Beating the heat

We're in the middle of a heat wave here in NYC, so I thought that instead of just complaining about it, I could put up a post and we could share ideas for dealing with heat and humidity. To those of you down under and in NZ going into winter now, I apologize. But I know you Australians have tips for staying cool in the heat, so lay 'em on us, please.

I'm going to share what I've learned, but obviously I'm no expert. I have two fair-skinned kids (although both are slightly darker than I am--I never tan ever, only burn and freckle, and my kids turn a nice golden by the end of the summer) and I live in NYC where there isn't much community space inside and we spend lots of time outside at playgrounds all summer. Also, there's just no way to escape the heat in NYC since you have to be outside for significant time to get from one place to another. You come out of your apartment and walk to the subway or bus. Even if you can afford to take a cab everywhere, you still have to stand outside waiting for one. If you live in a public tran/walking city you'll get what I mean, while those of you who take cars everywhere probably can't imagine it.

My first tip is to remember that little babies are probably feeling better in the heat than we are. Not too long ago they were in 98.6 degree heat and 100% humidity, so they aren't as shocked and affronted by the wall of heat as older kids and adults tend to be.

That also means that you can definitely take them outside, just use common sense. It's better to go out in the early morning and late afternoon than the middle of the day. And don't have your babies in direct sunlight for more than a few seconds at a time. It's not good for their core temperature, skin, or eyes. The best thing in terms of monitoring their heat and shade level is to wear them in a carrier, but the hot hot heat is going to make that icky for you, so even die-hard babywearers often switch to the stroller in the heat of summer. (Other benefit of the stroller: cupholders for cool beverages.)

I loved my stroller tie-on protective shade because it provided shade, SPF protection, and still allowed the breeze to come through, but was annoyed with it because if I walked too fast it'd flip up and flap around. Maybe it was good that I had to pace myself?

I just realized I could blather on, but most of my tips can be summarized thusly: shade, cool liquids, and naps when people need them. Don't be a hero. And seriously keep an eye on your older, sports-playing kids to make sure they're not overdoing it (especially in polyester uniforms) because heat stroke/exhaustion can creep up on you. (I get it myself every few years because I'm a dumb-ass, and can attest that it's a slippery slope.)

What do you have for beating summer heat and sun?

Comments

[Betty]

And don't forget hats for everyone (very small babies excepted), including the adults.

[amy]

This is more about sun than heat, but since they go together...
I try to apply the first dose of sunscreen before we even leave the house because:
1. putting sunscreen on a relatively cool-skinned preschooler is easier than putting it on an already-starting-to-sweat preschooler

2. once we get where we're going, the tot doesn't want to stand around getting sunscreen

(and, of course, 3. it takes a few minutes to start working, and sometimes those few minutes are enough to start our fair skin pinking up).

[shirky]

how to get 18 months old to wear hats and sunglasses?

[erika]

It's easier to get sunscreen on a naked, cool child than one that is clothed and already sweaty. I try to get the first coat of sunscreen on upstairs while we're getting dressed. We started talking early to Sophie about sunscreen and why we put it on - the sun can hurt us and burn and sunscreen is like a shield - and now she's mostly amenable to putting it on. Also talking to her about how cool and fancy she looks with sunglasses and hats on...

[Charisse]

We don't get tons of heat in SF, but when we do you can't escape it because (not getting much) we're unprepared.

Packing ice in school water bottles in the morning is a good one--it will melt, but still be cold, by lunchtime.

Our infant daycare provider used to not only have a water table but spritz the kids, even when they were indoors, on hot days. They giggled and it helped them stay cool.

Melon, iced herbal tea...ice cream. Yummies to keep everybody eating a bit.

That's all I got--it doesn't get that bad here.

[Jen (yup, another one)]

I wanted to be a diehard babywearer but my daughter was born in mid-April of a very hot year. By the time I was ready to go out walking (bad tears! ouch!) it was too hot to wear her for HER OWN sake - she got heatrash everywhere if she was on our bodies outdoors. Once it got cool we went back to our slings and carriers but we did have to go with the stroller for a few months.

A quick way to improvise a shade for a stroller (especially a snap & go type) is to keep a couple of toy links on the handlebar. You can use the links like giant paperclips to attach a lightweight baby blanket to the carrier and the stroller handles. It makes a tent that keeps the sun off but lets any breeze through.

