<\/p>\n
A woman holds a fan in front of a bottle-fed baby at the Great American State Fair, during an extreme heat wave, Friday, July 3, 2026, on the National Mall in Washington.<\/p>\n
Julia Demaree Nikhinson\/AP Photo\/Julia Demaree Nikhinson<\/p>\n
Lexis Aubile watches her son, Atticus, play in the water as they try to beat the heat at Ramona Park in Portage, Mich., on Tuesday, July 14, 2026. (Devin Anderson-Torrez\/Kalamazoo Gazette via AP)<\/p>\n
Delvin Anderson-Torrez\/Delvin Anderson-Torrez\/Kalamazoo<\/p>\n
Infants, toddlers and young children need outdoor activity to build strong bodies and minds, but they also require extra care in the heat.<\/p>\n
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In the summer months, those twin imperatives can make parents anxious. How long should kids be out? How do I know they’re OK? What should I avoid?<\/p>\n
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Human-caused climate change is making heat waves longer, stronger and more widespread. Much of the U.S. sweltered last week under a heat dome.<\/p>\n
That shift makes questions about keeping babies safe more pressing, said Dr. Katherine Williamson, a pediatrician with Rady Children’s Health in Orange, California.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe talk about drowning and choking with toddlers, and now we\u2019re starting to add in heat,\u201d she said. \u201cIt\u2019s become something that\u2019s more commonplace as a potential injury.\u201d<\/p>\n
Here is why children are more vulnerable to heat-related illnesses, and some do’s and don\u2019ts to keep them safe:<\/p>\n
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Regulating body temperature is a challenge<\/p>\n
Children sweat less than adults and have a higher metabolism that makes them hot faster. In extreme heat, their higher surface area-to-mass ratio increases heat absorption.<\/p>\n
Kids also tend to spend more time outdoors.<\/p>\n
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On hot days, parents need to be vigilant about the signs of heat illness. A lack of tears or regular wet diapers could indicate your baby is dehydrated. Parents should feed infants in smaller quantities more frequently to make sure they are getting enough fluid.<\/p>\n
Though not necessarily signs of illness, fatigue and flushed skin likely mean your child needs a break to cool off. Williamson said increased irritability could also indicate your child is too hot.<\/p>\n
Tips for keeping them safe<\/p>\n
Avoid going out during the hottest parts of the day, dress kids in loose, light-colored clothing, apply sunscreen and make sure they are getting enough fluids. Water-rich fruits such as watermelon and strawberries are great snacks in the heat.<\/p>\n
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\u201cIf you\u2019re hot, your baby sure is going to be hot,\u201d said Dr. Debra Langlois, a pediatrician at the University of Michigan Health C.S. Mott Children\u2019s Hospital.<\/p>\n
Langlois said parents and other caregivers should limit the amount of time infants and toddlers are outside in hot weather, but she doesn\u2019t advise remaining strictly indoors at any point.<\/p>\n
Don’t put blankets or other covers on a stroller<\/p>\n
That advice seems counterintuitive. After all, doesn’t it make sense to shield children from the sun?<\/p>\n
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But blankets and other coverings, even thin ones, prevent air from circulating and trap heat that can raise the temperature in the stroller. Instead, use a canopy for shade.<\/p>\n
Williamson also advises parents to check metal parts that can heat up and burn children.<\/p>\n
Don’t leave kids in the car<\/p>\n
Even in the shade and with open windows, car temperatures can rise dramatically in a short amount of time. In 2025, 31 children died of heat stroke in vehicles, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.<\/p>\n
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The agency recommends caregivers leave a purse or other personal item in the back seat, write a note or place a stuffed animal on the passenger seat to ensure they don’t forget a child inside.<\/p>\n
If you return to a parked car with your baby on a hot day, ensure the metal parts of the car seat are also not too hot. For extra comfort, use a sun shade to keep the interior cooler and turn on the air conditioning in advance.<\/p>\n
To cool a hot car, experts recommend opening the windows for 10 to 20 seconds while running the air conditioning.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"A woman holds a fan in front of a bottle-fed baby at the Great American State Fair, during…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":379473,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[134080,134079,23681,59373,73298,73294,59371,59372,73295,61262,82,84,83,134078],"class_list":["post-379472","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-san-antonio","tag-debra-langlois","tag-katherine-williamson","tag-package-100024-ap-online","tag-package-100373-mc-complete-state-national","tag-package-100923-member-choice-lifestyles-option","tag-product-30594-lifestyles-formerly-weekly-features","tag-product-30598-ap-national-news-report-a-wire","tag-product-31998-ap-online-national-news","tag-product-32538-ap-online-health-and-medical-news","tag-product-46986-ap-online-top-stories","tag-san-antonio","tag-san-antonio-headlines","tag-san-antonio-news","tag-summer-heat-babies-illnesses"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/379472","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=379472"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/379472\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/379473"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=379472"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=379472"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=379472"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}