Robin's Page

 

Robin Barker's  regular granddaughter diary, and baby care column. Granddaughter Sage also joins us with a baby persepective on life.

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Diary - For our Northern Hemisphere readers - How to beat the heat now that summer is here

Summer will soon be here in the Northern Hemisphere, so some tips on dealing with the heat.

When it gets hot in Sydney I can barely think, let alone move. And it’s humid - the air as thick and heavy as a velvet curtain. February is Sydney’s worst month, a good time to head out of town - south, not north. The south coast, perhaps. Or the Snowy Mountains, Perisher or Thredbo, for some crisp sunny days and cool nights. Tasmania is an attractive option. Or the south island of New Zealand…in fact anywhere but here.

In summer Sage and I have spent our weekly time together in the library in air-conditioned comfort. If you’re ever short of something to do with your baby try your local library. Libraries are usually fabulous resources. The one I go to has wonderful staff – they know Sage and me. We get a cheery hello and lots of compliments about Sage - what a gorgeous, intelligent, divine baby she is (I bet they say that to all the babies and toddlers). There are toys, books to pull off the shelves, lots of crawling space and best of all other kids, which Sage finds more fun than the books and the toys. At the moment she is keen on crawling after toddlers, hauling herself up on them and sucking their legs, arms and faces. I’m also enjoying talking to the other mothers, some of whom I used to give advice to in my former life…

So what about caring for babies in hot weather? I think in many ways, in Sydney at least where our winters are mild compared to most, it’s harder to keep babies happy in the heat and humidity than it is in the cold.

However, unpleasant though hot humid weather is, healthy babies do not suddenly dehydrate when the weather temperature soars (think of all the babies in the world who live in very hot climates) as long as a little care and commonsense is used.

Here’s a few heat tips:
· Keep your baby out of the sun, especially during the dangerous hours when the sun’s ultra violet light is at its most intense - 10am-2pm, 11am-3pm (daylight saving).
· Dress your baby in light cool clothing – when out of the sun a singlet and nappy is all he needs. Use cotton/muslin cuddlies for wrapping
· Never leave your baby in a parked car
· Use a fan (not directly on your baby) in the room where she sleeps. If you do have air conditioning remember to adjust your baby’s clothes as necessary in and out of the house and car.
· Well-fed healthy babies (breast or formula fed) do not need to be constantly offered extra water or juice in hot weather. If it is very hot and you think your baby is thirsty by all means offer some water but don’t get worried if she won’t drink it. If you are breastfeeding offer extra breastfeeds – there’s plenty of water in breastmilk.

Older (nine months plus) breastfed babies who drink from cups often seem to drink less liquid than babies drinking from bottles. This is rarely a problem in healthy babies but if it is a very hot day and you are concerned about your baby’s hydration put her in a cool (not cold) bath and let her suck the flannel.

Other tips:
· The fontanelle
The fontanelle on all babies’ heads pulsates, so there are times when it looks slightly depressed – ‘sunken’. This in itself is not a sign of dehydration in an otherwise healthy, well-fed baby.
· Sunscreens
The first line of sun protection always is to keep babies and toddlers well covered and out of the sun. Sunscreens are safe to use on the parts of their bodies not covered by clothing, once they are over three months of age.

Robin Barker 20©04

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