[liz]

For NY'ers there's the Hudson River Park which has a sprinkler playground. Prospect Park's 3rd Street playground also has sprinklers.

For folks in Loudoun County, VA, there are lots of indoor public pools and there is downpour water park.

Put your kids in white hats to keep the sun from scorching their heads. Soak the hat in water periodically to keep them cool.

[Cathy]

We're pretty well air conditioned here in Florida, but...

We've been making lots of popsicles - mostly with blended fresh fruit in whatever combination sounds good (or is about to spoil). I've got mango-strawberry-kiwi in the freezer now. We've done regular Kool-Aid, srawberries with limeade, strawberry-banana-pineapple, and grocery store pre-cut berry smoothie mix with vanilla yogurt.

[caramama]

Liquids. Lots of liquids. A tip I learned from my mom in general, but especially in the heat, is if a child (or you) are getting cranky, try giving them something to drink.

And I learned last summer that I needed to breastfeed the baby often--even though I thought the warm breastmilk wouldn't be cooling, it really did help my baby keep cool and comfortable. Remember, the initial breastmilk is for thirst, so a baby might drink for short periods but more often to keep up the liquid intake.

Also, baby pools and water tables! Fun and cooling!

[caramama]

shirky - If you figure it out, please let me know. My fair-skinned 15 month old hates hats. Even the really cute ones. :(

[Melissa]

[rant]To beat the heat I moved to the Pacific Northwest. It's June 9th and 55 degrees out and it's supposed to rain all week.[/rant]

We play in public fountains (legal here, and encouraged, and full of a zillion kids in the summer), go to parks with lots of trees, and have been known to "camp out" in the basement.

As for hats on toddlers sometimes it's about finding the right hat. And sometimes it's just waiting until they are really distracted with something fun and then popping it on there.

[Today Wendy]

Re: 18 month-olds & hats...the only way she wears one is if I'm wearing one. And often she tries to steal mine. Then the hat gets thrown on the ground. Then she realizes that the sun is in her face and asks for it to be put back on.

My favorite hot-weather outing is the library. They have a large kids room and lots of AC. Our local Indigo bookstore also has a Thomas train set for the kids to play with. Pet store at the mall is fun too.

[Amy M]

Take DC hat shopping. We did a 'fashion show' of all of the hats she received as gifts and found 2 that she would keep on and seemed to like. We also have a few different ones. The ballcap seems to work best in the stroller and the ones with a brim all the way around are best for the playground. Chin straps are good, too.

In the winter, we did a 'spa treatment' of baby lotion in the morning to keep DD's skin moisturized. So for the summer the spa treatment is done with sunscreen.

I always have a sippy cup of water handy. I greet DD with one when she wakes up in the morning and wakes up from naps and offer it at least every 30 minutes throughout the day. (She still BFs, but at 16 months I think it is more for comfort than hydration.)

I'll also wipe DD down with a cool, wet washcloth or just a cool wipe. Usually before we're about to reapply sunscreen or after we come in from being outside.

We've also been eating meals on the porch to take advantage of the breeze in the shade (no A/C in our house) and living with the white noise of fans.

[parisienne mais presque]

Any tips for helping babies keep cool at night?

We live in an urban apartment that is warm to hot all the time, even in the dead of (an admittedly mild) Parisian winter, and even when we never turn on our radiators.

So I'm dreading this summer's nights, since I sleep poorly when it's hot and I'm suspecting le Petit will sleep even worse than usual (if that's possible).

Opening the window seems to have little effect, and I'm hesistant to drag out the portable AC just yet. Here in France they're AC-averse and look at you like you're crazy when you suggest air-conditioning a baby's room.

I personally can't stand sleeping without at least a sheet covering me even when it's really warm. So I can't imagine the little guy will be comfy in just a onesie or a diaper in an empty crib. He's almost a year old, anyone know if it is OK to give him a light blanket?

And Moxie, I hear ya on having to walk everywhere in the heat when you live in an urban area. Yuck. And the Paris Metro isn't air-conditioned.

[amy]

my daughter wouldn't keep a hat on either. the summer she turned one, we managed to teach her how to put her hat back on after she pulled it off. then it was like a game to her to see if she could get it back on. that evolved into her putting the hat on to start with and, later, keeping it on and loving it. the only down side now is how many hats we own. :) good luck!

