When it’s this hot, don’t cover a stroller with a baby blanket or other cloth. Dangerous temperatures could rise risking heat stroke or worse, the life of your baby. While I remember draping a cloth over a stroller many years ago, it was only to shade from the sun, never completely covering it.
With today’s strollers there really isn’t a need to shade since most come with a stroller shade over the top. But if you want to keep flying insects that sting or bite from baby, there are several mesh options on the market specifically for baby strollers.
In an article from BabyCenter.com:
The newspaper decided to do a stroller experiment of its own, just to see what would happen. Here’s what it found:
Without a cover: The temperature inside the a stroller left out in the heat was 22 degrees Celsius (71.6 degrees Fahrenheit.)
With a thin cover: In 30 minutes, the temperature rose to 34 degrees Celsius (93.2 degrees Fahrenheit.) And after an hour, it was at 37 degrees Celsius (98.6 degrees Fahrenheit.)
Think of a baby inside a hot car without air circulation and how fast the temperatures rise to dangerous levels. It’s much like that. With a cloth totally covering a stroller, you can’t see inside to monitor the situation and air flow quickly becomes significantly restricted.
Keep your baby safe, don’t cover your stroller.
Symptoms of Heat Stroke – if you think someone has heat stroke don’t delay, call 911. Of course, with a baby they can’t tell you if they have some of these symptoms but it’s good to have this knowledge.
- Throbbing headache
- Dizziness or light-headedness
- Lack of sweating despite the heat
- Red, hot, and dry skin
- Muscle weakness, charley horse or cramps
- Nausea and vomiting
- Rapid heartbeat, strong or weak
- Rapid, shallow breathing
- Behavioral changes such as confusion, disorientation, or staggering
- Seizures
- Unconsciousness