Baby sweats in car seat: How to Keep Baby Cool in Their Car Seat (5 Simple Tips)

How to Keep Baby Cool in Their Car Seat (5 Simple Tips)

Sweaty babies aren’t fun to hold and they certainly can’t be comfortable sitting in it on long car rides.

Whether it’s cooling towels or super fancy ventilation systems, there are ways to help your baby keep cool as a cucumber.

We’re going to answer all of your questions about why babies sweat so much and how to keep them cool in their car seat.

Dangers of Overheating

Overheating can still happen during cool months if you aren’t careful ⁽¹⁾. Your baby’s internal temperature should be between 98 and 100 degrees Fahrenheit ⁽²⁾. The best way to determine if your baby is too hot is to feel the nape of their neck.

If their cheeks are flushed and they’re breathing rapidly, those are good indicators of overheating as well. Just remember, if you’re too warm then your baby probably is too.

Ways To Keep Your Baby Cool In The Car Seat

I’ve probably terrified you with all this talk of overheating, but don’t despair. There are all kinds of products and tips out there meant to help baby stay cool ⁽³⁾. Here are a few simple things you can do:

• Control the temperature when possible: The best way to prevent overheating is to not be in too warm of an area (obviously). So while you’re in the car, use the AC if possible to keep the area at a cool temperature.
• Dress them appropriately for the weather: It may be tempting to bundle baby up while out and about, but this can cause overheating quite quickly. If it’s 75 degrees out and your mother-in-law is insisting baby wears a hat and you feel your baby is too hot, politely tell her to mind her own business. It may save your baby’s life.
• Cooling towels: If you’re in a pinch and you need to help your baby cool off quickly, cooling towels are beneficial. This helps bring down the body temperature and alleviate overheating. Cooling towels should only be used over the harness, never underneath.
  

  Never put anything behind a baby’s head or neck because anything that causes the baby’s head to be pushed forward can compromise their airway

  Editor’s Note:

  Kristen Gardiner, CPST

• Sweating is okay! So long as they don’t show signs of overheating. If your baby seems hot and they’re sweating then that’s okay. Sweating is the body’s natural response to regulating body temperature.

1. Blocking the Sun

Sun protection doesn’t just come in a bottle. There are a few different ways you can block the sun from heating the car interior too much. Each come with their own advantages, but they’re all valid options to consider:

Window Tint

Window tinting isn’t only beneficial in giving drivers and passengers more privacy. It can also block some of the harmful UV rays and keep your car’s interior temperature cooler as well. To top it off, a tinted window can also prevent shattered glass from flying inside of your car in the event of an accident.

Tinting may even reduce the temperature inside your car by up to 70 percent. Remember, though, that there are laws in place. If you do decide to tint your windows, find out your state’s laws regarding window tint.

Reflective Sunshades

These are really nice when you’re out and about and your car is parked in a sunny area or your driveway isn’t shaded. There are a few different types of reflective sunshades:

• Accordion-style: They simply fold open like an accordion and are placed on the front windshield. The reflective surface reflects the sun rays outward and reduces interior temperatures.
• Mesh sunshades: These go on the side windows and can help block the sun while you’re driving. While these are nice for keeping the bright sun out of eyeballs, they can make the view out of the window pretty dark. This can cause difficulty for the driver if they need to back out of a parking space or change lanes.
• Solar/reflective car covers: If you don’t have a garage at home, reflective car covers can help keep the car cool while it’s parked. They work in a similar way to the accordion-style sunshade, but they fit over your entire car. Of course, this would be the most labor-intensive option.

2. Light-Colored Car Seats

I’m not telling you to buy a new car if you have dark seats but cars with a lighter interior have an advantage. This also goes for your child’s car seat.

If you’re expecting a baby soon and you’re worried about the summer months, we recommend getting a seat with light-colored fabric. This won’t absorb as much heat as darker colors.

Black car seats can reach upwards of 192 degrees Fahrenheit ⁽⁴⁾. Some car seats come with moisture-wicking fabric which can help regulate sweating and body temperature.

