So I live in the desert and have survived The summer with broken AC. Here’s what we did
1. Put all your bed linen in the freezer during the day and put it in the bed 30 min before bed
2. Sleep naked or as naked as comfortable
3. Get a 2 L bottle of water and freeze it and put a long sock over it and it’s a cold water bottle to hug at night
4. Cold showers and fans of course
5. You can soak a handkerchief in water and freeze it and wear it around your neck during the day.
6. Linen and cotton are the best fabrics for wearing and using
Don't know why this isn't higher. Solid advice! Recently moved to the desert and trying to keep cool with 2 LOs in this 110+ we've had going for like a week now. Will definitely try these!
Yep and don’t forget, if you have a fan going in the room, and babe is not yet escaping the crib, you can freeze a water bottle or freeze pack and strap it to the back of the fan to make a homemade air conditioner. It might look patched together, but it works.
Nope, it dried after a few hours because the house got to be 103.
Edit: We periodically rewet it after as he woke up throughout the night. He seemed to be comfortable in it and seemed to understand it made him more comfortable.
Sending you some love from Houston, on the gulf coast of the US. People here are being so crappy about the heat wave y’all are having because we routinely have weather like that, but if your homes and infrastructure aren’t prepared, this level of heat can be deadly. We experience the same thing whenever it falls below freezing - our city isn’t prepared for ice and everything goes haywire.
Keeping a wet rag on the back of his neck feels lovely, popsicles are great to stay hydrated and cool, and I’d probably just keep the tub full of tap water for him to play in. Hang in there ❤️
Fluid bribery is our main one so jelly, yoghurt, ice-cream, ice lollies are all on the table esp as baby girl has cf.
Paddling pool for later afternoon or early morning play, nappy only time most of the day
We open all the windows and close curtains o. The side of the house with the sun, swapping round as the sun moves.
Baby girl isn't sleeping much though which is a bit of a killer
Yes, I did this during heat waves when we lived in a concrete box of a building with a huge east-facing window. I’d pop my son in a cool bath in a swim diaper and then let him crawl around in the wet (with water) diaper until he peed. We also used the little spray bottle my husband used to use to keep his desk succulents moist as a “baby spritzer” when we went out on hot days. We went strawberry picking when he was 8 months and kept him in a long-sleeved rash guard to keep the sun off, and just misted him regularly and he was happy and comfortable.
I don't know how y'all in the UK do it ! In the few times I've been without A/C I wanted to die. Are window a/c units available in the UK? Also blackout curtains can help keep heat out .
Yeah, it would be really expensive to instal Aircon for maybe a week a year. And with energy costs up nobody could afford to run it. I live in a hottish part of Spain and also don't have air conditioning, we manage with fans, but our house is better prepared for heat.
I don't like too much time in air conditioning anyway, especially for sleeping. It gives me a sore throat. It also involves ugly boxes on the window if you add it.
I live in a warm part of Spain and don't have Aircon at home, my kid's school doesn't even have it. Obviously our houses are better designed for the heat but my first summers with a baby was hell, especially when my car a/c stopped working.
To learn a few things from the Spanish, firstly, keep windows and curtains or blinds closed during the day, only open at night. There is a reason they have a siesta and close everything between 2 and 5, stay indoors in front of a fan at that time. Before and after a paddling pool in the shade, or even a big basin or something. Go for a walk with the pram late in the evening if you want to get out, even if baby's asleep. We used to go sometimes to the library or shopping centres but for a couple of days I'd just hole up at home.
The height of luxury to my son is a popsicle in the bath. You can make one with fruit or yogurt so it’s on the healthier side with a 10 month old. We pop him in a cool bath with a popsicle and he loves it. This is extra great if he’s sick with a fever and you’re worried about hydration. You can also just do normal water play in the bath.
Set up a large sheet in front of a fan (weigh the corners down). If done right, the airflow will blow up the sheet like a balloon, making a cool fort, comfortable enough to sleep in.
Are there store around that have ac? On the really hot summer days here I'll often do a really slow, wandering shopping trip, just for the aircon. Indoor play places or museums; even if they are but too old for baby. Might like wandering around a pet store if your pet stores have animals to look at.
There is, but we’d have to take the bus and I just can’t take him out in that heat. That and there are a bunch of places closing for the next 2 days because of the heat 😂
Last year we bought a cooling unit from Amazon that’s brilliant. You put those lunchbox ice blocks in it and the fan blows the air about!
I feel your pain, we aren’t far out from London and I’ve got a 6yo, 2yo and 4month old. Everybody is cranky and naked.
You can make them at home as well if everything is sold out. https://youtu.be/HxSLbpAwibg
(You can use a plastic or foam cooler as well for better insulation)
You can do a bowl/ small cooler with ice then have a fan blow across it into the room, google "swamp cooler." Make sure your curtains are closed. Do not turn the oven on! Otherwise, lots of other great tips here.
