How to Keep Baby Cool in a Stroller
As parents/caregivers, your first instinct is to shield your kids from any potential harm or threat. Therefore, you might find yourself reluctant to take them out for fear of overheating, especially in those early stages.
We honestly don’t blame you; their bodies aren’t as capable of regulating their internal temperature as yours is, which explains why they’re more prone to overheating and sunburns. And to add it to all that, they can’t communicate that to you either.
Still, keeping them locked inside does more harm than good because, at the end of the day, they need their vitamin D, so let us ease your mind enough to enjoy a day out with your baby safe, healthy, and happy. This article will tell you how to keep baby cool in a stroller with some handy tips and tricks.
Table Of Contents
1. Invest in Some Stroller Accessories
Arguably the best way to keep baby cool in a stroller is to level up the stroller’s ability to moderate the temperature inside, which you can do by adding some handy accessories.
Stroller Covers
A stroller’s canopy is indeed designed to cast a shadow over your baby, but sometimes that just isn’t enough. Still, you don’t want to throw a blanket over it, not even a muslin one, because that could create a “sauna condition,” risking overheating, fainting, strokes, and more.
Instead, we highly recommend investing in a cover the size of your stroller. A stroller’s cover extends the canopy’s shaded part, comes with a cotton cloth layout, and protects your baby against 99% of UVA and UVB sun rays, thus lessening their chance of getting sunburnt and getting skin cancer later on.
Some features to look out for in a stroller cover are water-resistance, rain-resistance, and being lightweight, so as not to suffocate the air. Even more, you can find one with pockets for storage.
Tip: if you’re unable to buy a cover, then at least make sure you have a good quality canopy, one that uses a breathable SPF50+ material to allow for air circulation and that has mesh window(s) to help improve the airflow when moving the stroller.
Stroller Seat Liners
Certain seat liners use breathable materials and cushioning for moisture absorption. This can make up for the not-so-breathable foam filling sometimes used in seats. Some even have a gel installed in them that’s supposed to dissipate heat from the skin.
You can put it in the refrigerator for a couple of minutes before going out to further maximize that coolness. But in short, seat liners help absorb moisture and ensure your baby’s comfort by default.
Tip: Look out for one that could easily be removed and machine washed.
Stroller Fans
You can attach this fan to the stroller, and it’s useful in keeping your little one cool in a stroller as well as outside. With its foam layout and simple attachment system, you can hook this up in a car seat or nursery to circulate the air. Besides, chances are your baby will enjoy following the fan’s movement and listening to its buzzing sound.
Stroller Umbrellas
These are better purchased from your stroller’s brand to make sure they fit. When there’s barely any wind, you might want to fold or detach the canopy and instead use a stroller umbrella that permits what little air there is while still blocking the sun.
Remove the Back Panel
If possible, removing the back panel enhances ventilation and airflow inside. Moreover, if you’ve got one with 2-in-1 seat fabric, you can detach the top layer to reveal a mesh one.
2. DIY Cooling System
If you can’t afford to buy accessories for your stroller, you can still make do with something homemade.
Suspended Water Bottles
Merely fill up 2/3 of a few water bottles, tightly seal and freeze them. You don’t want your kid to be able to open them, obviously. Then wrapped in a towel, put them on both sides of the stroller.
Wet Towels
Sometimes the oldest tricks in the book just work. Soak a wet towel or nappy in not cold but cool water, and wipe your kid with it, but make sure it comes nowhere near the face or airway.
Cooler Packs
Beneath the stroller’s cushioning, you can insert cooler pads/packs for a nice cooling effect.
3. Dress Kids Appropriately
It goes without saying that you need to dress your little ones appropriately if you’re ever going to succeed in keeping an infant cool in a stroller, which is definitely a tricky balance. Some parents overdress their kids, giving them heat rashes, and others underdress them, giving them sunburns, or worse, heart strokes.
First, let’s talk about fabrics. Cotton is always a sensible choice, as it’s breathable and absorbs moisture. The only problem is that cotton will retain the sweat, whereas a material that will not only absorb the sweat but also release it completely is bamboo since it allows the moisture to evaporate.
Moreover, you should never forget that light-colored clothing doesn’t cause overheating thanks to their light reflection ability, while dark colors will absorb it. (This applies to stroller colors too). You should also opt for clothes that cover as much of their bodies as possible, such as long sleeves and pants rather than shorts. A hat could help with that, too, especially one with good coverage to protect your baby’s ears and neck.
Tip: No matter how you dress your baby, it’s ineffective if you go out at midday. Exposing your kid to direct sunlight between 10 AM and 2 PM can be very risky. A better idea would be to take your kid out in the morning or afternoon and find places that provide plenty of shade.
4. Keep Kids Hydrated
Naturally, your baby will lose moisture in hot weather, which puts them at risk of dehydration. So how exactly can you tell if your kid’s dehydrated? Take note of the number of wet diapers they use. If it’s fewer than usual, that might be a sign of dehydration. Other signs to look out for are dry and tacky mount, decreased energy, fewer tears when crying, and urine that’s darker in color and stronger in smell.
Now, what exactly can you do to increase their fluid intake? Feed them more breastmilk or formula milk and water if your kid is over 6 months old but nothing over an extra 4 ounces of water.
Baby’s Day Out: Let’s Go
That movie is every parent’s nightmare, isn’t it? Well, thankfully, this is one less problem you have to worry about. Whether it’s stroller accessories, homemade cooling systems, suitable clothing, or frequent hydration, this article has gone through it all to help you understand how to keep baby cool in a stroller. Now, you can have a baby’s day out without them getting remotely close to harm’s way.
