they are also really cool!

Take off the diapers

Moist diapers and hot weather is a really bad combination for your baby's skin. Therefore, let your baby spend time without his diapers as often as possible. This way you will prevent diaper rash or prickly heat from developing. Let your baby lie on a towel in the grass (in the shadow).

Food storage

With warm weather comes bacteria growth. If your baby has started to eat solid foods, make sure that you serve your baby fresh foods. Throw away anything that seems suspicious and don't store food for more that a day or so.

More Travel Articles

• Traveling with a baby
• Walt Disney World With Preschoolers - A Guide
• Baby friendly vacation spots shared among parents
• Air travel with a baby
• Caring for a baby in hot climate
• Traveling by car with a baby
• For a succesful stay away from home
• How to breastfeed in public
• How to avoid ear pain when flying

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