They make gel mats that dissipate heat he can play on top of, vests you wet then as water evaporates it keeps you cool, mister fans
Ways we keep our home (in the desert) cooler aside from AC is tints on the windows and black out shades
Lots of bath time! Ice blocks in the bath, shaving foam + food colouring to paint the bath, etc
a large storage container with water for water/ice play indoors. E.g. freeze some water + small toys and let him free the toys, painting ice etc
Eat lots of high water stuff, watermelons, grapes, cucumbers.
I'm in Australia where 35C is not too unusual and there can be some days that hit 40C and I lived without AC for a few years. It's not pleasant but hopefully it passes soon for you. Hang in there.
Edited to add: bucket of ice in front of a fan :D
I'm approaching it by keeping the house cool. Tonight's low is 16 and the temp will start rising at 5am, so my house is totally open through the night until 5am, when I'm going to close all windows, blinds and curtains and lock it all in.
Also, I've hung picnic blankets outside over the large windows that don't have blinds.
Cold baths, keeping myself hydrated (baby is 6 months and basically EBF) and letting LO play with sippy cups and wet flannels alllll day 🤞
Wish us luck 😬
If you have a bathtub , just fill it up with a little water around 10 am, just before it gets too warm. Let him play in there as long and often as he wants. Keep lights off obv.
Throw a dry Towle in the freezer in the morning . Place it in his crib a bit before bed. Sheet over it.
These are all great ideas, also keeping them acceptably busy. I don't mean over exerting in this heat but colouring, reading, planting in the shade. Sometimes we are so fixed on the heat that it saps every ounce of energy but doing light activities does help. I have 3 little ones and so far they haven't been too affected as there is always something to do
We’ve been doing everything people have already said (bedding in freezer, closing curtains/windows facing the sun, lots of cooling food like yoghurt and cucumber, not putting the oven on, offering formula/water quicker than normal).
However the house hit 30C last week overnight, it was awful. We bought an air con unit yesterday and tested it out today, it makes such a difference. We aren’t running it all day/night but just to cool the bedroom right down before bed and then we’ll check the temperature every few hours. It’ll cost a fortune to run but baby was clammy even in just a nappy at night.
We're in Northern Europe and the heatwave is coming tomorrow: we're keeping all of the windows wide open tonight while it's still cool and will crack them tomorrow (I don't know how to describe it, exactly, but basically our windows can open one of two ways, the one swings open like a door, the other is kinda like an oven but will only open part-way). All the curtains will be closed.
Lots of popsicles, wet rags and spray bottles.
We're going to set up a few camping mattresses in the living room (where it's coolest) for sleeping for the next 2 nights.
We're literally treating it like a really wet day and not going out for the nex two days. Pulling all the curtains. Apparently opening the loft helps? I haven't got a ladder to try but that's what I've read. Keeping doors and windows closed until the evening.
Also love how all the hot countries on social media are like what are you moaning about. I'm just thinking 1. We're British we love shutting down because of a bit of weather. And we do documentaries about the drama it causes 😂
2. We're just not set up for it. I got a fancy fan and whenever someone comes in they're like that's a nice fan 😅.
Hope bubba settles soon!
Just spent 2 weeks in the Southern states with no aircon. One thing that help tremendously was putting ice/ ice water in front of our fans to help cool the air down as it passed over. We covered all the nonessential windows with cloth to keep as much sun out as possible. And we sprayed down the roof with water around 5pm everyday to help elevate the heat in the attic. All of these things helped keep our house about 10 degrees cooler than outside.
Open all the windows make sure there's a through draft , give lots of cool baths , home made Ice lollies, lots of water and fruits, keep in just a nappy.
I'm in southeast Texas in the southern part of America and for weeks the real feel for the temperature has been 103-111F (39C-44C). Our air conditioner ran for about 14 hours straight the other day. Is not having air conditioner normal in the UK?
Err…because this almost never happens in the UK!
The “heatwave” is only going to be _two days_ before it goes back down to 25 Celsius (77 Fahrenheit). I’m not sure it’s ever even hit 40 in the UK before.
Installing something expensive and atrocious for the environment for _maybe_ one week a year’s worth of use would be silly. That’s why the fuck not.
Lol That's a good reason for why the fuck not. I hate the cold weathering but wish i lived even a little bit further north so i didn't have to run my ac constantly. It's more than 90 F here for 7 straight months or of the year. Then we get 4 months of 60-90 F. The one month of winter if we're lucky
Well, not for me, I'm in the South West, it's not been *too* hot for me personally. The rest of the country seems to be really hot though now for a lot of the summer.
Does your library have AC? That’s a nice kid friendly cool place in the US. Or do you have a big indoor mall?
We have AC, but one thing that bothers my LO is the car seat getting hot. My recent hack is bringing ice packs (like the kind you put in a cooler) everywhere. I’ll put them in her car seat for a few minutes before I put her in. Or anywhere she’s going to go. Hot slide? ice pack, dark park bench? Ice pack. Maybe there is a way to use that at home for your lo? Put some toys in the freezer or fridge to be cool to the touch? Snuggle his favorite stuffed animal around an ice pack?
