To cover babies pram with a muslin?

[onebadmum]

My child had an appt today in a hospital clinic. I had my 6 month old baby with us too.

There were delays and we ended up in the clinic for 4+ hours, waiting for the plaster, then x-ray and consultant.

Anyway- baby was getting exceptionally fed up after all this time. I'd tried feeding the sleep, rocking, popping her in her pram and rocking but all the lights/noise/people and she was just far too distracted. She was overtired due to the wait.

I decided to try putting her down in her pram again, popped my phone on with white noise and put a muslin over the top to block out the lights/distractions while I rocked the pram.

There were gaps on both sides so I could see her. I could see she was finally nodding off when a nurse appeared and pulled the muslin off without even looking at me or addressing me (I think I was quite taken aback and thinking "oi you've just woke my baby up")

She started talking to my baby and making a fuss of her (without so much as looking at me)... and said to baby "we don't have this over you do you, you'll be far too hot"... before walking off.

I realised then that she clearly had an issue with the muslin. But as it had been working to get my baby to sleep before the nurse had come over, I just pulled it back over and continued as I was before.

A short time later the nurse reappeared and spoke directly to me this time, and told me off and how dangerous having blankets over babies are.

I'm prepared to be told I was unreasonable to do so... however we were inside, with plenty of fans and the temperature while warmer then average for this time of year was far from sweltering?

I would never cover my baby out in the hot sun. I've had four children so like to think of myself as fairly experienced, but was I wrong?

Just saw the lullaby trust says that rain covers aren't safe either and if being used you must check that your baby is not overheating regularly... and not to use indoors (obviously).

The nurse was right. But she was incredibly rude, as as the baby want even a patient, should not have intervened. Having said that if I'm on nights and a baby won't sleep because of the lights, I will hang a small sheet over the hood to partially block the light. Considered it when walking a baby up and down the ward last night. But decided against it, because it was so hot.

Here we are OP

Test done inside (not outside in sunshine) with a Musln cloth over the bassinet

Difference in room temp vs pram temp taken at 30 min intervals. This is one done in Australia in 2019 but there are hundreds. Just google

www.cprkids.com.au/2019/11/21/the-pram-temperature-test-results-you-need-to-see/

Indoors, with a thin muslin, and with the sides of the hood open to the air, I can't see a major issue.

A thick blanket outdoors over the hood in 27 degree heat is another matter.

She handled it badly. All she needed to say was please be careful with covering the hood it can be dangerous when it's hot.

I always found the idea of placing something on a babies head and restricting the air whilst feeding them really weird.

Nope. They didn’t say it wasn’t safe. They said to keep an eye on baby’s temperature. That is entirely different - please don’t spread dangerous misinformation.

Raincovers have holes in them and are breathable, it’s just a good idea to keep an eye.

Yes she handled it badly, she should have talked to you and asked you first.

I think you've interpreted it as her calling you a bad mother, when she was actually trying to help. There's evidence it's dangerous in very hot weather and that's it really, get defensive if you want but she was right.

@Hollyisalrightactuallysorry it says there that the muslin was "secured" and done in a room with no air conditioning or fans?

It was also done at 30 min intervals.

I was only (partially) covering her bassinet to get her to sleep! It was 5 mins max and she was drifting off as I rocked her. I had no intention of leaving her covered.

As PP has said if the nurse had spoke to me personally I think I would feel differently.

It's dangerous. She saw a child in danger and acted swiftly.

She is right you should never cover your pram particularly in this heat.

She was absolutely correct to intervene, it would have been worse if she'd seen a baby in an unsafe situation and carried on without a single word. She could have explained why she was doing it though.

I imagine she didn't have time

But she actually left me to it when I explained what I was doing and why, how long I'd been in the clinic and how long I had been desperately trying to get my baby to sleep.

If my baby was in so much danger why did she not intervene further or more firmly to prevent it?

She was nothing to do with my other child's treatment and was working at another bay.

The nurse was right.
Try and imagine what it's like to be a nurse who may have seen children who have become ill or worse because of this. It's been so hot today.
She's a very busy person, she stepped in to ensure a baby was safe, she explained why.

@fairyfluf I think she did have time, she was talking "at" my baby for quite a while.

Hence why my first thought was to be annoyed that she had disturbed baby when she was almost asleep and started oooing and ahhhing at her and telling her she was a pretty girl.

From what I could see she didn't have a patient and was setting up equipment in another bay (fracture clinic plaster room).

I've done this before actually to keep the sun off my baby as well as to help him sleep. I think it's fine provided the entrance to the pram isn't completely covered so I'd make sure the Muslin is folded up to keep the sides completely open for air flow to pass through. Keeping it completely covered will raise the temperature inside your pram. You could invest in a snooze shade instead, they're very breathable with gaps in the side and zips so you can open sections. It was a gift when we were on holiday in hot weather.

The nurse was right but handled it badly.

I'm fully with the nurse, too. YABU, not even remotely worth the risk

The reason that all the advice mentions doing it to block sun or silimilar is because that’s when people generally do it. It doesn’t mean it’s suddenly safe to do it at other times for other reasons.

sorry but put your self somewhere hot with a muslin over your self and see how much hotter it gets, i tested it myself before as i wanted to check whether it would actually help or be bad, before long the air had got super stuffy and much hotter

You're totally wrong. It's common sense surely to understand that covering a pram with anything - especially in this heat - is a really bad idea? The temperature of the pram would have intensified so much. Babies can and do overheat and sometimes with tragic consequences. The nurse was right, you were very unreasonable even replacing the sheet back over your baby. Hopefully you're learnt a valuable lesson from the nurse.

It wasn't hot.

It was the coolest place I've been today.

Sounds fine. But god forbid a mother applies some common sense. 10 minutes loosely covered in a slightly warmer than average room with fans. The nurse was not right at all. But on top of not being right, she was rude.

It's like when people tell you you can't eat blue cheese or sit in a hot tub when pregnant. Fucking watch me. There's a chance of dying in a car accident with every trip you make. I don't come up and whip your car keys off you. FFS.

My friend was BF her baby (prob 6 months) in the sun under a muslin blanket, the baby overheated and stopped breathing which thank god they noticed and got an ambulance and all was ok. It was a "sudden unexplained breathing event".

I'm sorry, because I do see your point, and I understand how difficult it is with over tired, grouchy infants. I'd guess a lot of us have done things that go against the guidance (and it that, guidance not rules) just once to get a resolution to a situation. However, the nurse was right to say this to you, especially in this situation. She has probably seen babies who passed from not following those guidlines and is trying to help, in a slightly awkward manner.