Posted byJoyce lives in the Southeast United States, where temperatures are currently 90 degrees (32 Celsius) or higher — every single day. How can she and her little one keep baby-wearing without melting?
I live in the Southeastern United States, and it’s getting HOT outside! I’d like to keep wearing my child in a wrap or sling, but I’m not sure how to cope with these soaring temps.
I currently have a ring sling and a lightweight Infantino Carrier, and both work beautifully. I’m not interested in using a stroller for anything other than our daily neighborhood walks — I’m looking for baby-wearing tips only. How does one continue to wear a baby during the summer with temperatures in the 90s and above?
I think Ergo makes a mesh carrier. Do a search for “Ergo sport.” You could also stick a small cold pack in the pocket of the Ergo just to keep your baby’s back cool. Wear a huge hat to shade both you and baby and you should be fine.
I think a wrap carrier will be really hot, and honestly, I’ve never been a fan of carrier like the Infantino that dangle infants legs. (It’s not good for their hip joints.)
We use our ergo all year round. Granted, in Maine, days at 90+ are few and far between, but they happen occasionally. I’m a firm believer in ice packs – wrap them in old receiving blankets or burp cloths and tuck them into the carrier. A big-brimmed hat is a must, TONS of water, and they also have these little baby-safe stroller fans that you can clip onto the strap of your carrier.
http://www.amazon.com/Dreambaby-Stroller-Fan-White-Blue/dp/B0043IS18I/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1307546827&sr=8-1
i just dress baby really light, like a onesie and that’s it, try to stay shaded, I like the ice pack idea for the ergo in above post.
I also wear a lightweight shirt! but I try to keep a layer of fabric between my skin and baby face as the skin to skin makes for a lot of sweat and the fabric will absorb
I have a mesh pouch carrier that I love! We use it in the pool and it dries fast and keeps us both cool.
Also, you can look into making a gauze wrap. I’ve been reading about it and apparently gauze breathes very well…
I’ve made tons of ring slings and I would be very hesitant to make any out of a gauze fabric. The chances of it ripping while being adjusted or catching on something and tearing are just too high and babies safety comes first!
My ring sling, handmade, is a light muslin and I have never had an issue.
I made a faux-by wrap outta gauze and I loooove it for summer!
You can throw a water bottle in the freezer and keep it in a small insulated bag with some burp cloths or small washcloths. Use the chilled cloths between you and baby, on baby’s neck or back or under their hat. You can also wet down the cloths as the water in the bottle melts if you’re okay with getting a bit wet. Also, frequently lift under baby’s bottom and hold him/her away from your chest or back and shake/air out your shirt to get some air flow. Small children have poor temperature regulation so check baby’s abdomen and forehead frequently and don’t go somewhere you won’t be able to get them to a cool place if needed.
I keep doing research on this “dangling legs” issue and can’t find much except one website. I’ve spoken to numerous physicians as well. The infantino carrier is actually just a mei tai and so the baby’s legs aren’t technically dangling. I know so many people that have successfully used the Bjorn, the ergo and and the infantino with no damage to their baby.
The ice pack in the ergo works really well. Also, a nice floppy sunhat for the baby of course! I think maybe there should be another article on the diff types of baby carriers!
Oddly, I was just reading a post on this very topic (mostly), so thought I’d share the link in case any of the responses are helpful:
http://babywearer.livejournal.com/1097516.html
Solarveil slings are the way to go in the summer. It’s still hot, but much breezier than the other fabrics.
I heard that the woven wraps like the Gypsy Mama Bali Breeze are fantastic.
We’ve already had a couple of days over 100 here in Austin. *sigh*
This is just general being outdoors in hot weather advice, but avoid synthetic fabrics. 100% cotton or washable silks are best, but even wool is better than most synthetics. Despite being known for being warm, wool still breathes, which most synthetics don’t. For health reasons this is most important in regards to undergarments, but the fewer synthetics you wear overall, the more comfortable you’ll be.
I’m not entirely sure about this… not as mother, but as an avid (obsessive) runner, synthetics (and wool) are the only fabrics that pull sweat away from your skin and let it evaporate. Cotton absorbs sweat and holds it close to your body, which inhibits further sweat production, making your internal temp rise.
I think you’re both right. Most synthetic or poly/cotton blends are hotter than 100% cotton, but there are also newer synthetic fabrics that are designed to keep you cool (like those often found in high-end athletic apparel).