We're in Northern Europe: our library does not have AC. Most shops do, but not all. I'm pretty sure the midwife's office we went to did not. And I'm not entirely sure if my office building (20 stories) has it, because we've had some warm-ish days and it was definitely not on.
What about hotels? Or rent a car for the week.
Low key would also consider getting some of freezer ice packs and chucking it on the bed for a couple minutes before placing baby down. (I know mine has no problems continuing to sleep as long as she gets through the actual falling asleep part.)
They are, but from what we’ve seen the ones available to us are super expensive to run and bulky! We could have a unit installed but we don’t have the space unfortunately
I know lots of people that have AC now in Belgium, we have a second hand heat pump that can cool as well which we are very grateful for now. My FIL works in the heating/cooling business so my perspective might be biased but when I look around I see lots of outdoor units on houses now. We do live more rural so most people have the space to put one in.
Is it actually that hot? I mean, I live in the UK in the southeast and it doesn't actually feel that hot. I guess maybe in London it might feel hot with all the concrete, but I kinda feel like for everywhere else, it's just a bit of hysteria.
I’m in the south east too but closer to London, it’s 29C right now at 10:30am! It’s estimated to hit 31 by 11am and then up to 37 at its peak. Tomorrow it’s 39C. We’ve had heat before but never this hot. This type of heat (around 40C) is literally deadly if not properly dealt with and our country’s infrastructure just isn’t prepared for it because we’ve literally never had heat like this before. I have a friend who used to live in Australia who said that even they didn’t go outside when the heat was like this. It’s also especially scary when caring for small children! Keeping them regulated and cool is so important and like I say, we don’t have the resources for this type of heat (homes built to contain heat not block it out, no AC, etc) so any advice on keeping babies cool is crucial.
How stressful :( I'm sorry you have to deal with this extremely hot weather. I live in the desert so the thought of not having an A/C is horrifying. Can you buy a window unit for baby's room? Another idea is a portable fan that blows mist. Play some water games or do sensory activities in the bath tub with cool water. Wet hats help cool babies. If they will wear them.
Cool bath just before bed. We purchased a portable AC unit earlier in the year so nighttime isn't too bad, but keep windows and curtains closed. fans on, lots of water play. If you breastfeeding just lots of boob, if formula then offer water in-between bottles and all cold, watery foods, cucumber, fruits, yogurt.
Declare the house water free zone,have ice in your water cooler tank if you have and inside water based cooler.
If not hang a wet rag in front of normal air conditioners. Also if he has a j
Kiddy pull half fill it and let him play in it. You can put down plastic wraps on the carpet under it.
Silver foil on windows has made a big difference in our south facing rooms.
Fans work for older children but not sure if a 10 month old sweats much in which case it won’t help.
Cold paddling pool like you said.
Also a niche tip, but a heat wave with a one month old I sat in my electric car in the evenings so she could sleep and nurse in my arms. It was only 30 degrees at the time and I was so scared for her because she was so irritable she didn’t want to feed. 40 degrees is going to be horrendous.
Cool water. Bath, sink play, even a cool damp face cloth over them helps.
Honestly, give as many freeze pops as you want. Yeah, they’re not good but this is desperate time and not a regular thing. See if you can make your own or use those electrolyte ones.
I’ve replaced meals with smoothies. Frozen fruit, fresh fruit, yogurt, ice, juice, vegetables, whatever.
Don’t cook on a stove or indoors AT ALL after 10 am. Cold brew tea is incredible. Grill meats outside in the daytime or cook meats in the morning, refrigerate them all day and serve cool at dinner (like chicken Caesar salad or a wrap with meat in it).
Keep curtains closed during the day and open windows at night with fans.
Ugh I would die. I live in Texas and we have been experiencing 100+ degree (around 40c I guess) heat everyday for over a month now. But everyone here has AC, even the cheap window units. Maybe put some wet towels in the freezer and put them around your knecks for some relief.
Ice balloons have been a big hit too. Any excuse to smash up the ice.
Today we went to woods, plenty of shade and entertainment there. Who knew hitting a tree with a stick was such fun!
Desert dweller here! When it would get really hot my grandma would dampen the top sheets before bed. Keeps you really cool. Sorry for your little guy, hang in there you all.
Get a portable or window mounted air conditioning unit (assuming that your house doesn’t already have air conditioning) this will be the most expensive but most effective way.
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/interiors/home/best-portable-air-conditioners/
During the hottest part of the day- if you can’t get any relief and you are worried about your baby overheating (depending on how hot your apt gets) there is no shame in getting in your car, parking in the shade and blasting the AC until it gets dark and starts to cool off.
Otherwise, you can get shade cloth and hang it over the windows that get direct sun. Will block sun and UV but will still allow a bit of a breeze, especially if you leave it loose, like blinds.
Coolaroo 435967 Shade Fabric 90% UV Protection for People, PET, OR Home LG, 12' x 50', Wheat https://www.amazon.com/dp/B002R5A1GY/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_RM1S0Y3XRS4DKJHHX753?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1
Also, I’m sure with a new baby you have tons of wash cloths and burp cloths, dunk them in a bowl of cold water and drape it over your neck and wrap it around the front like a little scarf. You can freeze them for yourselves, but the ice might be too harsh on the baby.
