Having a baby in any season is hard. But having a baby in the summer when it’s hot and you feel like you can’t go outside with your newborn is very hard. Summer is a time when everyone congregates outside and it can be very isolating to feel like you have to be stuck inside because you had a baby. Instead, I have compiled 12 baby summer safety tips so you can enjoy your baby’s first summer outside.
Newborns are allowed to go outside as long as proper safety precautions are put in place. Being outside can be incredibly beneficial for both you and your baby. When outside in the summer it’s important to keep your baby safe from the sun, from overheating, and from dehydration.
With my first baby, I was able to plan my summer activities around my infant, but as I had more kids I didn’t want to “punish” my older kids by making them stay inside all day. They deserve time outside even though there’s a baby in the house. So I decided to learn how to keep my baby safe during the summer. Here are the baby summer safety tips I learned as a new mom and a nurse.
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DISCLAIMER: this blog post is not medical advice. This blog post is for educational and entertaining purposes only. Always reach out to your doctor for any questions or concerns.
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Baby Summer Safety Tips
When we think about summer we often think about how to protect ourselves from the sun. The sun has harmful rays that can cause sunburn to anyone, but our babies have very sensitive skin. Babies under 6 months cannot use sunscreen! So we have to be creative to keep our babies safe while outside.
No matter the age of your baby- newborn through a year old it’s important to think about their summer sun safety. Here’s a list of 12 baby summer tips.
Choose the Shade
This one seems pretty obvious, but choosing a shaded area is a great option to help keep your baby safe during the summer. I love to find parks with trees to take my kids to so the baby and I can sit in the shade. You can also sit under gazebos or any other shade structure when out at the park.
Baby Summer Hat
Get your sweet baby a sun hat to wear to protect his/her head and face from the sun! I recommend finding a SPF sun hat to protect your baby’s skin. I love this hat and have used one similar for all my babies. I recommend starting a sunhat young so your baby gets used to wearing a hat.
Baby Sunglasses
You will want to protect your baby’s eyes while out and about during the summer (actually during any season). I recommend getting a polarized pair of sunglasses for your baby. I personally love the cocosand sunglasses from amazon. I have gotten each one of my children a pair. A big plus is the baby size has a head strap to keep them on!
Use an Umbrella
You can also use an umbrella to protect your baby from the summer sun. You can use any umbrella but I love this umbrella with a stand. You can move it around without having to dig holes in your yard. This is on my summer list of items to buy for my baby this year!
UV Protecting Clothes/Swimsuits
If your baby will be in the sun you want to dress them appropriately. You may be wondering “How to dress a newborn for summer?” Put your baby in light/cooling fabrics. You can get UV-protecting clothes to help block the UV rays from getting through your baby’s clothes. If I can’t find a UV protecting shirt I will grab a rash guard swimsuit shirt to protect my kids.
My favorite swimsuits to buy for my kids are rash guards with UV protection! It doesn’t matter if it’s for my 3-month-old or my 8-year-old, we love good rash guards especially when at the beach or the pool.
A benefit of using rash guards for summer play is you have fewer parts of your baby to put sunscreen on (when they’re over 6 months)!
Baby Girl Rash Guard I love this swimsuit for newborns or toddlers in diapers because it zips!
A Tent
To protect your baby from the summer sun there are lots of tent options! The idea of having a tent is to keep the sun off your baby’s skin.
You can use a tent like this that you would use at sporting events. This may be more difficult to set up, especially if you are alone with your kids.
There are beach tents/canopies you can use to protect your baby as well. We use one like this when we go places like a winery, the beach, parks, etc.
The good thing about tents is that more than just the baby can fit in the tent! Your whole family can fit in the shade to cool off and get out of the sun.
A Playpen or Safe Sleep Space
Your baby will most likely want to lie down while you’re out and about in the summer sun. Using a playpen like this with a UV cover can keep the sun off of them while they have room to play.
You can also get the Fisher Price dome for newborn babies to lie them down out of the sun and in a safe sleep space.
Keeping Baby Cool in Summer in the Car
During the summer heat cars get hot very fast. You’ll want to be sure to have proper airflow for your baby in the backseat. If you do not have ceiling vents in the back of your car I recommend using a noggle especially if your baby is rear-facing. The Noggle attaches to an air vent and is a soft tube that goes from the air vent to the baby to give them airflow.
When your baby is not in the car seat you can use something like the little bum coolers. This is an ice pack you freeze and then lay in your child’s car seat to keep the car seat cool while you are running errands. Before you put your baby back in the car seat remove the cooling pad.
Never leave your child in the car alone especially in the summer even if the windows are cracked. Always lock your car doors even when in the garage to prevent your kids from climbing in the car on their own and getting trapped. Children can get heat stroke very quickly when in an enclosed car in the summer.
Water Safety
A great way to keep your baby cool during the summer is to use water play. This can be with a pool, splash pad, water table, etc. When your baby is anywhere near water they need to be supervised and within arm’s reach of you.
Your newborn may not be going into water any time soon, but as your baby is getting older sitting in a kiddie pool may be something you choose to do. Always make sure you never leave your baby alone near water.
Favorite Sunscreen for Babies Over 6 Months
Once your baby is over 6 months old they can begin wearing sunscreen. Any time they’re in the sun, you want to protect their skin with sunscreen. I love mineral sunscreen because there have been studies done where the chemicals from chemical sunscreen get into your bloodstream. I only use zinc oxide based sunscreen on my babies.
My favorite sunscreen is the blue lizard sunscreen. It was recommended to me by my pediatrician and we’ve used it for years.
Other mineral based sunscreens on Amazon:
Always check the ingredients of sunscreen before purchasing to make sure it is mineral based (zinc oxide).
How to Keep Baby Cool in Summer
Staying in the shade or providing shade for your baby is a great way to help keep them cool. But when it’s 100 degrees outside even being in the shade isn’t going to cut it for keeping your baby cool. You’ll want to have a portable fan you can have blowing on your baby to keep them from overheating. They make rechargeable stroller fans on Amazon that are my favorite. There are so many uses for them!
Things Not to do for Your Baby in Summer
- Do not give your baby water, especially if they’re under 6 months old. Breast milk or formula is all they need. Offer frequent nursing sessions or bottles of formula to help keep your baby hydrated.
- Do not use a blanket or car seat cover over the stroller or car seat. It may block the sun from hitting your baby but it reduces airflow causing the temperature in the stroller/car seat to get too high (even higher than the outside temperature). Which can be very dangerous.
The Ultimate List of Baby Summer Safety Tips
I hope you found this baby summer tips list helpful as you prepare for the summer with your baby! I know it can be overwhelming as a new mom having to think about how to keep a newborn safe in the summer heat. This guide to summer sun safety is a great resource to keep in your back pocket!
Be sure to share with your friends or family who will have a baby this summer and need these summer safety tips!
Are there any other ways to keep the baby cool in summer that you use? Let me know in the comments!
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Great tips for parents heading into the summer months with babies. Keeping infants safe in the summer season is so important!
These are great tips! My youngest son is already 3 years old, but I still follow all these rules. This summer we will spend two weeks on the hot beach in Europe.
Sun in the summer is such an important thing to keep in mind. I just got myself some Think Baby.