[electriclady]

I was so proud of myself last summer when my baby wore her Babybanz and a hat all summer without protest (she was 6 months old last August). Then this summer rolls around and the sunglasses may as well be made of barbed wire, the way she flings them off. She'll tolerate the hat (one that velcroes under the chin) but I think now it's because she knows that hat = going out to the playground.

We have the Protect-a-Bub sunshade (about 2x as expensive as the Kiddopotamus) and never had the flapping up problem, maybe because the lower part anchors to the front of the stroller frame instead of the back. But it can be unwieldy in stores and restaurants, so my husband hates it.

[Tracy]

Here in Orlando everyone has a pool, or has a neighbor with one. So we spend the entire summer in the pool. The bear is quite the swimmer at 3. (Of course, pool screens, door locks, all the safety stuff) Seriously, there are child drownings here every year, so BE CAREFUL. It's usually tourists in a hotel pool, or at a family event with Lots of adults. Everyone thought Someone Else was watching the child. Don't let them out of YOUR sight even for a minute.

If you don't have a pool, you can't beat the sprinkler in the backyard. And eating popsicles under the trees.

When bear was little, I told her she looked like a movie star w/ her hat and sunglasses. She thought it was cool.

[marsupial jones]

it's hot around here too. 95 today and our air conditioning broke. here's what i do (1 year old):
-frequent baths. very shallow, cool/tepid water. sometimes it's just for 5 or 10 minutes. this is sometimes hard because i have to sit in the bathroom a million times a day.
-when i don't feel like having a huge water mess, i get a bunch of sponges that i've disinfected previously by microwaving. i get a small container of water and put the sponges and baby and water on a towel. he sits on the floor squeezing them and patting them for like 20 minutes. sometimes he starts walking around with them, but i live in a carpeted apartment so it's not dangerous or too messy as it would if you lived somewhere with tile or linoleum or something.
-i freeze YoBaby yogurt in ice cube trays and put the frozen cubes in those little food nets. plain old ice cubes work well too. pureed mango and other fruits works well in those nets too. those nets are pretty awesome.
-sorbet is a delicious and relatively healthy (to ice cream) treat for hot weather. i recently tried Green Apple and it is amazing!
-i offer water constantly. my kid loves seltzer too (!!) so i offer that as well.
-bebe will wear about 5% of the hats that i buy. i found a fantastic speedo brand hat that he will wear that has UV protection and is light and covers his ears and neck.
-i reapply sunscreen OFTEN. like every hour if i can. he doesn't understand yet, so i practically sit on him to get it on him and he screams. i don't know what else to do, but i will do just about anything to prevent a sunburn.
**does anyone have a really good sunscreen recommendation? i try to stay organic, but i have found the Earth's Best and Avalon organic sunscreens to be pretty crappy and to come off very quickly. **

[mo]

My friend introduced me to these awesome cold packs that you just take out of the package and put behind their backs in the stroller. They are called Be Kool (you can get them on sale at drugstore.com).

Also, second the water suggestion - put cold water (plus ice) in the kid's sippy cups.

Lastly, one thing we found on a rainy day that would also be lots of fun on a hot day is taking the kids to bowling. We took my 3 yr old boys there for their first time and it was a lot of fun - and cheap ($15 for four kids for one game each and that lasted a good 1 1/2 hours - we didn't have to rent shoes since their feet were so small). Air conditioning, great 80s music for the adults, etc.

[Lily]

Chick mags gave me this tip - so I'll pass it along:

Put the sunscreen/lotion in the fridge. Then, when you apply it, it is nice and cooling. I presume it could work in a cooler too!

Also, pre a/c, I used to sleep under a wet towel to cool off. I need something covering me in order to sleep, and that kept things a little less sticky. And, you can always rinse it out again in the middle of the night for more cooling!

[mo]

marsupial jones - we like the California Baby unscented sunscreen. My boys are pretty sensitive and picky about stuff like that and will tolerate that one. They do NOT like the hypoalergenic one (actually has a pretty strong scent).