3. The Noggle

There’s also a contraption called the Noggle that can be helpful if your back seat doesn’t cool down efficiently. You can hook up the Noggle to your car’s air vent and feed it into the back seat. This way, the AC can better reach your kids. I’ve never personally tried this, but it seems to have a fair amount of positive reviews.

There are Noggle options for forward-facing and rear-facing babies. They also come in 6-foot and 10-foot options. This is nice because you can find one to accommodate your car interior best.

They can be used with both the heat and air conditioning and are easy to remove and install. The downside to this is that it may get in the way if you have a front-seat passenger.

4. Encourage Sweating

I briefly mentioned sweating above but didn’t really go into detail about how you can encourage it. Sweating is your baby’s best defense against overheating.

If you have a toddler or older child, one of those spray bottles with a fan may be fun for them (if you aren’t afraid of a potential mess).

5. Don’t Leave Your Child Alone in the Car

This one is obvious, but it’s still such a prominent issue that I feel it’s worth mentioning. Leaving your child unattended in the car, especially on a hot and sunny day, can lead to overheating and even death.

Temperatures inside a car can rise nearly twenty degrees in just ten minutes even during mild temperatures ⁽⁵⁾. It’s never okay to leave your baby alone in the car for any amount of time, even if it’s for a minute.

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Medically Reviewed by

Kristen Gardiner, CPST

Kristen Gardiner, CPST is a writer, wife, and mother to three boys. Kristen became certified as a Child Passenger Safety Technician by Safe Kids Worldwide in 2015 and loves to volunteer and help educate parents about car seat safety. She has a passion for all things related to child safety.

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How To Keep Baby From Sweating In The Car Seat, Because The Summer Heat Is No Joke

Life

NHTSA

574Z”>July 16, 2018

My son was born the day after Christmas in the Midwest, so for months I fretted extensively about whether he was warm enough, especially when we were in the car. But now that summer has rolled around, the temps are so high that those days feel like light years ago — I find myself feeling guilty any time I put the poor guy in the car. In an effort toward safety (and just plain old comfort) I’ve done some research on how to keep your baby from sweating in the car seat, because I’m sure I’m not the only one who’s noticed that the statistics on babies dying of heat stroke are downright scary.

It turns out, there are a lot of things we can do to keep errands and road trips safe and pleasant for our little ones. Not only are there common sense tactics I’d already put into place, but there are plenty of life hacks and genius new products out there as well. With the help of a combination of things on this list, my baby (and yours) is sure to have a safe and virtually sweat-free summer. (Which means less overall whining from the backseat and less stress from trying to point your AC vents towards the back.)

1

Cool The Car Down Before Putting Her In

Yes, its the most obvious piece of advice out there, but it can be easy to forget to plan ahead. Before leaving the house, go out to the car and get the air conditioning cranked up for five minutes before loading up the baby. It’s a simple step, but makes a huge difference.

2

Park Your Car In The Shade Or Garage

Again, pretty obvious advice here. But the difference between a car parked in the shade or the sun can be pretty significant, according to a study published in the U.S. Library of Medicine, and in the heat of the summer you’ll need all the help you can get. And don’t just think about it when you’re at home — look for shady places, or even better, parking garages, when you’re out running errands as well.

3

Plan Your Day Strategically

I know, I know, you’re already planning your day around those sacred nap times. But your baby’s comfort and safety while riding in the car can be seriously impacted by the time of day you’re running around. Try to do any necessary driving before 10 a.m. or after 4 p.m. if you possibly can, Reader’s Digest noted.

4

Put An Evaporative Cooling Towel On His Lap

File it under “coolest invention ever” — these evaporative towels stay cool and moist without dripping or making a total mess. They’re the perfect way to ensure your baby’s temp stays regulated while you drive all over town.

5

Put A Carseat Sunshade On The Window

The popular sunshades simply stick by suction cups to your baby’s window, keeping the harsh sun rays out of their eyes and off their skin, and are readily available at most retailers of infant supplies.

