With temperatures set to hit highs of 35°C today in the South East, The Lullaby Trust has issued advice for parents to keep their babies safe and cool.

To reduce the chance of SIDS the ideal temperature of a baby’s room should be 16-20°C. However, keeping rooms from getting too hot can be difficult, especially when the heat reaches a record high, so The Lullaby Trust advises parents to: 

  • Close the blinds or curtains during the day to stop the room your baby sleeps in from getting too hot 
  • Put a fan in the bedroom to help circulate the air, but make sure it is out of reach and not pointed directly at your baby 
  • Reduce layers; just a nappy with no bedding is fine in hot weather 
  • Monitor the temperature with a room thermometer 
  • Check your baby’s chest or the back of their neck to see if they are too hot. If their skin feels clammy, this is a sign they are getting too hot. 

It’s important that babies are kept cool when out an about in hot weather. Stay out of the sun if you can. Prams should be covered with a clip-on sunshade to keep baby out of direct sunlight and their temperature monitored to avoid overheating.  

The Lullaby Trust urges parents not to cover their baby’s pram with blankets or cloths that prevents the air from circulating. Covering a pram with a blanket could lead to overheating, which increases the chance of SIDS and creates a barrier between parent and child, making it difficult to spot signs that baby is getting too hot. 

Babies should be kept out of direct sunlight and kept indoors during the hottest part of the day. If possible, parents should avoid taking their baby on public transport during peak hours and try to find a shop or café with air-conditioning so that they can cool down. 

Jenny Ward, Chief Executive of The Lullaby Trust says: 

“We’ve had lots of enquiries from parents on social media who are worried about their babies overheating, and we appreciate how hard it can be to keep babies cool in such hot weather. We would recommend parents regularly monitor their baby’s temperature. If their baby’s skin is hot or sweaty, remove one or more layers of bedclothes or bedding, and think about moving them somewhere that might be a bit cooler.” 

For more advice on safer sleep for babies click here.