[JessA]

On a tip from my neighbor, I've started leaving the house with an ice pack whether I'm taking DS out in the stroller or in the Ergo. In the stroller, the ice pack gets wrapped in a baby towel and sits against his back. In the Ergo, the ice pack goes straight into the zipper pocket. It doesn't last forever, but it stays cool long enough to run a short errand - say, down to the ice cream shop at the end of the block, or over to the playground with the sprinklers. (And our daycare center is happy to keep the ice pack in their freezer for us during the day so we can use it for the trip home when it's supposed to be 101 in Brooklyn this afternoon. If this heat wave keeps up I may have to dig my freezable nursing pads out of the closet and start wearing them around the apartment!)

[SarcastiCarrie]

Kids and Sunscreen: I cannot recommend Blue Lizard Sensitive and Baby versions highly enough. I feel like a broken record, but I've not had trouble with it stinging or causing rashed on sensitive eczema-prone skin and it works immediately because it's barrier - not chemical.

And remember, a wet, white T-shirt only offers SPF 2, so you need sunscreen under the shirt or you need to add that SPF booster to the laundry to give the shirt some SPF.

I cannot recommend playing in the basement highly enough. It's fun, cool, and protects you from the tornadoes that have been plaguing us in the Midwest all last week.

[Kimberly C]

When I first found myself pregnant (and puking the day after I took the test) it was early May in south Alabama. My obgyn suggested Dole fruit bars- they are frozen and also good for you, unlike ice cream bars. I give them to the tot now that she's a little bigger(17 months)

We fight to keep hats on her outside, put sunscreen on inside before we ever GO outside, and rock the diaper only look A LOT. We also do a lot of water play out of desperation.

I give her mostly water in her sippy cups and always have- she suggests it if I don't remember, and that is all that I have on this topic. Mostly we just suffer through it because the humidity? It is like a brick wall. Of suck.

[quadelle]

re: hats. We had this problem with our one year old coming into summer down under and solved it by the old trick of wearing them ourselves (indoors) and then getting all excited when she put one on. Other things included whipping out the camera and taking photos of her in her fantastic hat (and showing her the photo), plus creating a "fun" drawer that was full of hats, bags and other bits and bobs for her to play dress up with. She went from hating hats to loving them.

[Pam]

last year when my daughter was only 6 months old-ish, I'd set up her jolly jumper in a doorway and put a baby bathtub underneath for her to splash around in. The splashing kept me cool too (grin). (we don't have carpets so it was easy cleanup). Not for everyone, but just a fun thing to do when it got too hot!

[Tracy]

My fav sunscreen is ABC Baby from Arbonne. Nice and thick. Spray-on sunscreens are junk. Too thin and they wash off w/ sweat or water.

Another Florida tip: reapply more often than you think you should. You should use 1 oz-- the amount of a shot glass or a good handfull. A 6 oz bottle should only last 6 times.

[hedra]

@Lily, I still will do the wet towel routine at times (DH gets cold while I'm still hot...). Ahh.

We mainly do a lot of water play (at home), outside only in the off-peak hours, A/C (only on the one floor, but still), and so forth. Pretty basic.

Hats - my kids will wear them sometimes. It's comfort and visual range that matter to them most - I can remember not being able to see 'up' with a brim on, and finding that really disturbing, like someone had chopped off half the world (just the top half). Bucket hats are the favored ones around here, over something with a wider brim. Still have to sunscreen the faces like crazy. (We draw pictures on their faces with the sunscreen to keep them entertained, then rub them in - they ask for what they want, we draw it on, then rub it in.)

[Joceline]

I'm in Phoenix, so although it is hotter here than a lot of places, everywhere is air conditioned, there are a lot of indoor play places, shopping malls, etc, and people stay inside all summer long (long, long, long). Pretty much the only time we go outside for longer than a few minutes once it really heats up is to swim, and even then, I only take The Boy in the late afternoon or early morning.

We like California Baby sunscreen, as well as the Arbonne Baby Care sunscreen. Both last a long time, don't sting, and work well on our super sensitive skin. I even use the baby sunscreen. We're also looking into buying those UV blocker shirts for the grown ups and a long sleeved shirt as well as a full body bathing suit for The Boy. Keep in mind that we're the family who has gotten in multiple vacation videos of Asian and Indian tourists, all exclaiming "So fair! So fair!" We burn.