6

Get Your Windows Tinted

If your car windows aren’t already tinted, having a baby might change that since the protective film blocks damaging UV rays that will otherwise hit the baby’s eyes and skin, according to the website Your Mechanic. Not only will your baby be more comfortable, but her risk of sun damage will be significantly lowered as well.

7

Try A Portable Fan

There are plenty of clip-on varieties on the market today that could serve to cool baby down while riding in the car, but caution should be taken when considering where to install it, since you don’t want it close enough for the baby to actually grab. Clipping it onto the top of a nearby seat belt could work, but if someone is in the backseat near him and could hold it towards your baby, that’s even better, since it would reduce the risk of the fan becoming a projectile object in the case of an accident.

8 myths about child car seats / Author / Blog on Avtokresel.net

June 21, 2017

New article from Stanislav Kruchinsky, a specialist from Izhevsk.

There are a number of misconceptions about…

New article from Stanislav Kruchinsky, a specialist from Izhevsk.

There are a number of misconceptions about transporting children in a car that guide many parents when choosing a restraint system. In this article, we will analyze in detail the most popular of them. nine0010

1. If a restraint is sold in a store, then it is safe

Unfortunately, in Russia at the moment the situation with the certification and control of the child restraint market leaves much to be desired. According to the results of research by the Russian Red Cross public organization, as of the end of 2015, 80 (!) percent of what is offered on the retail market of our country does not meet the requirements of the Technical Regulations of the Customs Union and UNECE Rules 44/04. nine0010
Until now, dangerous for the life and health of children (confirmed by the tests of FSUE “NAMI”) seat belt adapters and frameless car seats are widely sold.

2. If the driver is attentive and careful, you can do without a car seat. Previously, in general, everyone went like this and remained alive.

Unfortunately, not everything depends on the driver. The condition of the road, the technical condition of the car and, especially, other road users have a very serious impact. nine0010
Also, trips cannot be divided into frequent and rare, short and long, city and country trips. The laws of physics in all of them operate in exactly the same way.
There are hundreds of cases in history when people got into terrible accidents in their own yard (the reason is a drunk driver coming towards them), when traveling 2 kilometers to school (the reason is a slippery road) and even when they were stuck in a traffic jam (the reason was the failed brakes of a truck driving behind ).
According to the traffic police and the Avtostat agency, at 19In 1980, 27,000 people died in road accidents in the RSFR. The same number died in Russia in 2016. At the same time, the number of cars increased by 12(!) times. Consequently, the risk of death on Russian roads 36 years ago was 12 times higher than it is now. All this is largely due to the fact that cars have become safer, punishments have become tougher in relation to unfastened adults and children who are transported without child car seats.
Do you still rejoice in the fact that you went as a child completely unfastened and slept across the back seat?
nine0003

3. It is necessary to ensure that the newborn in the car is in a strictly horizontal position

Infants are the most vulnerable category of passengers. The mass of the head of a newborn is a quarter of the mass of his entire body (in an adult it is 5-7%), and the development of the cervical region is just beginning. The muscles are still very weak, the bones of the skeleton are flexible and soft, many of them will generally be formed later from cartilaginous tissue.
There is a car seat (category 0) in which the child is located horizontally. They are installed across the rear seat (they occupy two places) and among them, unfortunately, there are very few options that are really worthy in terms of safety. You can’t do without an infant car seat of this category only if the child has specific medical indications for such transportation.
nine0003

Category 0+ car seats are best suited for transporting babies. Due to the location of the child in them against the direction of movement, a much-needed support area for the back and the back of the head is created in the event of sudden braking or a frontal collision of cars. The optimal backrest angle is 45 degrees, in such a chair a semi-lying position is created, in which there is no dangerous vertical effect on the spine of a child who is not yet able to sit on his own. Attempts to make the backrest even more horizontal by tilting the car seat forward, or putting a thick layer of diapers under the baby, can lead to very sad consequences. nine0010
The recommended time for a newborn to be in a car seat is no more than two hours in a row, as the child grows up, this time increases.
Very often, parents use devices that are completely not intended for this, such as sleeping blocks from strollers and soft carriers, to transport babies. It is important to understand that under the pretext of “harmfulness of car seats” they endanger the most valuable thing – the life of their child.

nine0041 4. All car seats are the same – plastic and fabric, it makes no sense to overpay.

