Babies and children need to be watched carefully during hot weather.
Babies and children sweat less, reducing their ability to cool down, and they generate more heat during exercise than adults.
They are at higher risk of overheating and developing a heat-related illness. Heat can also make existing illnesses worse.
During hot weather, it’s important your child has enough fluids.
To ensure your child is having enough fluids:
An important way to keep your child healthy in the heat is making sure they are cool.
To help keep children cool, dress them in light, loose clothing.
You can also protect them from the sun with a broad-brimmed hat and sunscreen.
Keeping the environment your child is in cool helps protect them from the heat.
To keep them cool:
If you visit public places, be sure to physically distance and practise good hygiene to protect yourself from COVID-19. Learn how to stay safe in the heat during COVID-19.
Try to keep your children inside, particularly during the hottest parts of the day (between 11am and 5pm). Plan your activities for early morning, late afternoon or evening.
If you must go out, protect your child’s skin from the sun by keeping them in the shade or covering with loose clothing and a broad-brimmed hat. You can also use small amounts of sunscreen with a minimum SPF 30+ on skin which cannot be covered.
If your child does a lot of outdoor activities and exercise, take regular breaks and provide plenty of fluids.
Never leave babies, children or pets alone in a car, not even for a moment. Babies and children can overheat very quickly in cars.
The temperature inside a parked car can be 30-40 degrees Celsius hotter than outside the car. Most of the temperature increase occurs within five minutes of closing the car and having the windows down 5 cm causes only a very slight decrease in temperature.
Never cover a baby capsule in the car with a blanket, towel or baby wrap as this will restrict air moving around the baby, making them hotter. Use sunshades on windows instead.
When planning a longer car journey, try to travel in the cooler hours of the day, dress your child lightly and provide plenty of cool water during the journey.
An enclosed pram can get very hot. Try to ensure that the air circulates around your baby by removing the back panel or placing them in a more open stroller.
Only cover your baby’s pram or stroller with a light cloth that still allows the air to circulate.
If your child seems unwell during hot weather, please seek medical advice immediately.
The Food Authority has information on how to maintain food safety for children in hot weather.