[Oz]

I'm really fair skinned, and my boy is, too (strawberry blonde hair, blue eyes, skin cancer waiting to happen), so we apply California Baby at home, and then also apply another layer once we get to the park or pool - usually a spray kind like the Kiss My Face pump spray. It's pretty easy to apply and fast, though I don't think it has quite the coverage of the thick white stuff.

I'm also a huge fan of SPF clothes. Patagonia makes these SPF 50 Baby Sunshade shirts that don't have a rashguard look, and are pretty breathable. We've also got a $5 SPF hat from Target with a velcro strap that he lets us put on him, though he rebels against sunglasses.

@marsupial jones - the freezing + food net tip is a great one!

[Jan]

Another fan here of putting on sunscreen before leaving the house. (My kids are, and I quote my pediatrician, "sunburns waiting to happen" -- one strawberry blonde, one towhead.)

We struggled a lot in the heat (when there's heat -- I'm in PNW, too, and yes, I'm wearing my favorite cable-knit sweater today. in freaking JUNE) at night, both because we have no AC and bedroom on the upper floor and because both our kids only slept as babies if they were swaddled. I got creative when my youngest was in that phase. I put onesies and/or the swaddling blanket in the fridge. Or got them damp (with cool water) before putting them on him.

When all else fails, a cool/cold shower or bath can cool you, um, I mean your kids, off long enough to fall asleep. My experience has been that most people don't awaken because they're too hot; they just can't get to sleep.

We bought special sippy/straw cups for summer and the kids are allowed to cart them around wherever so that they have water available to them always.

One last random tip: Don't forget the tops of your kids' ears when you sunscreen!

[Alex]

I'm a sometime equestrian who lives in the Southeast. Anyone who does serious, or even modest, athletic stuff with horses down here needs to know how to help a large animal cool down in unforgiving conditions -- this is a real problem for horses given their large muscle mass and (compared to, e.g., humans) small surface area.

What we do for horses (a lot of this grew out of research done for the summer 1996 Olympics in Atlanta -- ack!) is apply cold (think iced) water over the parts of their bodies where there are lots of blood vessels near the surface of the skin. This helps cool their entire bodies. I've taken to doing the same thing for us humans, i.e., myself -- I'm not sure how well this would (will) work with a small child, i.e., how well a small child would (will) tolerate it, but basically I take an ice cube and apply it to my wrists (on the veins), inside my elbows, run across the back/front of my neck. With a small amount of liquid (one ice cube), this can make a surprisingly large difference, in my experience.

In really unpleasant circumstances -- e.g. (long story) the time I had to re-shingle a section of our roof in August -- I take 2-3 ice cubes, roll them up in a bandanna, and tie it around my neck. It settings where getting light-headed, nauseous, and dizzy are entirely serious possibilities (i.e. where you KNOW when you've overdone it), I find this really helps.

Pouring cold water over these body parts also helps (not as much as holding ice on them), as does misting the entire body with coolish water. But remember that, other than the water itself being cold, the way it (whether water or sweat) cools is through evaporation, and here in the Southeast high humidity inhibits that. One solution (again borrowed from the horses) is to use (rubbing) alcohol rather than, or mixed into a solution with, water, as it evaporates quickly.

I'd be inclined to temper both these solutions for little kids, but I did pour some coolish water on the head & neck of my 14 month old last night at a ballgame in bad heat, and he tolerated this fine. Startled and mildly peeved, but the pouring only lasted a minute and his hair stayed damp long enough to help.

Two other notes -- the drink, drink, drink water point that others have made is a good one (again, cold is good, but warm is also OK if cold is unavailable), but I myself find that I sweat enough that I also come to crave salt. In our "low sodium for better health" culture, one can be tempted to ignore this craving, but I have found from my personal experience that that is ill-advised. I eat a pretty low-salt diet generally and can get hot and sweaty enough that (judging from the headaches I get that respond to -- salt?!) I do actually need to supplement salt. Exercise drinks (gatorad.e, etc.) can help with this, but many are full of sugar and of course all introduce a pre-fab ratio of water to salt. I prefer to eat a salty snack (peanuts, pretzels) or even straight salt, myself, as I find that my body knows how much it needs. May be worth bearing in mind, especially for active older kids. Watch for headaches that don't respond to (straight) water.