For any technically complex device, there are hundreds of factors, any of which can affect the result of use. It’s like saying – “All cars are the same – four wheels and a steering wheel, you can choose any, even the simplest one, there will be no difference.” Clear differences will be in safety and comfort levels. nine0010
The material, which in the layman’s language is called plastic, has at least 70 main varieties with completely different properties. For example, one will easily split upon impact and form sharp edges, which will easily hurt, the other will crumple, thereby absorbing energy. A number of manufacturers use secondary raw materials in the manufacture of plastics.
Car seat covers have repeatedly found a multiple excess of formaldehyde, extractable heavy metals and other chemical compounds hazardous to health. nine0010
Even visually (see photo) you can feel the difference in going to production, just remove the cover from the car seat.
At the same time, it is absolutely not necessary to hit the other extreme – it is not a fact that the most expensive car seat will be the best. There are examples when products of the upper price segment failed miserably in independent tests.

5. A used seat differs from a new one only in appearance
Child restraint is an element of passive safety. On a par with car bumpers, belts and airbags. At the time of the accident, their task is to take on part of the energy in order to reduce the dangerous impact of overloads on a person. Therefore, bumpers are crumpled and broken, seat belts are stretched and even torn, etc. The second time to use them for their intended purpose and get the same protective properties will not work, you need to change. nine0010
When buying a used car seat, unfortunately, visually, there is no way to determine its involvement in an accident. Microcracks in plastic or imperceptible stretching and tearing of internal belts will not be detected by any expert.
If the child car seat came to you from relatives or friends and you are 100% sure that it has not been in the slightest accident, this is the only option that does not involve a “lottery” in such a serious matter.

6. There are child car seats in which the child never sweats
In some configurations of expensive cars, additional fans are installed in the seats for forced airflow. Perhaps someday there will be similar offers for child car seats. In the meantime, we have the following “pie”: a plastic base, an energy-absorbing layer (if provided), a softening layer (if provided), a cover fabric. In any case, the fabric will be synthetic – this is a matter of hygienic standards and wear resistance of the material. There are no special opportunities for free movement of air. Manufacturers can make part of the frame discontinuous, or combine fabrics of different textures, but this will not fundamentally solve the issue. nine0010
There is a way out – buying a cotton summer cover, which is worn directly over the main one. Such covers are not universal, they are designed for each specific model of the chair. The fabric of the summer cover has a fleecy structure, similar to a terry towel, which allows it to absorb moisture well. An important plus in terms of hygiene is that the additional cover can be easily and quickly removed and then put on, which allows it to be washed regularly.

7. The safest place in a car is behind the driver

It is widely believed that the driver at the time of the accident instinctively takes his side of the car away from the impact, therefore, the passenger who sits behind him is in maximum safety. The statistics do not confirm this.
According to the University of Buffalo (USA), an analysis of accidents over several years has shown that the rear seats in a car are 60-80% safer than the front ones. This is especially true for accidents with frontal collisions of cars.
Among the rear row seats, the middle passenger seat turned out to be the safest. The difference between the right and left seats was 25%. This fact is also due to the fact that this place is farthest from the doors, which gives a significant advantage in the event of a side impact. However, it should be borne in mind that not in all cars the middle seat is suitable for the full and reliable installation of a child car seat – very often it is noticeably narrower than a full-fledged seat and has a convex shape. Even more rarely, middle seats are equipped with Isofix brackets. nine0010
If you choose between the right and left passenger seats, then the right one, which is located behind the passenger, has some advantage. On this side of the car is a sidewalk, or curb. Agree, it is much more convenient to seat and get a child out of a car seat from the sidewalk than from the side of the roadway. Especially if you are staying on a busy country road.

