Keeping your baby cool in the car is trickier than you might think. Cars can, after all, be quite stifling and unpleasant places to be when it’s hot outside, and little ones are particularly sensitive to heat – that’s because they aren’t able to regulate their body temperature in the same way that adults can.
Child car seats feature generous padding to help provide youngsters with extra protection against impact. However, this additional padding can also mean that these car seats trap more heat, thereby potentially making them quite warm and uncomfortable for your little one.
There are, however, things you can do to help keep your baby from sweating in their car seat. Here are some of our top tips on how to make your baby comfortable on their next journey.
Schedule your trips for cooler times of day. Obviously, the heat outside tends to peak in the afternoon, so if you can rearrange your schedule and run those errands in the morning or evening when it’s a bit cooler, that should help to make the experience more pleasant for your baby.
Cool your car down before strapping in and setting off. Where you can, give the air conditioning a quick blast prior to seating your baby in their car seat and heading off on your journey.
Try to park in shaded areas. Needless to say, this isn’t always possible, but if you can find a shaded place in which to park your car, you should consider doing so. You’re likely to find that when you come back, the car’s a lot cooler inside than it otherwise would be.
Put a sunshade on the window. Car seat sunshades are a real godsend in these situations – they help to block out the sun’s glare, thereby keeping the heat at a more manageable level as well.
Place a car seat cooler on your baby’s seat. Car seat cooling pads basically consist of ice packs in a cover specially designed to keep a child car seat cool. Put a cooler on an empty child car seat and after a while, it should be nice and comfortable for your little one to sit in.
Keep plenty of cold fluids handy. A cool drink of water or juice should help to keep your baby refreshed, which is just what they’ll need if they’re travelling in a child car seat on a warm day.
Make sure your baby wears lightweight clothing. Lighter, more breathable clothing can again help to keep your baby’s body temperature at a comfortable level. Cotton clothing is especially breathable for little ones.
Hopefully the above tips should help to make those car journeys on warm days much easier for your little one – and less stressful for you as well! Taking simple precautions such as these can help to avoid a lot of unnecessary discomfort for your baby, putting your mind at rest. Happy travelling!
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