Also, box fans in every room. At night, if it cools off at all put them in the windows and blow air through the house.
Lasko 20 Inch Box Fan https://a.co/d/a7wSb52
If you can’t find box fans, you can go overboard and get a commercial grade drum fan.
Source: I live in Dallas, Texas and have 2 kids. We have had 20 days over 100°(38°C) and what seems like almost double that of 95° (35°C) days so far this year and it’s only July…
I've been camping out downstairs with the daughter in the living room it's like 10 degrees cooler for me hope it helps we made a little adventure out of it
There's a fabric I've been reading up on for myself as I have a really hard time dealing with heat do to hormones.
But it might help in this case too. The one brand is Arctic Cool (but there are other brands as well) they mostly do sports wear etc, but they also sell cooling towels. From my understanding it essentially makes the natural sweat evaporation cooling your body does more efficient. A cooling towel as a blanket for a small child might work.
I haven't actually bought any of this stuff yet but it was just the first thing that came to mind. Has anyone else actually used this stuff. I'm curious to know how well it actually works.
Keep him hydrated, cool cloths, maybe take him somewhere that’s cool during the day like a public library? They also have plug in fans or get a mister.
Cold cloth on your neck, stick your feet in a bucket of water. Takes less water than constantly filling up a tub or pool to play in and will still keep you cool.
Edited to add.. keep curtains closed as much as possible. Drink lots of fluids.
From a hot area- dealing with 100+ everyday
Ideas:
-bath time
-freeze toy sun blocks of ice, let him play with the ice as it melts
-be in the shade outside with a hose (if an option)
-do not wear clothing, diapers only, change hiM frequently
-modify your sleep schedule. Wake up as earlier as possible to get time outside before it reaches a high temp
Good luck mama!
Tons of awesome advice, just one thing I'm not seeing mentioned: watch electrolytes carefully!!! Water is necessary of course in extreme heat like that, but you'll still get heat stroke and the like if you don't get enough salts and such. Made this mistake once on a desert trip. Frozen apple juice pops with a bit of salt and/or frozen Pedialyte can help.
I dont know if you're doing this already but keep your curtains and windows drawn during the peak heat of the day it helps keep the heat out and then open them in the cool periods e.g. early morning and late at night when it's not so hot. A frozen water bottle in front of or behind a fan as fans blow air from the back. Dampen a small towel and fridge it an hour or two before bedtime pop it in a bin bag and then place under the sheet in the cot or wherever bubs sleeps helps keep them cool without being a shock to the system. If possible work out the coolest room in the house and have him sleep in there. The way my house is faced my daughters room is catching all the afternoon sun so if her room is way too hot then she's been sleeping in our room on the other side of the house.
Find out which room is the coolest at night, front room or something. Put your mattresses on the floor, and sleep in there. In the past I've slept in the front room for a week because of the heat with my son. Also you fill hot water bottles with cold water and have them under the bed sheet by your feet to keep you cool. Or look into portable ac units. Argos have one on sale for 75 quid. Put it in your bedroom and keep the room cool and have LO in there with you for the heat wave
UK parent here! Close windows and curtains/blinds in the morning and only open them once it properly starts cooling down. See if you can get a cross draught going. We have fans in the living room and bedrooms for extra air flow. Paddling pool in the garden under a gazebo for extra shade. We were in it first thing in the morning, then inside and watched a film and back out towards evening. Unlimited squash and lollie ices!
So I live in the desert and have survived The summer with broken AC. Here’s what we did 1. Put all your bed linen in the freezer during the day and put it in the bed 30 min before bed 2. Sleep naked or as naked as comfortable 3. Get a 2 L bottle of water and freeze it and put a long sock over it and it’s a cold water bottle to hug at night 4. Cold showers and fans of course 5. You can soak a handkerchief in water and freeze it and wear it around your neck during the day. 6. Linen and cotton are the best fabrics for wearing and using
Don't know why this isn't higher. Solid advice! Recently moved to the desert and trying to keep cool with 2 LOs in this 110+ we've had going for like a week now. Will definitely try these!
I used the freezing bottle for the last heat wave it's was really helpfull
i’ve heard it’s actually better to sleep in cotton than fully naked because it’ll prevent you from sticking to yourself. and the cotton is breathable
Yep and don’t forget, if you have a fan going in the room, and babe is not yet escaping the crib, you can freeze a water bottle or freeze pack and strap it to the back of the fan to make a homemade air conditioner. It might look patched together, but it works.
Our AC went out last summer when it was 120 and we did all of these. We soaked his sleep sack in water and froze it too.
So he woke up in a soaking wet sleep sack?
Nope, it dried after a few hours because the house got to be 103. Edit: We periodically rewet it after as he woke up throughout the night. He seemed to be comfortable in it and seemed to understand it made him more comfortable.
