Parents, don't let your child overheat! A midwife's appeal
Does a baby always feel colder? Or perhaps a baby should always wear a hat? These are familiar beliefs about dressing little ones at different times of year. Yet failing to dress a child appropriately can cause overheating and, in turn, serious consequences. Read and listen to what lactation specialist and midwife Maria Lepucka has to say.
In Poland, we tend to think in stereotypes, and overheating really does happen quite often. Everyone seems to know more about our child than we do. So instead of listening to the needs of a little one who is clearly telling us, through loud crying, that they feel unwell and uncomfortable, we prefer to rely on advice from ‘experienced parents’. Yet our child may suffer serious consequences from overheating, with a rash being the least of the problems.
A sauna instead of a nursery
‘90% of the homes I visit feel like a sauna,’ says Maria Lepucka. She does not mean large houses with dedicated sauna rooms, but the temperature in homes where a newborn has arrived. ‘There is no oxygen left, nothing to breathe; it is hot and everything is steaming. Extra heaters in winter, closed windows in summer.’
Overheating is a condition in which body temperature rises because:
- We are dressed too warmly
- The air temperature is too high
The midwife emphasises: ‘In newborns, overheating is usually caused by both. A baby may even show signs of a fever when there is no infection.’
Does a baby feel colder than an adult?
‘A baby loses heat more quickly and always feels colder than adults.’ But is that really true? ‘It depends,’ Maria Lepucka replies. ‘The only situation in which a baby really does get cold more quickly is when they are naked and wet. That usually means when we take them out of the bath. Because their body surface area is large in relation to their relatively low weight, a baby whose temperature regulation has not yet developed will lose heat faster. That is why we quickly wrap a little one in a towel after a bath.’
Another issue is dressing the baby appropriately. If a child can bring their arms against their body and tuck themselves in, they will be warmer than when their limbs are held rigid. This ability to curl up is one of the ways we regulate our own body temperature. That is why clothing mistakes happen most often in winter, although they occur in summer too.
According to the midwife, the worst thing we can do is wrap a baby up when the temperature calls for fewer clothes, then drape a muslin over the pushchair hood. ‘Some parents believe that the muslin should be wet, but that is effectively giving the child a steam sauna,’ Maria Lepucka explains. ‘Even fashionable black pushchairs are not a good choice in summer,’ she adds.
Sudden infant death syndrome and overheating
Closed windows, radiators turned up to the maximum, plus fan heaters and other extra sources of heat. This is how we treat newborns and babies in winter. Do they cry more often? Of course! They are expressing discomfort caused not only by the temperature itself, but also by insufficient oxygen and a general feeling of being unwell.
‘The highest temperature I recorded during a home visit was 27 degrees in one flat,’ the midwife recalls. ‘That is not just an abnormal temperature for a home. It is also a dangerous situation for a child,’ she stresses firmly. ‘Overheating carries a greater risk for a child than being slightly too cool.’
In extreme cases, overheating can lead to breathing problems. Sudden infant death syndrome has been shown to occur much more often in places that are hot and lack air circulation. ‘At first, the baby will look flushed. Then a rash and spots may appear, and nappy rash is probably developing too. If we also use a greasy cream under a synthetic nappy, everything inside will be soaking wet,’ the midwife says. Remember that these conditions can cause a child to suffer.