A CHILDCARE expert has warned that sheltering your baby from the sun with a blanket could quickly become fatal.
Sophie Campbell conducted a harrowing experiment showing why it's an awful idea – and it's enough to leave anyone shaken up.
Posting on her Facebook page, childcare expert Sophie Campbell conducted an experiment using a doll toy to highlight how quickly buggies heat up underneath even the lightest blankets.
She wrote: "I know this subject has been posted many a times but still to this day, I see babies and children in pushchairs on very sunny and hot days with blankets draped over them to block the sun and heat out.
"Please do not do this.
"Today I did an experiment with my [baby doll] in her pushchair, to be able to show what actually happens to the temperature."
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To begin with, Campbell popped a thermometer in the uncovered buggy – and it was already a sweltering 35 degrees.
For the purpose of the experiment, the professional nanny then covered the buggy in a blanket and checked the thermometer again 12 minutes later.
She continued: "The temperature had risen to 45 degrees!! Another 15 minutes later we were pushing onto nearly 50 degrees.
"All I can say is, thank goodness Dolly is a dolly. Please, please think before you do this to an actual child as the thought of the outcome is just unbearable.
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"Please share the life out of this post to reach people who may not know how severe doing this could be!"
Dr Rahul Chodhari, from the Royal College of Paediatrics, previously told Fabulous that parents should avoid going out during the hottest part of the day and to only cover prams with light, thin materials.
He said: "Generally a cover isn't a risk if it's thin, mesh material. Light synthetic meshes are slightly better than darker colours
"The highest risk of overheating is between 11am and 3pm, which is when the sun is at its strongest.
"When NHS England has declared a heatwave warning, and there are three levels of this, a level-three warning is when we expect significant dehydration.
"That is the time I would say parents need to be careful and avoid going out between 11am and 3pm."
How to keep kids cool in the heat:
If someone has heat exhaustion there are things you can do to stop it turning into sunstroke.
The NHS says that the first thing to do is to move them to somewhere cool.
This could be inside and out of the sun and into the shade.
You should then get them to lie down and raise their feet slightly.
It's crucial that they replace fluids in their system to give them plenty of water and you can also use water sprays to cool them down.
If you're trying to keep your kids cool the NHS states the following:
- Playing in a paddling pool is a good way of keeping babies and children cool. Keep the pool in the shade during very hot weather and supervise the children carefully at all times
- Run them a cool bath before bedtime
- Keep your child's bedroom cool during the day by closing blinds or curtains. You can also use a fan to circulate the air in the room
- Keep nightwear and bedclothes to a minimum. If your baby kicks or pushes off the covers during the night, consider putting them in just a nappy with a single well-secured sheet that will not work loose and cover their face or get entangled during the night
- A nursery thermometer will help you monitor the temperature of your baby's room. Your baby will sleep most comfortably when their room is between 16C and 20C
Source: NHS England
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