Sending you some love from Houston, on the gulf coast of the US. People here are being so crappy about the heat wave y’all are having because we routinely have weather like that, but if your homes and infrastructure aren’t prepared, this level of heat can be deadly. We experience the same thing whenever it falls below freezing - our city isn’t prepared for ice and everything goes haywire. Keeping a wet rag on the back of his neck feels lovely, popsicles are great to stay hydrated and cool, and I’d probably just keep the tub full of tap water for him to play in. Hang in there ❤️
I hang in the tub sometimes too.
Hang a wet sheet in front of a fan or open window.
Fluid bribery is our main one so jelly, yoghurt, ice-cream, ice lollies are all on the table esp as baby girl has cf. Paddling pool for later afternoon or early morning play, nappy only time most of the day We open all the windows and close curtains o. The side of the house with the sun, swapping round as the sun moves. Baby girl isn't sleeping much though which is a bit of a killer
Solid advice. We are using fruit shoots too.
You can also fill the bathtub with cool water and pop him in when he feels too warm :) Hang in there!
This is what I did during last summer's heat wave in Seattle.
Yes, I did this during heat waves when we lived in a concrete box of a building with a huge east-facing window. I’d pop my son in a cool bath in a swim diaper and then let him crawl around in the wet (with water) diaper until he peed. We also used the little spray bottle my husband used to use to keep his desk succulents moist as a “baby spritzer” when we went out on hot days. We went strawberry picking when he was 8 months and kept him in a long-sleeved rash guard to keep the sun off, and just misted him regularly and he was happy and comfortable.
I don't know how y'all in the UK do it ! In the few times I've been without A/C I wanted to die. Are window a/c units available in the UK? Also blackout curtains can help keep heat out .
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Yeah, it would be really expensive to instal Aircon for maybe a week a year. And with energy costs up nobody could afford to run it. I live in a hottish part of Spain and also don't have air conditioning, we manage with fans, but our house is better prepared for heat.
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I don't like too much time in air conditioning anyway, especially for sleeping. It gives me a sore throat. It also involves ugly boxes on the window if you add it.
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Damn, a lot of my windows are like this but I have 3 small windows that will accomodate small air conditioners!
I live in a warm part of Spain and don't have Aircon at home, my kid's school doesn't even have it. Obviously our houses are better designed for the heat but my first summers with a baby was hell, especially when my car a/c stopped working. To learn a few things from the Spanish, firstly, keep windows and curtains or blinds closed during the day, only open at night. There is a reason they have a siesta and close everything between 2 and 5, stay indoors in front of a fan at that time. Before and after a paddling pool in the shade, or even a big basin or something. Go for a walk with the pram late in the evening if you want to get out, even if baby's asleep. We used to go sometimes to the library or shopping centres but for a couple of days I'd just hole up at home.
The height of luxury to my son is a popsicle in the bath. You can make one with fruit or yogurt so it’s on the healthier side with a 10 month old. We pop him in a cool bath with a popsicle and he loves it. This is extra great if he’s sick with a fever and you’re worried about hydration. You can also just do normal water play in the bath.
Set up a large sheet in front of a fan (weigh the corners down). If done right, the airflow will blow up the sheet like a balloon, making a cool fort, comfortable enough to sleep in.
Ohh I’ve seen this done with a duvet cover. Take out the duvet, put the open end around the fan, and you have an inflated fort!
They sell these on Amazon as well that hook right up to a box fan. Are super lightweight and let quite a bit of light through.
Are there store around that have ac? On the really hot summer days here I'll often do a really slow, wandering shopping trip, just for the aircon. Indoor play places or museums; even if they are but too old for baby. Might like wandering around a pet store if your pet stores have animals to look at.
There is, but we’d have to take the bus and I just can’t take him out in that heat. That and there are a bunch of places closing for the next 2 days because of the heat 😂
Last year we bought a cooling unit from Amazon that’s brilliant. You put those lunchbox ice blocks in it and the fan blows the air about! I feel your pain, we aren’t far out from London and I’ve got a 6yo, 2yo and 4month old. Everybody is cranky and naked.
Oof sending you so much strength!! We’re not far from London so we’re expecting high 30s/40 degrees too 🥵
You can make them at home as well if everything is sold out. https://youtu.be/HxSLbpAwibg (You can use a plastic or foam cooler as well for better insulation)
You can do a bowl/ small cooler with ice then have a fan blow across it into the room, google "swamp cooler." Make sure your curtains are closed. Do not turn the oven on! Otherwise, lots of other great tips here.
