During hot weather, babies and young children can overheat and become dehydrated quickly. This is because they are less able to control their body temperature and make choices to stop themselves from overheating.

This summer is predicted to be very hot – so it’s important to understand how to keep babies and young children safe, cool and hydrated in hot weather.

What is heat-related illness?

Your body normally keeps itself cool by sweating and moving more blood towards the skin. In extreme heat or if you are physically active in hot weather, the body’s natural cooling system can begin to fail, and your body temperature can increase to dangerous levels. This can cause severe heat-related illness including heat stroke and heat exhaustion.

Heat-related illness is more likely to happen when you are dehydrated and can’t produce enough sweat to help you cool down.

Signs of heat-related illness in babies and young children

During hot weather, it’s important to regularly check for the following signs that a baby or young child’s health may be affected.

Tips to keep babies and young children safe in the heat

Keep cool

• Keep babies and young children out of the heat and encourage them to reduce their activity levels.
• Dress babies and children in light, loose clothing and protect them from the sun with hats and sunscreen.
• Use air-conditioning, if available. If not available, use fans to circulate air but make sure it is out of their reach, and do not point a fan directly at babies or young children.
• Cool babies and children with a damp cloth, face washer or sponge them down with lukewarm water, never cold water.

Stay hydrated

• Babies under 6 months may need or demand extra feeds during hot weather.
  • For breastfed babies, breast milk provides for their needs and extra water is not necessary. Encourage breastfeeding mothers to drink plenty of fluids.
  • For bottle-fed babies, the number of feeds may need to be increased.
• For children 6 months and over, offer extra drinks in hot weather – the best drink is water. You can find more hydration tips on the Healthdirect website.

Visit the NSW Health Babies and young children in hot weather for more information and advice.

Services can also refer to the department’s Hot weather risks for children page for guidance on other heat-related risks during summer.