When will parents realise that covering pushchair with blankets and muslin sheets is actually dangerous?

Yeah it's crazy, they're far too big, they'll break them.

I find it crazy that people don't research more with their children.

A bit like people use jumparoos and sit in baby walkers.

Why is it 'mums' and not 'parents'?

It's so thin I question exactly what protection it provides from the sun if any at all? I live in a place with far hotter and more humid summers than the UK and never resorted to covering the pram with material, that sounds insane. Just pulled the hood up, rigged up a little fan, stayed in the shade as much as possible and and avoided going out at the hottest times of the day. Rigged up some mosquito netting on occasion to keep the bugs away.

DD was born in the 2000s. We would use a uv parasol with the buggy hood up. If we stopped anywhere we turned the buggy around so the sun was giving the hood the most shade. Snooze shades didn't exist then. I took her to Cyprus and used this method which worked out fine. I agree that using material reduces airflow and makes the buggy warmer, which is not good.

Years ago now but we used a snoozeshade and the pram mesh back. It was nice and cool in there. Because I'm anal, we tested it in the sun with the baby temperature penguin instead of the baby in there and it was several degrees cooler inside than outside. I remember approached by a busybody at an under 5s event who was telling multiple people off. Everyone was polite to her, but TBH sticking a hand under other people's muslins it was still cooler because of the airflow yet blocking direct sun. I expect if someone tucked the muslin in all round or threw a blanket on that it would heat up, but I haven't seen anyone do that. I guess she got attention though and maybe that was her goal.

NHS Link
“Never cover the pram with muslin or blanket as your baby can overheat”

And for what it’s worth, I’ve just searched prevention of future deaths reports from coroners, for both prams and pushchairs. The only mention I found involved an accident with a van.

But importantly, the NHS aren’t telling parents not to cover prams with muslins.
In the guidance, which has been linked more than once, the NHS advises not covering prams with blankets. it’s important not to berate parents for doing something that is perfectly safe and sensible.

Remember too, that babies and young children are also at risk when they are not protected from the sun.

I can't imagine it's an issue if it's a light muslin and there are gaps for air flow.

I'm in Ireland, there are really not many days in the year where this is even potentially a problem.

You want evidence of one child that’s been ill due to overheating or do you want evidence that babies are “dropping like flies”?
Is the NHS telling you not to do it not enough?
Have you heard of SIDS and are you aware that overheating can be a contributing factor?

A muslin cloth is perfect to protect a child from sunburn. Ideally you would use a sunshade but a muslin is fine. If your child is well hydrated and not in the pram too long, a rise of 2 degrees won't do any damage.

Potentially

A blanket and a muslin are very different - I personally use a muslin partially covering it to prevent my six month old getting too distracted to nap - and so far it has never resulted in her getting even slightly sweaty. I did the same with my son and again he never got even slightly sweaty. I’m attentive enough that I’m comfortable there is no way they will overheat that way. If you came up and told me how to parent when I was walking down the street I’d be reasonably unimpressed.

Because they aren’t. People are going on about how often they see mothers cover the pram with a muslin and yet there are no stories of UK babies coming to any harm from it.

I did it with all mine, we lived in a hot country. I used a single layer thin cotton receiving blanket. I looped it through the hinges on the hood, and draped it over the handle sometimes used clothes pegs. Complete shade as my little red heads would fry.

Most people who use a muslin clip it so there is still air flow, I know I do. I wouldn’t use a fleece blanket or anything like that as of course it’ll get boiling in there.

I used something similar to this Koodi Real Sun Shady Stroller Cover as special mesh cover, breathable and screens UVA/B. Baby can also see out through it.

I recently had a baby in Germany and I was shocked by the number of layers my baby came back in! Like you said, it was vest, sleepsuit, socks, cardigan and hat, all zipped up into a sleeping bag. This was in a baking hot hospital room!

It really depends on where you live.

we aren’t all in the balmy south of England

Oy vey!

Hubris much?

You'd have a fit of the vapours if you ever visited the US in summer. Babies left, right, and centre with strollers covered down in blankets - not even airy muslins. It's very much the done thing in certain ethnic groups.

Many women do it in the stifling American midwest summers too.

Babies are not harmed or there would be public service announcements about it.

Leaving babies in cars on warm days otoh - many sad tragedies, and adults who do this are usually charged with a crime.

You'd think it would be obvious. I hate seeing it and don't know why adults can't understand that they are potentially suffocating their baby.

This. It's a non issue.