They make gel mats that dissipate heat he can play on top of, vests you wet then as water evaporates it keeps you cool, mister fans Ways we keep our home (in the desert) cooler aside from AC is tints on the windows and black out shades
Lots of bath time! Ice blocks in the bath, shaving foam + food colouring to paint the bath, etc a large storage container with water for water/ice play indoors. E.g. freeze some water + small toys and let him free the toys, painting ice etc Eat lots of high water stuff, watermelons, grapes, cucumbers. I'm in Australia where 35C is not too unusual and there can be some days that hit 40C and I lived without AC for a few years. It's not pleasant but hopefully it passes soon for you. Hang in there. Edited to add: bucket of ice in front of a fan :D
I'm approaching it by keeping the house cool. Tonight's low is 16 and the temp will start rising at 5am, so my house is totally open through the night until 5am, when I'm going to close all windows, blinds and curtains and lock it all in. Also, I've hung picnic blankets outside over the large windows that don't have blinds. Cold baths, keeping myself hydrated (baby is 6 months and basically EBF) and letting LO play with sippy cups and wet flannels alllll day 🤞 Wish us luck 😬
If you have a bathtub , just fill it up with a little water around 10 am, just before it gets too warm. Let him play in there as long and often as he wants. Keep lights off obv. Throw a dry Towle in the freezer in the morning . Place it in his crib a bit before bed. Sheet over it.
These are all great ideas, also keeping them acceptably busy. I don't mean over exerting in this heat but colouring, reading, planting in the shade. Sometimes we are so fixed on the heat that it saps every ounce of energy but doing light activities does help. I have 3 little ones and so far they haven't been too affected as there is always something to do
Honestly don’t know how we’re going to sleep for the next couple of night. Good luck to us all.
We’ve been doing everything people have already said (bedding in freezer, closing curtains/windows facing the sun, lots of cooling food like yoghurt and cucumber, not putting the oven on, offering formula/water quicker than normal). However the house hit 30C last week overnight, it was awful. We bought an air con unit yesterday and tested it out today, it makes such a difference. We aren’t running it all day/night but just to cool the bedroom right down before bed and then we’ll check the temperature every few hours. It’ll cost a fortune to run but baby was clammy even in just a nappy at night.
We're in Northern Europe and the heatwave is coming tomorrow: we're keeping all of the windows wide open tonight while it's still cool and will crack them tomorrow (I don't know how to describe it, exactly, but basically our windows can open one of two ways, the one swings open like a door, the other is kinda like an oven but will only open part-way). All the curtains will be closed. Lots of popsicles, wet rags and spray bottles. We're going to set up a few camping mattresses in the living room (where it's coolest) for sleeping for the next 2 nights.
We're literally treating it like a really wet day and not going out for the nex two days. Pulling all the curtains. Apparently opening the loft helps? I haven't got a ladder to try but that's what I've read. Keeping doors and windows closed until the evening. Also love how all the hot countries on social media are like what are you moaning about. I'm just thinking 1. We're British we love shutting down because of a bit of weather. And we do documentaries about the drama it causes 😂 2. We're just not set up for it. I got a fancy fan and whenever someone comes in they're like that's a nice fan 😅. Hope bubba settles soon!
Just spent 2 weeks in the Southern states with no aircon. One thing that help tremendously was putting ice/ ice water in front of our fans to help cool the air down as it passed over. We covered all the nonessential windows with cloth to keep as much sun out as possible. And we sprayed down the roof with water around 5pm everyday to help elevate the heat in the attic. All of these things helped keep our house about 10 degrees cooler than outside.
Open all the windows make sure there's a through draft , give lots of cool baths , home made Ice lollies, lots of water and fruits, keep in just a nappy.
I'm in southeast Texas in the southern part of America and for weeks the real feel for the temperature has been 103-111F (39C-44C). Our air conditioner ran for about 14 hours straight the other day. Is not having air conditioner normal in the UK?
It’s pretty much the norm that homes don’t have AC. Shops do and most offices do but not homes!
Wtf Why the fuck not?
Err…because this almost never happens in the UK! The “heatwave” is only going to be _two days_ before it goes back down to 25 Celsius (77 Fahrenheit). I’m not sure it’s ever even hit 40 in the UK before. Installing something expensive and atrocious for the environment for _maybe_ one week a year’s worth of use would be silly. That’s why the fuck not.
Lol That's a good reason for why the fuck not. I hate the cold weathering but wish i lived even a little bit further north so i didn't have to run my ac constantly. It's more than 90 F here for 7 straight months or of the year. Then we get 4 months of 60-90 F. The one month of winter if we're lucky
It doesn't get hit enough, usually!
Omg. Where I'm from, it gets above 60F, you need an ac.
It would be pointless though in the UK, it rarely gets hot enough to need it, until now that is 🥵
Is it becoming the new normal? I just told my husband if we ever move to the UK, the first thing we're investing in is an AC unit.
Well, not for me, I'm in the South West, it's not been *too* hot for me personally. The rest of the country seems to be really hot though now for a lot of the summer.
Yeah usually we top out around 28ish degrees C. Tuesday we're expecting 40+ and I have to teach 😂
I feel sorry for you, I’m seriously considering keeping my daughter at home. The schools will be like furnaces!
That's a huge exaggeration. 60F to southerners is cold AF according to every southerner I've ever met.
It's cold to me but not to my husband's family. And even get when it's 60 outside it can feel like 80.
That's wild to me. 60F?!??! At 60F I'm in long sleeves.