Second point, it is entirely legit to pick air-conditioned locales/activities for really bad times/days, even if you are usually a "let's go play in the woods/park" type of parent. Nothing wrong with taking the baby for a stroll in the mall instead of the park when it's really hot, or older kids to a matinee or, as someone has already suggested, the bowling alley.

Oh, and @parisienne mais presque, I find the thing to do without a/c (and I grew up in the US south without it) is to put a strong fan in a window as soon after dark as it cools down to 70F outside, but the important point is, point the fan OUT the window. Then open ONE other window in the other end of the house (if, ideally, your house is shaped more or less like a tunnel), or otherwise, in the ONE ROOM you most want to cool down (here, DS's). This works MUCH BETTER at getting cool air in and where you need it to be than does pointing a fan into the house, honest (sorry for YELLING, but the emphasis is needed, really -- it does make THAT big a difference which direction the fan is pointing).

[heather]

UMBRELLA!

Seriously, I wore/wear my daughter in an Ergo and I carry an umbrella (a nice big golf one) to keep the sun off both of us. My husband rolls his eyes, but hey, guess which 2 members of our household did not get sunburned last summer?!

[wealhtheow]

My kidlet (7 months) is just starting with the sippy cup, so in addition to frequent breastfeeding, I'm putting watermelon in the feeder net, which really helps get some additional liquid in him. And if we're out on a walk I'm always bathing him in water from my bottle.

CLOTH DIAPER FOLK: Last week the kiddo got an abrasion on his penis, which I think was caused by the cloth rubbing against him i the very hot weather. Anyone have any solutions for this? We use prefolds, but I'm starting to think about switching to FuzziBunz when we're out in the heat--does anyone have any reccomendations for what irritates skin the least in high heat, high humidity?

[Amy]

When my big girl was teeny weeny, we found ourselves at an outdoor festival in weather that was much hotter than we had anticipated. The mom of a friend suggested that we drench her receiving blanket in cold water, and then put it on her head. Evaporative cooling or something. Anyway, it worked, and she enjoyed the festival, and was the only one of us who didn't practically expire from the heat.

This is especially good for breastfed babies, since it's hard to put ice cubes in their milk. :)

This summer we're spending a lot of time at Grandpa's apartment's pool, and staying out of the sun as much as possible otherwise.

Amy @ http://prettybabies.blogspot.com

[alby]

My dermatologist told me a few weeks ago that all the chemically-based sunscreens (e.g., Waterbabies, California baby etc) are basically ineffective, and many of the manufacturers are actually involved in a lawsuit in California about false advertising of protection from the sun. The only sunscreen for babies on his list of "approved" products was the Blue Lizard baby one mentioned by someone above, because it is a physical block rather than a chemical one. We bought that, and it seems fine so far.

[sue]

@wealtheow - we usually use Mother-ease and haven't had a problem (and it's 95 here right now). Though when DH isn't home, I usually let the baby have a naked bum. He really likes having a naked bum. The nice thing about the fitteds is that, if you don't put pants on the kid, you can leave the cover off and they can air out more. If the baby is a little older, maybe the gerber training pants would work for you - closer to the skin and less bulky, so maybe less rubbing?

[Liza]

Physical sunblocks are also less likely to trigger allergic reactions than chemical ones.

I have a chemical sunblock allergy and the only thing that I've been able to use since I was a teenager is VaniCream. I prefer the "sport" (SPF 35) to the regular (SPF 30 or 60) because the regular ones come off with sweat. Guess what the toddler wears? Sport will have to be washed off with soap & water.

My tips are:

1) Outdoor play EARLY in the morning. We leave the playground by 10 am. At least they they still get some outdoor running around, but before the worst heat of the day.

2) Museum memberships. Children's museums, natural history (dinosaurs!), anything where there are exhibits kids can touch. Our family membership will be paid for after 5 one-parent visits or 2.5 two-parent visits, which we will definitely make by the end of the summer. They're air conditioned, interesting, and regularly have special events that make you feel like you're getting your money's worth.

[SarcastiCarrie]

Here's the amazon link to the Sunguard product that turns any of your clothes into UV protector clothes. No need to spend $16 on one special shirt when you can turn any of your clothes, hats, or blankets into UV clothes.

http://www.amazon.com/Rit-Guard-Laundry-Treatment-Protectant/dp/B0000Y3F6W/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=hpc&qid=1213032803&sr=8-1

I haven't used it, and I don't sell it or anything. It got good reviews on amazon and seems like it would be cost effective.

