Simple mistake parents make during a heatwave could be deadly for your child
We've all got our children's best interests at heart but efforts to protect them could be putting them in danger
Scotland is edging ever closer to the possibility of a heatwave, as a blast of hot weather and sunshine arrives in the UK this weekend. The Met Office has even gone as far as to issue a yellow health warning for much of England.
For Scots, if Thursday and Sunday in particular play ball with high temperatures, we could establish an official heatwave of our own, too. This is when Scotland enjoys consistent mercury on or over 25C for three days in a row.
However, while parents and children are frolicking in the sea, building sand castles in the beach, or playing in the garden, there is one simple mistake they could make in the heatwave that could be deadly for their children.
A recent piece from Netmums has warned against the common practice of covering your baby's pram with a blanket or muslin on sunny days. Experts warn that this can lead to dangerously high temperatures inside the pram.
You may do it to shield your wee ones from the sun or help them nap, but a covered pram can heat up like an oven in minutes, putting your baby at serious risk of overheating or even heatstroke.
The Lullaby Trust charity warns that doing so could raise the risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS).
To illustrate the danger, childcare provider Sophie Campbell conducted an experiment using a thermometer and a child's doll. In a Facebook post, she explained how the temperature inside a covered pram or pushchair can rise.
She dressed the doll, named Dolly, with factor 50, 5* UVA sunscreen, a drink for hydration, and a sun hat. Despite these precautions, she decided to cover Dolly with a blanket for shade and placed a thermometer inside.
The temperature in the buggy started at 35C, but after just 12 minutes, it rose to 45C, and after another 15 minutes, it crept up to an alarming 50C.
The gravity of the situation was clear for all to see, and Sophie used the example to urge parents to think again when using blankets for shade, as the potential consequences for a real child are horrendous.
What's more, a cover can also hamper with a parent's ability to see their child therefore making it difficult for them to check on their tot or monitor their temperature.
So, what is the alternative?
The organisation advises using a clip-on sunshade or parasol for a pram or buggy.
Svante Norgren, a paediatrician at a children's hospital in Stocklholm, threw weight behind the advice, telling Swedish newspaper Svenska Dagbladet: "It gets extremely hot down in the pram, something like a thermos.
"There is also bad circulation of the air and it is hard to see the baby with a cover over the pram."
Sophie went on: "It doesn't matter what you put over the top, a muslin, blanket or towel, the results will all be similar, and the outcome could be horrendous.
'Still to this day, I see babies/children in pushchairs on very sunny and hot days with blankets draped over them to block the sun and heat out."
She ended with a final plea to parents, adding: "Please do not do this."
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