Assisting your little one to regulate their body temperature, especially in hot weather, is essential. You do not want your baby sweating profusely and crying hysterically in their car seats. The crying can be because they feel hot and uncomfortable.
The best way to keep your baby cool in the car seat is to block the sun by using car shades. Alternatively, you may consider tinting your windows to refract the sun rays. However, this is a more permanent solution and in certain states will result in moving violation.
We have done an extensive research to help you keep your child cool and comfortable in their car seats. Keep reading to learn other easy techniques you can use.
How To Keep Baby Cool In A Car Seat
The best way to keep them cool is to protect them from the sun. A child could be hot due to different reasons ranging from the weather to health challenges. Below are detailed explanations of how you can keep your kid cool in their seat.
Obstruct The Sun
Are you thinking about how to obstruct the sun? Yes, you can refract the rays using tinted windows. Go to a professional and have it done.
The tinted windows keep the car cool, and it’s more formidable than regular glass windows. This coated glass would not easily shatter in case of an emergency, unlike the standard glass. You may be thinking, why don’t I use a roller shade instead?
The roller shade is not a permanent fixture in the car, so that the wind can blow it off. If its manufacturers make the roller from a rigid material, it can slam your kid’s head in an emergency. Some shades also limit the driver’s vision at one side of the car, which is very dangerous.
Colors Theory
Do you know that the lighter the interior of your car, the cooler it is? Yes, your choice of interior colors influences how hot your car gets.
This same color theory affects your child’s seat. Pick bright colors when shopping for a car seat as darker colors soaks up heat.
Water And Portable Fans
Water gives off a cool sensation as it dries off the surface of your skin. Splash a small quantity of water on your toddler to cool them. Avoid wetting their clothes, so they don’t catch a cold.
Children can use portable hand fans and sip cool water from their water bottles. Monitor toddlers, so they don’t put the fan blades into their mouths.
Cooling Fabric
The cooling fabric can be a towel or a piece of cloth. You should only use the cooling material over your child’s safety belt. The importance of mentioning this is that your child to catch a cold from this technique.
The cooling fabric may also reduce the functionality of the safety belt.
Sunshade
Sunshades will obstruct the sun from entering through the windows. Please be sure to get a shade that its manufacturers made from soft materials. We recommend this because it would not harm the child in case of an emergency.
Be sure that air can still get into the car after installing the sunshade. If not, it would make your child hotter.
Please always remember never to leave your little one or pet in the car. The car can heat up, and the child or pet may pass out or even die. It is very dangerous.
How Do I Keep My Baby From Overheating In A Car Seat?
Try to keep your child from sweating excessively by shielding them from the sun. During the summer, it gets so hot outside. Sitting outside without a shade becomes a struggle as you can get sunburn or pass-out due to exhaustion. This feeling isn’t limited to adults as it usually happens to babies.
Babies may have difficulty explaining how awful they feel but can show it by crying. You have to help them calm down and get comfortable. Below are some steps to follow;
- Buy a light-colored car seat. The darker colors soak in the heat and light.
- Rotate the air conditioning vent so it faces your child. When shopping for a new car, opt for models that have conditioning both front and back seats.
- You can use a cooling mat to keep your toddler comfortable. Please be advised that you have to use the cooling mat outside the car.
- Tint your car windows to safeguard your toddler from sun rays.
- Turn on the ac before you would need to ride in the car. Newer car models have remote controls you can use without even entering the vehicle. Prep the automobile so it’s cool before bringing in your baby.
- Get a light fabric liner for your car seat. It would reduce the heat.
- You can use a child seat sunshade but only for older kids.
Why Does My Baby Sweat So Much In The Car Seat?
Your baby may sweat because of any or all these reasons below;
Padding
If you know why your kid sweats so much in the car, it would be easy to keep them cool. Remember that the car seats are constructed with so much padding to safeguard them. But, as they help, they also cause heat.
Yes, you want your kids safe, but more essentially, you want them comfortable. Buy car seats that are factory-made from mesh-like fabrics. Mesh fabrics are typically light and airy, so they keep babies comfortable.
Harness Restrictions
If the harness restricts the child’s movement and is too tight, the child will cry. A crying baby would sweat so keep the restriction firm but never tight.
Overly Dressed
Sometimes, babies are overdressed to protect themselves from harsh weather. Parents forget that their car seat is portable and can get warm fast. Do not drape your baby with unnecessary thick fabrics.
The thick fabric can cause them to be hot or unable to move like they want to. This uncomfortable feeling can result in crying. Crying a lot drains the child and triggers sweat.
Attention Seekers
Children love attention and are used to getting it. In situations they are bored, they get fussy and try to get you to look at them. A parent looking at a child while driving can be very distracting or even fatal.
Once a child doesn’t get his/her way, they throw a tantrum, which may involve screaming and crying. Exerting all that energy would make them sweat. Keep the child preoccupied with talking or playing with him/her as you drive.
Seatbelt Material
Your child’s car seat can be factory-designed with materials that are rough to lean on. The manufacturers may have focused more on durability without considering comfort during production. Some of these materials can cause heat or cannot soak in the heat. Either way, it’s going to be uncomfortable for your baby.
How Do I Keep My Baby Cool In A Car Sear Without Air Conditioning?
Air conditioning is the fastest way to cool your baby, but you can use other methods to keep cool in the car.
Park Under A Shade
Look for a lovely shade like under a tree and park your car. You need the temperature inside the car cool and bearable before putting in your child.
Get A Window Cover
Apart from parking in a cool spot, invest in a great windscreen and window cover. These shades refract or absorb the heat, so the car does not have to. The window cover will absorb some of the heat, but it will keep most of it out.
Blow Out The Hot Air
Yes, you have parked under a shade, used a window shade, but your car is still hot. Let’s give you a hack to get the heat out of your car as soon as possible. Crack open a window, then as fast as you can, open and close an adjacent door.
This act causes the air to circulate, giving room for cooler air. Genius right? Of course, it would not be as cool as a fridge, but it would be bearable.
Spray Water
Lightly spray water with a spray bottle on the surfaces you would touch. Do not drench, just enough to mist the surface. As it dries, it becomes cool. You can also spray your baby lightly; this hack works wonders.
Ice Packs
You cannot place an ice pack directly on your baby’s skin for obvious reasons. The child could get numb on that spot or can even catch a cold. Wrap the ice pack in a thick blanket so you can regulate the temperature. Your ice packs can be frozen water bottles that you can drink from after it has melted.
Conclusion
Keeping a child cool in a car seat is not so hard to do if you use the simple hacks above. The most effective method is staying away from the sun. It would help if you also considered buying light-colored seats as they absorb less heat. Finally, we recommend that as you dress your child, keep the weather, and their car seat padding in mind.