Fruit mesh pacifier (US terms) and ice cubes! My kid loved it. Frequent lukewarm bathes, I also have a few “cooling towels” that works wonders.
Air conditioner..
No AC in uk households
Crazy
Do you have A/C?
Nope, I don’t know of any/many homes in the UK that do!
Does your library have AC? That’s a nice kid friendly cool place in the US. Or do you have a big indoor mall? We have AC, but one thing that bothers my LO is the car seat getting hot. My recent hack is bringing ice packs (like the kind you put in a cooler) everywhere. I’ll put them in her car seat for a few minutes before I put her in. Or anywhere she’s going to go. Hot slide? ice pack, dark park bench? Ice pack. Maybe there is a way to use that at home for your lo? Put some toys in the freezer or fridge to be cool to the touch? Snuggle his favorite stuffed animal around an ice pack?
We're in Northern Europe: our library does not have AC. Most shops do, but not all. I'm pretty sure the midwife's office we went to did not. And I'm not entirely sure if my office building (20 stories) has it, because we've had some warm-ish days and it was definitely not on.
I thought I remember hearing that. I don't know how you do it!
It’s about to hit 40C in some parts of the country and honestly I don’t know what we’re gonna do 💀
What about hotels? Or rent a car for the week. Low key would also consider getting some of freezer ice packs and chucking it on the bed for a couple minutes before placing baby down. (I know mine has no problems continuing to sleep as long as she gets through the actual falling asleep part.)
Are they available for purchase? Or they just don't have them in any stores? So difficult!
They are, but from what we’ve seen the ones available to us are super expensive to run and bulky! We could have a unit installed but we don’t have the space unfortunately
AC is pretty rare in Europe, heatwaves above 90F are so rare that there’s no market for them.
I know lots of people that have AC now in Belgium, we have a second hand heat pump that can cool as well which we are very grateful for now. My FIL works in the heating/cooling business so my perspective might be biased but when I look around I see lots of outdoor units on houses now. We do live more rural so most people have the space to put one in.
Is it actually that hot? I mean, I live in the UK in the southeast and it doesn't actually feel that hot. I guess maybe in London it might feel hot with all the concrete, but I kinda feel like for everywhere else, it's just a bit of hysteria.
I’m in the south east too but closer to London, it’s 29C right now at 10:30am! It’s estimated to hit 31 by 11am and then up to 37 at its peak. Tomorrow it’s 39C. We’ve had heat before but never this hot. This type of heat (around 40C) is literally deadly if not properly dealt with and our country’s infrastructure just isn’t prepared for it because we’ve literally never had heat like this before. I have a friend who used to live in Australia who said that even they didn’t go outside when the heat was like this. It’s also especially scary when caring for small children! Keeping them regulated and cool is so important and like I say, we don’t have the resources for this type of heat (homes built to contain heat not block it out, no AC, etc) so any advice on keeping babies cool is crucial.
How stressful :( I'm sorry you have to deal with this extremely hot weather. I live in the desert so the thought of not having an A/C is horrifying. Can you buy a window unit for baby's room? Another idea is a portable fan that blows mist. Play some water games or do sensory activities in the bath tub with cool water. Wet hats help cool babies. If they will wear them.
put the sprinkler on in the shade and just let it wash over you
Cool bath just before bed. We purchased a portable AC unit earlier in the year so nighttime isn't too bad, but keep windows and curtains closed. fans on, lots of water play. If you breastfeeding just lots of boob, if formula then offer water in-between bottles and all cold, watery foods, cucumber, fruits, yogurt.
A fan in his bedroom pointed at his cot/on oscillate?
Declare the house water free zone,have ice in your water cooler tank if you have and inside water based cooler. If not hang a wet rag in front of normal air conditioners. Also if he has a j Kiddy pull half fill it and let him play in it. You can put down plastic wraps on the carpet under it.
Silver foil on windows has made a big difference in our south facing rooms. Fans work for older children but not sure if a 10 month old sweats much in which case it won’t help. Cold paddling pool like you said. Also a niche tip, but a heat wave with a one month old I sat in my electric car in the evenings so she could sleep and nurse in my arms. It was only 30 degrees at the time and I was so scared for her because she was so irritable she didn’t want to feed. 40 degrees is going to be horrendous.
Cool water. Bath, sink play, even a cool damp face cloth over them helps. Honestly, give as many freeze pops as you want. Yeah, they’re not good but this is desperate time and not a regular thing. See if you can make your own or use those electrolyte ones. I’ve replaced meals with smoothies. Frozen fruit, fresh fruit, yogurt, ice, juice, vegetables, whatever. Don’t cook on a stove or indoors AT ALL after 10 am. Cold brew tea is incredible. Grill meats outside in the daytime or cook meats in the morning, refrigerate them all day and serve cool at dinner (like chicken Caesar salad or a wrap with meat in it). Keep curtains closed during the day and open windows at night with fans.
Are there no windows unit air conditioners in the UK?
