Yesterday my wife and I were at Cafe' Du Monde in New Orleans when I saw a couple with a small child in a stroller. The baby's cheeks were crimson red and I knew it was too hot. It made me wonder about babies and heat stroke.

baby
getty images/George Marks
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We all know not to leave a baby unattended in a car; but that is not the only danger babies face in the summer. According to babycenter.com babies and young children are especially vulnerable to heat stroke. Your baby might get heat stroke if he is outside too long in very hot weather. Hot, red and dry skin is one of the signs of heat stroke in a baby. The others are a temperature of over 103, a rapid pulse, vomiting, dizziness and  confusion. Overheating can cause a baby to sleep to sound and can be a factor in SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome.)  According to parents.com If a child's face starts to look flushed, remove her from the carrier at once. Call 911 then get the baby to a cool place and remove it's clothes, then sponge your baby with cool water and fan your baby with an electric or hand fan.

Now some advice from me ... as a dad. If you are planning a day out in the heat .... hire a baby sitter and leave your baby in the comfort of your home. When we traveled and our kids were small ... we would always bring a babysitter along and pay for their trip and make it fun for them too. The safest thing to do is not to expose your baby to the extreme heat we face in southwest Louisiana. Please share this so we can help prevent babies from suffering.

 

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