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

[longlocks]

Already seen two mums doing this and its just turned 11:30am. They have no idea that putting a blanket over the pushchair traps air and makes the pushchair area warmer. Babies can die of SIDS if they are overheated. Put a parasol or a sun cover instead.

I’ve read about it in the paper - years ago now.

Someone earlier shared the source of the advice. It isn't based on any babies dying.

We used parasols

Africa is a continent, not a country, FYI.

The source of the NHS’s advice?

So where is this evidence? That’s all I’m asking for - the evidence to back up mums being “silly little girls” for covering the hood of the pram with a muslin.

(This is all academic to me as DD (15) is a survivor of this practice, as are all the babies I knew at the time when I was doing this on a very irregular basis, but I’m still interested.)

except the ones that are; saw a baby in a doona with the rain cover on yesterday in the heat, yes I did comment 👋🏽

Since I commented as maybe the third or fourth poster this has gone wildly into treating ‘mums’ like idiots. A couple of people have said their prams zip up or similar to encourage air flow but keep their baby shaded. Why can’t people trust that PARENTS not just mums as dads are able to make these decisions too, are aware of what they are doing and the safety of their child.

It certainly CAN be hot enough here. That's a crazy notion to say it isn't.

The important thing to remember is that an overheating baby won't cry. But its very easy to check on your baby regularly. My younger DD would get very hot in a car seat so we used to strip her down to body suit on warm days in the car for example.

Plus, having had one baby in the UK and one abroad, I do think the British are obsessed with keeping babies cool... or maybe its the Germans obsessed with keeping them warm? Probably both. The layers they put on babies in Germany would make British mothers faint with horror (for example... vest, sleepsuit, cardigan, hat, sleeping bag and DUVET. In June.

Of course
Apologies

This is what I don’t get about women, why can’t we just share our experiences and knowledge as mothers without being a sanctimonious twat? They aren’t silly girls at all.

Have support for other women, some people genuinely don’t know these things and might need some guidance. We need to get better at that.

This. It's a non issue.

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.

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.

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.

It really depends on where you live.

we aren’t all in the balmy south of England

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!

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.

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 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.

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.

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.

Potentially