Also, to Alex, who yelled about the fans...Another great thing to have is a Whole House Fan. We have one. It sucks the air out of your house and exhausts it through your roof/attic. It brings cooler air in from outside. When it actually is cooler outside, it works great. It also cools the very hot air in the attic making the upstairs a little bit cooler.

For the diaper irritation, I would probably take a totally different approach and just slather a ton of plain petroleum jelly on the irritated area and hope that would cut down on the friction in that region. It's treating the symptom and not the problem, but it's cheaper than new diapers and might tell you whether friction is the real root cause.

[Alex]

@wealhtheow I use Fuzzibunz with nurtured family inserts (though we sometimes use the fuzzibunz inserts, which are similar in type but only one layer, where the NF ones are 2), and we've been doing OK with those. I also have a son. I do not put the inserts inside the layers of the Fuzzibunz; I just lay them inside -- that way I can often get 2 wearings out of one outer, by changing out the liner. Though if a rash/sore spot is a problem, it may be worth trying it the "right" way to maximize wicking.

@alby, as a phenomenally fair-skinned person I have to disagree, at least to a point, with your dermatologist. It's my understanding that the physical blocks (titanium dioxide and similar) are much, much better at providing broad-spectrum protection and that this is important in terms of skin health (i.e., cancer risk). But that said, I can vouch from personal experience for the fact that the chemical products prevent at least the painful visible burns. This may be a mixed bag; I've seen questions raised about whether these products allow us to stay out longer than we otherwise would, increasing exposure to the (dangerous) rays, but they are definitely much better than using nothing if you're going to be out anyway.

In looking for more information on sunscreens, I did turn up a recent review in Slate magazine, in case anyone's interested: http://www.slate.com/id/2124091/

[Kelly]

We've found that if you have the standard, cheap diaper cloths (they're "bird eye weave" or something), wet and wring out then put them in the freezer and freeze them (doesn't take long). They mold really well around hot little heads and even my hat-hater oldest son loves to have one on his head until it's thawed, and then he just likes the moisture aspect.

[Dana]

My daughter is 7 months old (tomorrow! Yay!) and is 99% breastfed- the other 1% is the maybe-one-itty-bitty-baby -teasponful-of-solids-she-might-eat. If I'm lucky.

But it's hot here (over 90 and HUMID) in Buffalo and I was concerned about her needed xtra h20. I just consulted to the pediatrician's L/C. She said water is ok to offer when we are out if I wanted to and that it is NOT to replace breastmilk. Also check w/ your peds to see if your town's water is safe to give to small babies or if it needs to be boiled & cooled.

Also Blue Lizard sunscreen came highly recommended from our peds. It's made in Australia and is non-toxic.

Gotta run- we're going in the baby pool now! And bringing a cup of cool water :)

[Inzaburbs]

I love Texas, because we have air conditioning. Seriously, when we lived in London our apartment faced the wrong way so during the two weeks of summer we melted in the direct sunlight, even with the curtains closed.
Some tricks we used then, apart from sippy cups and frequent nursing (when appropriate) were:
A big bowl of ice placed in front of a fan will cool the air a couple of degrees, and the kids also love to play with it.
Spray bottles
Cotton clothing. Not t-shirts, those really loose cotton or linen shirts
No clothing for the kids when indoors
Trips to the mall or the museum - anywhere air conditioned.

And the best one - mine loved this when they were babies - an ice pack for a hat!

[Cassie]

About the hats for 15-18 month olds? Wear one yourself. I figured it wasn't fair to ask my 18 month old son to wear a hat every time we went out (in the rather infrequent Scottish sunshine) unless I was wearing one myself (the bonus being that that necessitated the purchase of a rather lovely, floppy, and outrageously expensive sunhat for me. I still get hat head, but you can't have everything, I guess...). Having seen me wear mine, he now gets that outside means hats, and he pats his head to remind me we need our hats when we leave the flat.

[liz]

I would also like to argue AGAINST flip-flops and other back-less shoes. MM had some on last year, and fell out of them in the middle of the parking lot. He had second-degree burns on the bottoms of both feet from standing on the tarmac barefoot for less than 20 seconds.

