Many parents want to protect their babies from the sun so they grab muslin cloths because they are lightweight and often light-colored, so they seem breezy. But the truth is, they may be doing more harm than good.
According to Dr. Wendy Sue Swanson, a Seattle pediatrician who runs the blog Seattle Mama Doc, placing a blanket over a stroller creates a greenhouse effect that can cause heatstroke or death. And Dr. Sarah Adams, a pediatrician at Akron Children’s Hospital in Ohio, agreed, adding that a big problem is that parents can’t see their babies to monitor their breathing. “You are stopping the circulation of the air,” she told The Today Show, “which will impact the baby’s breathing and temperature.”
The doctors warned that there are several ways to best ways to protect your baby during a hot day in the sun, such as:
-Keep the stroller in shade.
-Use an umbrella to protect your baby’s eyes from the sun because it won’t block the air from ventilation.
-Use a stroller that has a canopy top so air can flow through.
-Don’t go outside on extremely hot days.
-And check on your baby every 10 to 15 minutes if you’re taking them for a walk or jog.
“Look at your child and their response. … if their cheeks are flushed, if they’re sweating, if they’re warm to the touch, that’s probably too hot,” Swanson warned. She also said that irritability or lethargy are also tell-tale signs that baby is too hot and warned that “any change in their breathing, particularly rapid breathing,” is a sign that something is wrong.
“It is so dangerous, we have never done it, hope this video stretches far and wide to make people aware,” wrote another user.
But for Charlie and JK, they hope that they’ve proven to parents that putting muslin cloths on the stroller is not a good idea. “It’s a mistake that lots of parents make,” Charlie said in the video. “We did it with our first baby, because we didn’t know any better. But I think this really, really highlights why you should never put these over your [stroller].”