The otherday i saw a dad babywearing while holding a umbrella for sun protection. I thought it was such a great idea to keep alittle cooler, wish id thought of that!!
I did that with my newborn 2 summer ago. It was so crazy hot. I just would not use the umbrella in a busy place like a farmers market like I did. I ran into a few people that way.
parasols, or my fave, a wet sarong, wrung out and draped over mom and baby.
I’m in NC where it’s currently 96 degrees so I feel you! I wear the original ergo without any problems. I mean, we get hot, but we’d get hot in 96 degree heat no matter what (although we tend to stay indoors at peak sun hours). The less clothing on the baby, the better. And I use the hood to shield her head from the sun.
Avoid peak sun and extreme heat for very littles who can’t regulate their body temperature.
Make sure they are getting lots of fluids. Nursing or bottles…just keep em hydrated.
Light cotton clothes for mama and baby in white or very light colors. If you can’t do sunblock, it is better for a tiny arms and legs to be covered with a white breezy fabric to protect them from the sun’s rays.
I love the ice pack idea! But maybe take a mini break every hour or so to get some air circulating around you both.
Etsy has icepacks specifically made for keeping baby cool in a hot carseat. I’m sure they’d be perfect for this! Perhaps sew a pocket to the outside of a sling for mama to keep cool too?
Gauze wraps are cool. If you don’t like wrapping, you can get slings or buckle tais made of solarweave or solarveil. I just pre-ordered a solarweave buckle tai from TMD. My Beco Gemini is getting too hot now.
I carry a wet wash cloth with me when we go for walks, and always a water bottle with ice to sip and refresh the wash cloth for dabbing on my babe’s head and neck. Wear light clothes (but always wear clothes or your baby could get a wicked heat rash on his tummy) and sunblock, and stay indoors between 10-4, which is the hottest parts of the day. Remember that babies have more surface area to their skin, so they get too hot way faster than adults or older kids.
I feel you, I really do. We live in the far south of China which is subtropical so not only searing heat, but 90 – 100% humidity levels to match! And I don’t own a stroller because our footpaths would tear it up. I don’t really have any suggestions other than using an umbrella. All the Chinese grandma’s wear their babies mei tai style with umbrellas. We’ve an Ergo sport. Its not mesh and its still hot but the umbrella helps (better than a hat)!
In the same line, does anyone have any tips for swaddling in hot weather? Favorite brand of blankets, or a good type of cloth for making some swaddle blankets of my own?
I’m going to be using the Aden + Anais bamboo muslin swaddlers. Can’t really say how well they work, since I’m still pregnant, but that’s my plan for swaddling my newborn in the Arizona heat!
Aden + Anais swaddling blankets work so well. They’re huge and super light and are perfect for warm weather and bigger babies who still like to be swaddled. They’re pricey, but totally worth it.
Though it doesn’t get crazy hot here in Alaska I was really worried about hot swaddling and I made some larger blankets with some lightweight cotton from the fabric store. I just hemmed it and voila! Super easy and cheap! It works great and we don’t have AC or anything.
There were some very good suggestions above, specially for the Ergo (my fave carrier). Until now I have been using the Baby K’Tan Breeze carrier which has breathable mesh fabric and it works very well.
I think I’ve found a nice cooling method to use with mei tai and car seats and strollers. It’s from a co.that makes a sort of water bed for dogs and water filled pillow for people. SOOTHSOFT.COM. They now make a “mini Chillow”. It fits perfectly in the car seat and keeps my son from having his back drenched in sweat. I have avoided using my mei tai because of the overheating concern. So now I’m gonna try the Chillow in my mei tai. One thing to consider is the added weight due to the water.That’s my suggestion. Hope it can be of help.
We moved to Austin in January and I had no idea what kind of heat we would be in for 🙂 My 12 week old gets terrible heat rash, so I am really appreciative of this thread. He is my 5th baby, but we were never in such extreme heat before.
I am going to try the ice pack idea. Maybe if I wrap some in burp cloths and stick them in the sling with him…
I will put some in the sling pockets too to keep me cool.
Thanks for all your suggestions everyone!!!
I live in Australia, so I have had this problem. I put an ice pack (the sports injury type, with a muslin wrap around it) between me and my son. It worked beautifully, keeping us both cool in the 40 degree celsius summer when he was 3, 4 and 5 months old. I use an ergo and will always pick it over the pram.