HEALTH

Babies and parents: how to protect the toddler from the summer heat

Every summer, television reports warn of the dangers of sweltering heat and heat waves. Reports especially target the elderly and frail people, who may suffer most from rising temperatures. Fragile people, although we often don't think about it, also include newborn babies, the most fragile beings of all.

It is the Italian Society of Neonatology that has raised the alarm and issued some guidelines for all parents on how to behave and, above all, how to protect their infants from intense heat, something that can be extremely harmful to the health of the little one.

Obviously, the main danger infants face in summer is dehydration. In babies only a few months old, a constantly dry nappy can be a sign of dehydration, but it is by no means the only one.

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Protecting babies from the heat: some useful tips
Every summer, television reports warn of the dangers of sweltering heat and heat waves. Reports especially target the elderly and frail people, who may suffer most from rising temperatures. Frail people, although we often don't think about it, include infants, the most fragile beings of all.
Freepik
The Italian Society of Neonatology
It is the Società Italiana di Neonatologia (Italian Society of Neonatology) that is sounding the alarm and issuing some guidelines for all parents on how to behave and, above all, how to protect their infants from intense heat, something that can be extremely harmful to the health of the little one.
Freepik
The danger of dehydration
Obviously, the main danger infants face in summer is dehydration. In babies only a few months old, a constantly dry nappy can be a sign of dehydration, but it is by no means the only one. Poor urine output, dryness of the mucous membranes, depletion of the fontanelle on the nape of the neck, irritability or drowsiness, and changes in temperature are other signs of dehydration in newborns.
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Breast milk is sufficient
Some may not be aware that as far as infants are concerned, breastfeeding or the use of formula milk is absolutely sufficient for the hydration of the baby. This is because it provides both the internal caloric needs but also the fluid needs of the baby. There is therefore no need to add water or other liquids to keep it hydrated.
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Never expose it directly to the sun
The experts of the Italian Society of Neonatology, however, recommend that newborns should never be directly exposed to sunlight, as this is undoubtedly the best way to avoid sunburn but also skin erythema. However, as Sin president Luigi Orfeo points out: "The use of sun creams on infants is not recommended; occasionally and in particular situations, creams with a physical filter, i.e. containing zinc oxide, with a high filtering power and not too greasy, can be used on the exposed areas".
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The use of the air conditioner
In itself, the air conditioner is not contraindicated in helping the baby to better withstand the heat, but some precautions are necessary. For example, it is necessary to clean the air filters before use (if it is the first time you turn it on after winter). Also, it is good to check that the temperature is not too much lower than outside (and in any case not below 22-23 degrees). Finally, you must be very careful not to direct the air flow onto the child, but always upwards.
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