Both my babies were born in heatwaves. I vividly remember going out for a walk with my newborn one day, a proud new mummy strolling along, elated that we’d even got out the house! Our pram had a flip down sunshade extension, but it didn’t cover his legs, so, what did I do? I draped a loose muslin over him. There was a light breeze, so I’d weighed up that this was a better option than leave him exposed to the sun. It didn’t take long before I had my first comment that what I was doing was unsafe.
Since we’ve been having this glorious weather in the UK, I’ve seen so many posts on social media around covering prams in hot weather.
I have always advised parents NOT to cover babies in prams in hot weather. But thinking more about the practicalities, and also having been a bit stuck on a few occasions myself, I started to think more about this and the research behind it. Surely different options have different physical compositions, therefore is it safe to use some and not others?
I’ve come across some really interesting considerations when it comes to covering prams. Below is a summary of some important things to consider. I hope you find it as interesting and enlightening as I did.
The Background:
In 2014, a Swedish newspaper published an article around covering prams, and the dangers it posed to babies. It linked the high temperatures inside a covered pram being a risk for Sudden Infant Death Syndrome. We know that a baby getting too hot is a risk factor for SIDS, so this is very relevant. But the detail is important here. The journalist, not researcher, put a stationary pram in midday sun with a ‘thin blanket’ over it, and then generalised the results to all pram covers.
The Arguments:
1) Validity
Firstly, it is important to note that the Swedish article is not classed as reputable evidence, it was for the purpose of a newspaper report, not as a research study, so the validity is questionable.
2) Visibility
The Swedish article quotes a paediatrician stating that if a pram is covered, it gets very hot in the pram, there is poor air circulation, and it is hard to see the baby. All true and of course valid.
If a pram is completely covered, it will naturally have less air circulation and therefore get hotter. It is advised that we have eyes on our babies when they are in prams, especially if they are sleeping, so using a full cover with no visibility does go against these recommendations.
3) Cases
The main point of posts and articles around covering prams is the SIDS risk. Another important fact is that according to research, there are no cases of babies dying as a direct result of using a pram cover. There are cases of accidental deaths in prams, but these have been due to the position of the baby under the cover, not the cover itself, but arguably, if the parent had not used a cover, it may have been prevented.
4) Materials
What the article doesn’t consider is that the most commonly used DIY pram cover is probably a muslin. These are made of natural cotton fibre, so would naturally have more air permeability than the ‘thin’ blanket they used in the experiment (they don’t mention the material of the cover used in the article).
It is advised to avoid woollen materials in the heat, and that dark mesh (synthetic) materials are best for heat reflection and air permeability and air flow. This explains why a lot of the baby sun shades and pram covers are indeed black synthetic materials.
5) Movement
The article tested a stationary covered pram. We could assume that most parents would not be stationary, and would be pushing the buggy, which would create some additional air flow. The parent might also move into the shade or even indoors to keep the temperature down.
6) Prams
A doctor from the Royal College of Paediatrics has suggested that covering prams may be ok in some circumstances as ‘most prams have enough ventilation’. Prams nowadays have such good mesh ventilation systems and are made of more natural fibres (cotton and bamboo) so would have better air permeability and air flow than their older counterparts.
7) Sunburn
The Skin Cancer Foundation states that ‘even one blistering sunburn in childhood can more than double your chances of melanoma in later life’. Doctors are also reporting increased cases of infant sunburn.
I would always recommend using a parasol, purpose made, safety tested, air permeable sunshade over a muslin, but if a parent happens to be out and about with none of these, it may be better to use a loose muslin cover, rather than letting their baby get burnt.
8) Recommendations
The NHS recommends that babies under 6 months old are kept out of direct sun entirely. Babies over 6 months should also be shielded from direct sun, especially between 11am and 3pm when the sun is at its strongest. They recommend that when you do go out, use a parasol or sunshade to keep babies out of direct sunlight.
The Lullaby Trust advises not to use ‘any cover that stops air from circulating’ and advise using a parasol or clip on sunshade.
9) Safety
In the world of infant safety guidelines, when a potential safety issue arises, there is an immediate need to investigate the issue. This keeps both the evidence base and guidelines up to date in order to maintain the safety of our babies.
Take cot bumpers for example. A risk to babies was identified and proved, therefore guidelines were updated to reflect that they are not safe to use.
Neither the NHS or any other professional regulatory body has expressed that covering a pram or using a pram cover is explicitly not to be done, or that they expose our babies to an immediate risk.
Summary:
In summary, it’s not as clear cut as I once thought.
Both the NHS and Lullaby Trust agree to recommend a parasol or sunshade. The Lullaby trust specifies a ‘clip on’ sunshade to avoid long, loose straps which could be a strangulation risk. Neither say an outright no to a draped muslin, just not to use anything that ‘stops air from circulating’ such as a towel or blanket.
Use common sense! It is better to have your baby safely shaded from the sun than exposed to direct sunlight as per the NHS recommendations.
Keep your baby in view. Whatever you choose to use, don’t leave your baby unsupervised in the pram or covered for long periods.
Don’t rely on social media as ‘evidence’- do the research yourself. The safety of our babies is the most important thing, so check the safety standards of products before you purchase them.
Most pram brands now produce parasols or sunshades to go with their prams and there are lots of other purpose made sunshade products on the market. It’s very much personal preference what you choose to use, just check the safety standards.
I am not recommending one thing over another and am not giving a professional recommendation, but personally, I opt for a SnoozeShade sunshade. They are BIG on safety and meet rigorous safety standards. They are made with zipped peeking holes to keep an eye on your baby and can be used in multiple ways.
They have very kindly given me a discount code to use when making a purchase online. Use BABYSTEPSPHYSIO for 10% off if you fancy trying one.
Also, click the link below to see see my recent Instagram post titled ‘Beat the Heat’ for sun safety tips.
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