8. The chair must be equipped with mount isofix
Sometimes people also look for a seat “only with a metal frame”, or “only with a safety table”, or with a mandatory “five-point harness up to 10 years”…
Of course, the use of any technology is intended to increase safety. However, if done incorrectly, the exact opposite effect can be achieved. Therefore, choosing a child restraint only according to one single parameter is approximately how to choose a future life partner only by eye color. nine0010
In order to be able to compare, independent testing organizations (German ADAC and Stiftung Warentest, Austrian ?AMTC, Finnish Autoliitto, Swiss TCS and others) conduct tests. In equal conditions for all, the level of safety is checked (most often, a frontal and side collision is simulated), convenience and the likelihood of errors when using, the presence of harmful substances in cases, and much more.
Only on the basis of the results of such tests can we assume how this or that product will behave in the event of a real accident. nine0010

Do you find this article helpful? Be sure to share it on social networks, on local forums, send the link to your friends!

Winter, child and car. How to move comfortably with a child in a car in winter

First, a small digression in terms of safety.
Even in winter (and especially in winter!) the child must ride in a car seat. And only in a car seat. In winter, another feature is added: voluminous down jackets create the illusion of “protection” although they are not. The child must be tightly fastened with seat belts, to the maximum without voids under clothing. nine0110

Actually, we will talk about clothes.
You know, my experience with the sling and the car has been quite varied. Including a bunch of illnesses due to the fact that the child froze in a cold car, taken out of a warm and damp sling …

Therefore, the first thing I will say is to buy warm or demi-season covers for car seats-cradles.
It’s very convenient! Get the baby out of the sling, even from under the sling jacket, in not very warm clothes and put it in the car seat, fasten it tightly with straps, fastening the envelope on top. nine0110 The envelope hugs the baby from all sides, and the straps keep the baby inside the envelope, tightly insuring him in case of danger. Arms-legs can move, the child is warm and comfortable.

Yes, the envelope is not cheap, but it is an excellent gift for young parents. And now there are so many bright colors that it becomes “it doesn’t matter, everything is beautiful!”

And what about older children who do not ride in cradles and do not fit into envelopes?

In this case, the most comfortable clothing is important. No cotton to the body… Well, that’s my opinion. Only thermal underwear, if we are talking about a combination of winter, car and walks. Silk-wool, as the best of natural options, and special synthetics for those who value practicality and durability. nine0003

It is convenient to warm up the car before the children arrive, at least a little and put the children in unbuttoned jackets. But this is not always possible. In this case, the banal thing makes sense. Schedule a STOPPING when the car has warmed up to help the children take off their hats, mittens, scarves and unbutton their jackets.

I repeat that voluminous jackets for car seats are not suitable in principle, although now there are almost no such jackets. This is especially true for babies, for whom the thickness of the overalls can exceed the thickness of the arm, but this is also true for older children, in a voluminous down jacket you can simply not fit into the volume of the car seat, and, I repeat, it does not add security. nine0003

Sometimes it is convenient and useful to have two jackets and to put the baby in a lighter one in the car. Although in my experience, thermal underwear and removed mittens solve this problem.

Otherwise, trips are similar to summer trips. We sing songs, listen to fairy tales, look out the window and ask questions.
We play magnetic games and roll cars on our knees.

We eat food and drink water taken from home (rather than left in the car, which could be done in the summer).
Be sure to send the children to the toilet before going out and plan the duration of the trip so that everyone is comfortable. nine0003

To avoid advertising – I do not indicate stores))))

UPD.
Question:
Evgeniya, could you explain why no cotton? And how do you dress? Thermal underwear and overalls and all?
Answer:
cotton absorbs moisture, leaving it near the body. in winter overalls – the child sweats anyway (we basically constantly sweat), but if the moisture evaporates calmly, then there are no problems.