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Why you shouldn't cover your pram with a blanket or muslin to keep the sun off of your baby.
- Dolly's adventures with little people
- Apr 20, 2018
- 2 min read
The sun has got his hat on. Hip hip hip hooray.
Finally, it feels like we have had an exceptionally long and wet winter.
With the warm weather I have noticed lots of people trying to protect their babies from the sun whilst in their prams.
Thankfully we have all come a long way from the days when people applied cooking oil to their skin in an effort to get a deeper tan. We all know that babies have very delicate skin and that sunburn in childhood increases your risk of developing skin cancer when older.
Naturally, parents want to protect their babies from the harmful rays. Most people do this by covering the opening of the pram with a muslin or blanket.
Did you know that putting a blanket or muslin on your baby’s pram is in fact quite dangerous?
Research in Sweden found that using a muslin or blanket to cover a pram could reduce air circulation and create an intense heat. When researchers measured the temperature of a covered pram it was 15 degrees hotter than the uncovered pram.
Overheating is linked to SIDS (sudden infant death syndrome) and as the baby is covered from view the parents are less likely to notice their baby becoming over heated. When babies overheat they become less responsive and so wouldn’t cry out to tell you that they were becoming too hot.
I used a specially designed sun shade cover from both of my babies.
And no, I am not being paid by them to write this, it is just a product I used and loved and would highly recommend to anyone.
It is from Koo-di and is part of their pack it range. It also acts as a black out blind although from covering myself to test it, it is more like looking through very dark sunglasses than actual black out blinds. You can still see through it but it definitely makes the world look very dark. The beauty of this product is that it tucks into its self a bit like a pack a mac so its not big and cumbersome to carry around when not in use. It also comes with a hanging strap to attach to the handle of your buggy. My strap eventually came off but bearing in mind I used it daily for 4 years in the summer months I don’t feel that is bad going.
Obviously the best thing to do is to avoid exposure to the strongest part of the sun between the hours of 11:00am-3:00pm. Always apply sun cream to any exposed parts of your baby’s skin. Dress them in clothes that cover as much of their delicate skin as possible and definitely their shoulders. I know bye bye cute string shoe strap dresses and playsuits.
Read the sun cream bottle for directions on application and reapply regularly. Even your all day sun cream probably isn’t when you read the small print. They normally last for up to 6 hours and say reapply more often in extreme heat or if spending time in water.
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