Over the last few days since the hot weather arrived, I have seen numerous people sharing a post that advises people not to cover their baby’s car seat or pram with a blanket, for fear of them overheating.
Whilst I agree that using a thick, woolly blanket is not ideal, exposing a baby to the sun’s harmful rays is just as dangerous as children cannot produce melanin, needed to help prevent the skin from sun damage, until they are at least six months old.
I was a big fan of the SnoozeShade when my children were babies, as I used to get frustrated trying to adjust the angle of a parasol whenever the sun moved or we turned a corner. Snoozeshade is a sun and sleep shade designed for use with babies and toddlers that fits all single prams, pushchairs, travel systems and buggies. You can also buy a double, car seat and even travel cot version too.
We used it for visits to the beach, holiday’s abroad and even on sunny winter’s days as it is a great blackout shade to help little ones get to sleep and protects from insects, chills and rain. All SnoozeShade products provide high level sun protection and, most importantly, help babies sleep when you need to be out.
After seeing the worrying post shared to a viral level, Cara – the inventor of SnoozeShade, took part in a facebook live video to help reassure about keeping their children safe in the sun.
In a nutshell, it is all about being sensible with babies and young children and keeping a watchful eye on them, especially when it is hot.
Top tips for keeping babies safe in hot weather
- Babies under 6 months should be kept out of direct sunlight, so always try to keep babies and young children in the shade and use a SnoozeShade, sunshade or parasol attached to the pram if out walking
- Give babies plenty of fluids – offer a bottle of cooled boiled water or use a medicine syringe to give babies water if they won’t take a bottle
- Dress your baby in cotton, loose-fitting clothing or if indoors, leave just wearing a nappy.
- If indoors, cool the room with a fan, but don’t aim it directly at the baby. Just having the air move around them helps to keep them cool
- Make sure your child wears a sunhat with a wide brim or a long flap at the back, to protect their head and neck from the sun.
- Apply a sunscreen with a sun protection factor (SPF) of at least 30 to your baby’s skin once they are over 6 months old
- Choose clothes with added sun protection – this is especially good for beach visits and paddling pools
About SnoozeShade:
The SnoozeShade protects from up to 99% of the sun’s harmful rays, so it provides fantastic all round sun protection for your little one. It’s made from breathable fabric that has been tested rigorously to ensure that it’s safe for use in hot weather and ensures that air will circulate freely inside the pram / pushchair.
The SnoozeShade provides a universal fit, so it will work with any pram or stroller, including the small foldable model you might choose to take on holiday with you. It’s fastened with stretchy tabs that you can place wherever you like on the pram to maintain a good fit and there is a handy sneak a peek zip which allows you to check on baby regularly.
Do you have any other top tips for keeping the kids safe in the sun?
Some great advice here! Really important stuff, especially with the spate of hot weather we’ve had recently.
This is so interesting because I completely panic about this every year! I’ve seen a lot about a snooze shade and have always been so intrigued by it. I’ll definitely need to have a look at it when we get back to the UK.
Great informative post here. I like the look and sound of this shade. I think it would be great for babies in the hot weather.
Such valuable and supportive tips – bet this will benefit many parents and little ones. Thank you.
Some good advice here 🙂 I used to love dressing my babies in cotton when it was hot as it used to keep them lovely and cool.
Yep it was SnoozeShade all the way for us, I never went anywhere without ours and wouldn’t hesitate to recommend them to anyone when the hot weather strikes again (it will come back won’t it?)
Some really
Good advice . My daughter is 10 Months so these will definately come in handy 🙂
This is so important – we forget to take care of our own selves sometimes when it comes to the weather we should never forget it though when it comes to people fully reliant on us to keep then safe!
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Such fab tips. Wish I’d known about the snoozeshade when my girls were younger. X
We used a SnoozeShade when I was younger and it was great to get me to sleep while we went on days out. I think they are great, but common sense is best during hot weather and totally agree with the suggestions x
Great advice! I really hope that we all get some good weather to put them into practice!
This is such sensible advice and with a few precautions you can make sure your baby and child are safe in the warm weather. The Snoozeshades are brilliant aren’t they
Some really great tips here! I think the idea of the snoozie shade is such a good and important idea.
It’s so important to get the balance right between heat and sunlight isn’t it? The SnoozeShade looks great, perfect for summer.
There is some great advice in this post. I was always aware of the snooze shade brand when my little boy was a baby and toddler, but I never went onto purchase thinking that I would just use parasols and umbrellas etc, but like you say they are a faff to ensure that your little one is protected. I know this will be a purchase for any further babies we have as ideal for taking away with you as well. Thanks for sharing.
That snoozeshade sounds like a really useful thing. I remember how difficult it was to keep my babies out of the sun; this would have been great to have back then!
ooooh that looks brilliant, I will be suggesting it to my sister for my brand new niece xxx
What a great product – it’s so important to protect little ones from the sun, isn’t it. You’d be amazed (or probably not) how many times I’ve seen little ones with no shade, no hat, no pram roof up and probably no suncream either.
I used to use a parasol and offer water more often. I totally agree that exposing them to too much sun can be just as harmful and it is so important to take the right steps to keep them safe in the sun.
It can be tricky getting the right balance can’t it! I know I worried so much about the sun when my little ones were babies. These are great tips though!
I agree that it is so important to keep kids safe in the sun so I like the sound of the snooze shade which is not only suitable for making sure they don’t overheat but also keeping them out of the sun too!