[pnuts mama]

moxie and i are 'enjoying' the same heatwave- i believe our thermometer is currently reading 96 degrees (F)- wow. i can't tell you how much i appreciate the fact that my husband basically forced me to agree to central air with this house renovation- i am sort of 'meh' about a/c, and can tolerate the heat pretty well, but living with people who get hot (and cranky or disoriented) pretty quickly, i'm so glad we spent the money. but guess who wants to be outside right now? that's right, the pnut. she wants to play in her old baby pool (played in it for HOURS this weekend while we gardened) and can't wait to get back out there.

i actually found the blue lizard at the supermarket for cheaper than i could find online. i was happy about that as she seems to be reacting to some of the baby brands.

re: hats/sunglasses- we wear them all year round, and it's a non-negotiable. she gets tons of compliments on her sunglasses in particular, and i can't not wear them myself if it's sunny out. i let her pick her own, same for the hats- the one for the beach i got at target and had spf in it and the CHINSTRAP was key- both to keep her from pulling it off as well as from the wind. it has velcro but we tie it and then velcro the end. it's really lightweight so it doesn't make her head too hot and sweaty.

we drink tons of water and we made iceypops last year and will so again this year. lots of watery fruit, playing in water, eating 'light', etc.

it's hard to believe after all the drama with the bedrest, etc., i have officially made it to the exact day i delivered the pnut w/ no problem! now, everything is gravy- i gardened all weekend, and vacuumed this morning and am starting to nest- yippee!! if the bean comes now, he comes! yay!

[paola]

@hat-haters

We use a bandana (the ones made specifically for babies that tie at the back)for both our kids when we go out the bikes as the normal hats tend to fly off. My 17 month old generally can't get it off if it's tied on well and my 3.5 year old likes to look like a pirate so no prob. Unfortunately there is no brim so you need lots of sun-screen or simply persist with the normal brimmed hats, but..oh yeah... I remember now, I have seen the bandana with the brim too- will have to go out and buy a couple.

@parissienne...

If you think your baby might like to stay covered a bit himself and if you sew or know someone who does, you can sew a sleave-less sleeping bag made from an old sheet that he can sleep in safely. My little one has one her nanna made for her and it is enough to keep her covered during warm nights, but something she won't roast in.

We have been really lucky so far this spring/summer. For the last 5 years June has been really unbearably hot, but this year it's been very pleasant and we have been getting a lot of rain which takes the edge off. In the past we have always used the baby pool(in a shady corner of the yard) to cool down and trips to shady parks/playgrounds, but you know what the major problem is here in Summer? The freakin mosquitos- really have to be careful which parks you go too as most are infested big time.

[paola]

Oh I just realised you are all probably horrified that littles go on the bikes (well they go on the back of the bikes with us)without bike helmets, but remember this is Italy here and no one wants to mess up their 'dos'. Seriously helmets on motor bikes have only recently been made compulsory and I do not believe we will ever see the day that bike-helmets will be too- too many older people use bikes as theri sole form of transport. Actually now Noah wears a helmet and he even prefers it to the pirate look.

[Marie]

I remember a story on NPR last year about clothing with SPF. Apparently the cloth is treated with the same "brighteners" that are now found in many liquid laundry detergents. After a number of washings in these detergents (I can't remember how many - maybe 10?) regular clothes had the same SPF as many clothes marketed for their SPF.

@parisienne mais presque - We try our hardest to not use AC in our Chicago apartment. We do what alex suggested with fans - we have several, and have figured out which windows to open and have fans in based on our cooling breezes from the west. The second half of keeping the place cool is closing everything (windows and shades) before the outside temp is warmer than inside. So some mornings I'm closing everything by 10am. It's dark inside, but cool. And we try to be outside as much as possible!

[BabyBrady]

Is it possible a sunscreen allergy would cause hives? My little guy has been having hives on and off for over a week and the doctor insists it is fine to just keep giving him Benadryl (which I HATE doing). The only new thing he was exposed to was sunblock. I am going nuts trying to select a brand that might not irritate him. I also suspect the hives are just simply from the heat.

So we basically stay indoors (here in DC) until around 4pm. No fun for anyone but until I determine where the hives are from we stay inside in the heat.