While no one likes to be outside in the heat, when you have a small baby at home with you, it’s more important than ever to ensure that you’re able to keep that little one at a comfortable temperature. Since babies can’t regulate their own body temperature the same way as older children and adults can, they need your help to ensure that they don’t get overheated, which can happen quite easily.

So to help you ensure that your little one stays safe, here are three tips for keeping your infant comfortable when it’s hot outside. 

Stay Out Of The Heat

The very best way to ensure that your baby doesn’t get too hot is to stay out of the heat as much as possible. Ideally, you shouldn’t have your baby in any environment that’s going to be hotter than about 80 degrees. Any warmer than this could put your baby in physical danger.

Knowing this, your best bet is going to be to just stay home in your air conditioned house. Or, if you don’t have an air conditioned house, do your best to keep your home cool by having fans going and blocking out the heat of the sun. And on those days where it’s just unbearably hot, plan to spend the hottest part of the day in a cool place, like a mall or the movies or something. 

Give More Fluids

For babies and for children or adults of any age, when it’s hot outside, it’s vital that you ensure you’re getting enough fluids to keep hydrated. 

While babies younger than six months old shouldn’t be having water, what you should do is offer your infant milk a little more often than you might normally once the temperature heats up. This will help ensure that your baby is getting enough to drink and won’t become dehydrated, which can happen when small babies are in higher temperatures and not drinking enough. 

Provide Ventilation

As was mentioned above, having a fan or air conditioner in your home for extra ventilation is a great way to help keep your baby cooler. If your home uses an air conditioning system for ventilation, you will need to schedule regular HVAC maintenance visits with a company, such as One Hour Heating, in order to maintain healthy indoor air quality and provide a comfortable environment for your baby. But what about when you’re not home?

If you’re going to be out and about with your baby when it’s hot, you should take all the measures you can to continue to provide ventilation for your little one. This could include dressing them in breathable materials, using a car seat or stroller that allows for air movement, or bringing along a small portable fan to blow on them. 

If you’re worried about keeping your little one cool in the midst of a heat wave, consider using the tips mentioned above to help you learn how you can help your infant stay comfortable during this time.