Congratulations!
Summer is here and you have a newborn baby. One of the best things about having a baby during summer is the higher temperatures mean less worry about your newborn being cold. However, there’s a fine line between warm and hot weather.
Heat stroke can happen to anyone, regardless of age. Heat stroke in infants can cause serious complications such as organ damage, seizures, and coma.
Let’s look at how to protect your baby from high temperatures and prevent heat illness, how to identify heat exhaustion and what to do if your baby gets heat-related illness.
Heat exhaustion and heat stroke in infants
Heat exhaustion is a condition that happens when your core body temperature rises after heat exposure and your body overheats. Heat exhaustion usually resolves on its own, once the person is removed from the hot environment and the elevated body temperature comes back down.
Heat stroke is a heat-related illness that occurs following heat exhaustion when the body heat doesn’t come down. Heat stroke is a heat-related central nervous system dysfunction.
Research shows that heat stroke is more likely to occur in very young and very old individuals, during summer heat waves. Heat stroke is the most severe form of heat-related illness. It is a life-threatening condition that is considered a medical emergency.
Can a baby have a heat stroke?
Yes, babies and elderly people are at a higher risk of heat-related illnesses, due to their inability to express themselves or remove themselves from the heat source.
Be very careful during hot summers, especially during heat waves, as babies suffer the heat as much as adults. It’s time to ditch the old wives’ tale that babies can get cold very easily and must be kept covered, even in hot weather.
Symptoms of heat exhaustion vs heat stroke in infants and babies
These are the most common symptoms of heat exhaustion and also the warning signs of heat stroke:
- Clammy skin
- Nausea and vomiting
- Dizziness
- Excessive sweating
- Muscle cramps.
When heat exhaustion isn’t quickly identified it can become heat stroke: a life-threatening emergency. Symptoms of heat stroke are:
- Hot and dry skin
- Nausea and vomiting
- High fever of 40ºC
- No sweating
- The person might lose consciousness and experience convulsions or seizures.
Heat stroke in infants: what to do?
Preventing heat exhaustion and heat stroke is key to avoiding heat-related illnesses. During hot weather, it’s important to check on a baby’s well-being more often than usual and check for proper hydration to make sure the baby’s body temperature stays within a normal range.
If we realize your baby’s body temperature has risen on a hot day, you should remove the baby from the heat source, to enable rapid cooling. Bring the child indoors and open windows or turn on the air conditioning, if available, to help with air circulation. Offer cool water, cool fluids and breastmilk, if you are breastfeeding.
Remove clothes from the baby to expose maximum body surface and use a fan or damp cloths to cool baby’s skin fast.
Call emergency services immediately if the baby is lethargic, sleepy, suffers heat cramps (brief and painful muscle cramps) or has convulsions. Also seek emergency help when you suspect your baby might be suffering a heat illness and there’s no immediate improvement after following the above advice. Do not delay treatment. Call immediately, even if you’re in doubt.
Will baby wake up if overheated?
The baby’s condition will depend on the length of time he was exposed to extreme heat. If the baby had only mild dehydration and a high body temperature wasn’t maintained for a long time and didn’t reach dangerous levels, it’s quite likely that the baby will wake up once the high temperature comes back to normal levels.
If you’re wondering whether a baby will wake up alone, to call for help if overheated, it’s better not to test this one out.
The baby might fuss and complain, however, depending on various factors (level of tiredness, illness or humidity levels). On the other hand, a baby might just shut down, so as to not overheat himself further with crying.
Is heat related to SIDS?
Yes, absolutely. One of the factors that might lead to SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome) is heat. Babies who sleep with too many clothes or blankets are at a higher risk of suffocation. You only need to fold a blanket twice to have four blanket layers covering your baby.
Read more about SIDS in these BellyBelly articles:
SIDS And Safe Sleep – How Safe Is Your Baby?
Breastfeeding For Two Months Halves The Risk Of SIDS
How do I know if my baby is too hot while sleeping?
Most people believe babies need to be kept much warmer than adults; that simply isn’t true. If you feel cold, your baby will most likely feel cold, too; if you feel the temperature is too high for you, it’s probably too high for your baby as well.
Common sense goes a long way in this and most other situations, to be honest. Is the weather nice and cool? If you were to take a nap, there and then, and you were wearing the same number of layers of clothing your baby is wearing, would you cover yourself with that blanket?
Another common mistake when calculating a baby’s needs is to check the baby’s temperature by feeling her tiny hands and feet.
Babies’ temperature regulatory systems are still quite immature, which means their hands and feet are a few degrees cooler than the rest of the body.
A baby might be overheated and still have cold limbs. Check the back of your baby’s neck to gauge the body temperature more accurately. Is it cold? Then put an extra layer on your baby. Is it sweaty? Then the baby is too hot and you should remove some clothes from her little body.
How to keep a baby cool during a hot summer
Here are some tips to keep your baby cool during hot weather.
Heat stroke in infants #1. Dress baby in cool and natural fabrics
It’s summer and it’s hot, so make sure your baby wears light clothes and they’re made from natural fibers. Cotton, linen and hemp are best to keep the baby’s skin fresh and cool. Dress your baby according to the temperature you’re all experiencing. Is the whole family wearing short sleeves? Then the baby should be wearing short sleeves. If you’re leaving home, keep something at hand, or pack an extra layer, in case the temperature drops or you go to an air-conditioned place. Remember, the extra layer is ‘just in case’. Don’t use it if your baby is comfortable and cool with the clothes she’s already wearing.
Heat stroke in infants #2. Avoid the hottest hours of the day
During hot weather, try to stay at home when the sun is highest (a couple of hours before and after noon). Keep the baby indoors in a cool place and check on your baby during naps to make sure she doesn’t get too hot while sleeping.
Heat stroke in infants #3. Offer fluids frequently
Make sure your baby is drinking enough fluids. Babies and young children might not be able to ask for a drink but they are sure to take one if needed when you offer it. A dry mouth with cool skin is the first sign of dehydration. A mild dehydration will cause thirst, so make sure your baby has access to a drink. Cold water isn’t necessary unless the baby’s temperature has already risen above normal levels. Room temperature water is much better for hydrating a slightly dehydrated baby.
If you’re breastfeeding, you don’t need to offer any extra fluids apart from breast milk. Make sure you offer your breasts frequently and that you drink plenty, too, so you’re well hydrated and can produce abundant milk. Enjoy the summer!
You can read more in these BellyBelly articles:
