How to keep your child cool in a car seat? Your heart aches every time you take your child out from the car seat, you notice that his hair is soaked with sweat.
You know your baby is hot, but you don't dare to adjust the temperature of the air conditioner to too low. Because if you do, when coming out of the car, your baby could get heat shock.
You are confused about how to make your child feel more comfortable.
We can not deny that the car seat is very thick and smooth, bringing comfort and safety to your child. However, it is also extremely hot. And that is the reason why children often grumble, get upset and cry because of the heat.
In this article, let's find out how to keep your child cool in a car seat.
Okay, let's dive in!
How dangerous is it if a child gets too hot in a car?
In a car that is overheated when traveling, just 10-15 minutes can cause brain damage and important parts of the child's body.
When the baby's body temperature reaches 40 degrees Celsius, the child's vital organs will stop working. When the body temperature reaches 42 degrees Celsius, the child will be at high risk of death.
How To Keep Your Child Cool In A Car Seat?
Here are some useful and practical tips on how to keep your child cool in a car seat.
Use the insulation film
Car insulation film is a clear film (color depends on the lightweight scale) pasted on the car windows. It has many effects, such as reducing the heat absorbed in the windshield, preventing UV rays, and reducing glare for the windshield when exposed to sunlight or headlights.
Dubbed the sun protection knight for cars, window film blocks more than 80% of the heat from sunlight penetrating through the glass, cooling the car faster, saving fuel, and reducing the load on the air conditioner in the car.
99.9% ultraviolet rays are also blocked by the insulating film, protecting the baby's eyes and skin, ensuring the baby's health when sitting in the car.
The insulating film can eliminate more than 60% of harmful infrared and ultraviolet rays, helping to protect health and help children not get hot when sitting in the car.
Another advantage of window film is that it is glued directly to the car glass. Therefore, the car glass is protected anytime, anywhere. You will not have to take time to disassemble it, like using a curtain or a tarpaulin to cover the car.
In addition to the ability to cool, the film will increase the durability of the car's interior, ensuring privacy for the user. The variety of colors of window film also gives your car a distinct and luxurious style.
Use sunshades
Car sunshades are usually made from synthetic plastic with a tight mesh design. Some types of drapes are made of thick mesh fabric.
Sunshades are often used to block the sun for car window glass. It can be used when parking or when the vehicle is moving. This type of curtain mainly helps to limit sunlight from entering the car.
There are many types of car sunshades with different characteristics. Curtains are made of fabric, covering almost 100% of the glass doors, preventing light from entering, keeping your car cool, and children will always feel comfortable when sitting in the car.
Unlike fabric curtains, smart magnetic blinds are composed of mesh sunshades, blocking 80% of the sunlight entering the car. The blinds are held in place by built-in magnets, allowing you to lower the windows without having to lower the visor. At the same time, you can also easily observe the outside image through the mesh curtain.
Radiator fan
A radiator fan is a small fan, using solar energy, installed on the edge of the car window. Radiator fan works on the principle of creating convection airflow, pushing hot air from inside the car out, and bringing cool air from outside in the car.
The fan can quickly dissipate heat when the car is parked for a long time in the hot sun, so it will always make the child feel cool when sitting in the car.
Use car seat covers
You can use a baby car seat cover to keep your baby cool and comfortable when sitting in a car. This cover uses reflective surfaces and breathable materials to let heat out while reducing the temperature of the car seat.
Therefore, it has the effect of preventing the car seat from overheating, and at the same time preventing the metal from burning the baby's skin. Moreover, a car seat cover will help you prolong the life of your car seat.
Lower the windshield when necessary
Lower the car windows at the two most necessary times: when parking and when the car starts to move.
If you park your car in the sun for a long time, no matter what method you use, heat will be transferred into the car and cause heat to your child. Therefore, please lower the window a bit about 1-2 cm so that the air inside and outside the car is circulated, avoiding heat absorption.
When the car starts to move, roll down all the windows, drive about 12 hundred meters to let the heat out, then get on the window and turn on the air conditioner. This will make the car cooler much faster and will make your child feel more comfortable.
FAQs
How to keep the car from overheating in hot weather?
How to keep your car from overheating in the hot summer weather? Here are ways that you can apply:
- Choose a shady spot to park your car. If you need to park your car in the sun, use specialized covers, mats, fabrics, etc., to cover the car to limit the heat.
- Before getting into the car, you need to turn on the air conditioner and start the car for a few minutes, then go out and wait for the car to cool, then get in and drive.
- Lower the front passenger seat window, then open and close the driver's door 5-10 times or more (if it's too hot in the car) to get fresh air and release harmful gases. The car temperature after opening and closing the door must decrease by 10-15 degrees, cooling down for about 30 seconds.
- To cool down the seat so that it doesn't get too hot, spread a wet cotton towel or spray it with water. Wait for 1-2 minutes for it to cool down before letting your baby sit in the seat.
- If you have to go on a long trip in the hot sun, you should put a mini-fridge, a small ice bucket sprinkled with salt to make the ice melt for a long time, and just chill cold towels and drinks, and help the temperature in the car reduce significantly.
- On days when the outdoor temperature is high, you should limit your baby to wearing too thin clothes to avoid the sun or cause skin burns.
- If you must take your baby in the car without water or wet towels, you can use sunscreen fabrics to cover the seats and then sit in.
Should the temperature in the car be too low?
Many people have the habit of setting the temperature inside the car very low without knowing that this is a dangerous cause of thermal shock, especially for children and people with a history of chronic diseases.
The space in the car is a closed compartment with low air conditioning. When entering and getting out of the car, the temperature changes suddenly, leading to thermal shock.
Mild symptoms may include headache, dizziness or lightheadedness, and heart palpitations. Severe cases can cause fainting or stroke, even death. For those who have a history of heart disease or blood pressure, this risk occurs very high.
Therefore, you should not set the temperature in the car too low to avoid endangering your child.
Should you leave your child alone in a car?
Absolutely not!
Leaving the child alone in a car not only makes the child die from heatstroke but also has the potential to die from asphyxiation, lack of oxygen, etc. Always keep an eye on your child and keep an eye on them at all times.
Even in mild weather, leaving children alone in a car can be life-threatening. Stanford University School of Medicine (USA) study said that there were cases of children dying when left in cars under 21 degrees Celsius.
In hot weather, the temperature inside the car can reach 70 -80 degrees Celsius when stopping, which is extremely dangerous for children.
Therefore, do not leave children in a car even though the windows are open, the engine and the air conditioner are still working. Especially on a hot day, the temperature in the car can get hot quickly.
How to avoid heat shock for your baby when sitting in a car seat?
The risk of heatstroke occurs when the child in an air-conditioned environment steps to the hot outside or from the hot outside into an air-conditioned space. With the weather around 39 degrees Celsius or higher, the risk is higher.
Therefore, when the car is parked in the sun for too long, the first thing to do before getting in the car is to open the window to reduce the hot air in the car.
If the child gets into the car with sweat, use a cloth to dry him and change his clothes before turning on the air conditioner.
Furthermore, before using the car air conditioner, take measures to create air convection between inside and outside. Do not turn the air-con so cold right from the beginning. You need to reduce the temperature slowly so that the child's body can adapt.
When the temperature in the car has dropped, then turn on the air conditioner at a gradually decreasing temperature, preferably from 28 degrees Celsius. The air intake mode also gradually changes from the outside wind to the inside wind.
You should also add a humidifier to help make the interior of the car more comfortable on hot days.
Final Words
Feeling hot and getting sweaty is no fun. And what's more disturbing than you feel hot and sweaty but can't do anything about it?
Well, that's how babies feel. So make sure you frequently check on your little ones to ensure they feel comfortable.
If you wondered how to keep your child cool in a car seat, we have listed down some easy and useful tips for you. Now your job is just to implement them when needed.