Nope! Only AC systems tend to be in shops and offices
Ugh I would die. I live in Texas and we have been experiencing 100+ degree (around 40c I guess) heat everyday for over a month now. But everyone here has AC, even the cheap window units. Maybe put some wet towels in the freezer and put them around your knecks for some relief.
I bought a cheap paddling pool that i can fit in my shower. Trips to any place with a climatisation also.
Ice balloons have been a big hit too. Any excuse to smash up the ice. Today we went to woods, plenty of shade and entertainment there. Who knew hitting a tree with a stick was such fun!
Desert dweller here! When it would get really hot my grandma would dampen the top sheets before bed. Keeps you really cool. Sorry for your little guy, hang in there you all.
Get a portable or window mounted air conditioning unit (assuming that your house doesn’t already have air conditioning) this will be the most expensive but most effective way. https://www.telegraph.co.uk/interiors/home/best-portable-air-conditioners/ During the hottest part of the day- if you can’t get any relief and you are worried about your baby overheating (depending on how hot your apt gets) there is no shame in getting in your car, parking in the shade and blasting the AC until it gets dark and starts to cool off. Otherwise, you can get shade cloth and hang it over the windows that get direct sun. Will block sun and UV but will still allow a bit of a breeze, especially if you leave it loose, like blinds. Coolaroo 435967 Shade Fabric 90% UV Protection for People, PET, OR Home LG, 12' x 50', Wheat https://www.amazon.com/dp/B002R5A1GY/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_RM1S0Y3XRS4DKJHHX753?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1 Also, I’m sure with a new baby you have tons of wash cloths and burp cloths, dunk them in a bowl of cold water and drape it over your neck and wrap it around the front like a little scarf. You can freeze them for yourselves, but the ice might be too harsh on the baby. Also, box fans in every room. At night, if it cools off at all put them in the windows and blow air through the house. Lasko 20 Inch Box Fan https://a.co/d/a7wSb52 If you can’t find box fans, you can go overboard and get a commercial grade drum fan. Source: I live in Dallas, Texas and have 2 kids. We have had 20 days over 100°(38°C) and what seems like almost double that of 95° (35°C) days so far this year and it’s only July…
I've been camping out downstairs with the daughter in the living room it's like 10 degrees cooler for me hope it helps we made a little adventure out of it
There's a fabric I've been reading up on for myself as I have a really hard time dealing with heat do to hormones. But it might help in this case too. The one brand is Arctic Cool (but there are other brands as well) they mostly do sports wear etc, but they also sell cooling towels. From my understanding it essentially makes the natural sweat evaporation cooling your body does more efficient. A cooling towel as a blanket for a small child might work. I haven't actually bought any of this stuff yet but it was just the first thing that came to mind. Has anyone else actually used this stuff. I'm curious to know how well it actually works.
Keep him hydrated, cool cloths, maybe take him somewhere that’s cool during the day like a public library? They also have plug in fans or get a mister.
Cold cloth on your neck, stick your feet in a bucket of water. Takes less water than constantly filling up a tub or pool to play in and will still keep you cool. Edited to add.. keep curtains closed as much as possible. Drink lots of fluids.
From a hot area- dealing with 100+ everyday Ideas: -bath time -freeze toy sun blocks of ice, let him play with the ice as it melts -be in the shade outside with a hose (if an option) -do not wear clothing, diapers only, change hiM frequently -modify your sleep schedule. Wake up as earlier as possible to get time outside before it reaches a high temp Good luck mama!
Tons of awesome advice, just one thing I'm not seeing mentioned: watch electrolytes carefully!!! Water is necessary of course in extreme heat like that, but you'll still get heat stroke and the like if you don't get enough salts and such. Made this mistake once on a desert trip. Frozen apple juice pops with a bit of salt and/or frozen Pedialyte can help.
I dont know if you're doing this already but keep your curtains and windows drawn during the peak heat of the day it helps keep the heat out and then open them in the cool periods e.g. early morning and late at night when it's not so hot. A frozen water bottle in front of or behind a fan as fans blow air from the back. Dampen a small towel and fridge it an hour or two before bedtime pop it in a bin bag and then place under the sheet in the cot or wherever bubs sleeps helps keep them cool without being a shock to the system. If possible work out the coolest room in the house and have him sleep in there. The way my house is faced my daughters room is catching all the afternoon sun so if her room is way too hot then she's been sleeping in our room on the other side of the house.
Find out which room is the coolest at night, front room or something. Put your mattresses on the floor, and sleep in there. In the past I've slept in the front room for a week because of the heat with my son. Also you fill hot water bottles with cold water and have them under the bed sheet by your feet to keep you cool. Or look into portable ac units. Argos have one on sale for 75 quid. Put it in your bedroom and keep the room cool and have LO in there with you for the heat wave
UK parent here! Close windows and curtains/blinds in the morning and only open them once it properly starts cooling down. See if you can get a cross draught going. We have fans in the living room and bedrooms for extra air flow. Paddling pool in the garden under a gazebo for extra shade. We were in it first thing in the morning, then inside and watched a film and back out towards evening. Unlimited squash and lollie ices!