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Baby and Heat Wave |
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by pfallerj  (August 2006) (rank 12th) |
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Today's Tip - Cool down the car and cover the car seat on hot, sunny days
I don't know about the rest of you guys, but we're mired in the heat wave rolling across the US right now. It feels like 110 outside...and its not a dry heat either.
It's a wet heat. And my car is slightly hotter than the surface of the sun when I get into it after work.
Not a good situation when you need to put baby in the car for a trip. Here are some ideas for beating the heat and the sun when baby's in the car.
Cool it down first
Turn on the A/C in your car about four or five minutes before you get in the car. It'll make it a lot less blistering, and it'll help cool down any metal or plastic surfaces that your baby might touch in the car.
Cover the car seat
The seat belt and the buckles are going to be hot enough to burn if their in direct sunlight, or even if your car has been baking in the sun. When you take baby out of the car, throw a receiving blanket over the car seat. This will keep the belt and buckles from having direct contact from the sunlight, and will make them safer to the touch.
Cover the window
I talked about this briefly before, but keeping your baby's eyes and skin shaded during the drive is the most important. One bad burn can increase the chance of skin cancer, and direct sunlight can damage your baby's eyes. You can buy shades at the store, or you can improvise a more effective shade by taking for suction cup hooks, and poking holes for the hooks in the corners of a receiving blanket. Stretch it out over a side window or try hanging it over the car seat. Just make sure you don't block your view of the road, and make sure the blanket will actually block the sun by thinking about what direction the sun will shine in the most.
See all the first time parenting tips
