Beat the heat

Where I am summer is coming and it's often hard to keep babies and children cool. We also have to remember to be sun safe.

When my kids were babies, to keep them cool in the heat, I would moisten a towel and lay them on it, wearing only their nappy. A spray bottle is handy to keep moistening the towel.

Water is always cooling so water play will keep kids both amused and cool. Just fill a tub and let them play with their toys in the water. If the tub is large enough let the kids sit in it. When I was young I used to have a blow-up boat that I would pump up, fill with water, and sit in it. Or just fill the bath with cold/cool water and let them play in it.

Keep wet washers handy to wipe over kids and babies. The spray bottles are good here, too - my kids love it when I spray them. They then stand in front of the fan.

Often fans just blow the hot air around. Place a bowl of cold water in front of the fan. This helps cool the air blown by the fan. Works in similar way as water coolers.

Make sure kids keep their fluids up in hot weather. Have plenty of cold water in the fridge for them to drink. They dehydrate quickly in hot weather, more so than adults, so this is important.

Most importantly, I think, is sun sense. I see so many parents let their kids run around in the sun, in the main heat of the day, with no sunscreen or hats. Especially those who have children who tan easy. Many people seem to think that if the child just tans rather than burns then they are fine. Wrong! These are the children who will most likely end up with skin cancers when older due to too much exposure to the sun! I stick to the rule of staying out of the sun during the main heat of the day. Where I am, in daylight savings time, that is between 11am and 3pm. In non-daylight savings time it's between 10am and 2pm. Out of these times when they go outside, especially in the afternoon as it's usually the hottest time, they must have sunscreen and hats. And please don't think that just being in the shade will protect the child. Of course, that does offer some protection, and it is much better for them to be shaded, but remember the sun reflects, especially off water. So, even when shaded, they need sunscreen. Also don't be disillusioned by overcast days. Many people end up badly burnt on these days because they simply do not think they will get burnt! The sun still burns on such days.