To think everyone needs to know that covering the front of a buggy in this heat is unsafe?

77 replies

readingmakesmehappy · 24/06/2026 13:55

I've seen so many buggies and prams out this week with muslins and cloths clipped to the front. Why doesn't everyone know this is unsafe?
It's slightly better if it's a wet muslin, but only slightly.
NHS, for those who want citations: https://www.nhs.uk/baby/first-aid-and-safety/safety/safety-in-the-sun/
And Which? https://www.facebook.com/share/r/1D6id4EG4u/

Keeping your baby safe in the sun

Babies and young children can become ill in very hot weather. Get NHS information on out how to prevent dehydration, heat exhaustion and heatstroke, and sunburn.

https://www.nhs.uk/baby/first-aid-and-safety/safety/safety-in-the-sun

OP posts:

TheNinkyNonkyIsATardis · 07/07/2026 13:40

swapsicles · 07/07/2026 13:27

I remember being told not to cover prams with blankets as well as not using use car seats for a long period, this was 25 years ago!
Baffles me how people still do it, maybe because unlike leaving a baby in a hot car accidentally it isn't reported if deaths occur or isn't a direct or definite cause perhaps?

It's probably more that it's not causing substantial deaths, more GP and hospital visits.

But also that it's hard to pin on an exact piece of advice - a car seat is a car seat is a car seat, but shade/protection can vary.

The best thing to do with a baby in the sun is wherever possible keep them inside altogether, which is more straightforward advice than exactly which shade/air circulation is ok.

(Lots of baby advice centres around 6m/1y guidelines precisely because it's easiest to get sleep-deprived parents to remember the information - it's not as if babies suddenly go through lots of exact and significant changes at 6m/1y precisely. Lots of it is actually weight-based, but they know that huge numbers of parents won't have the nous/the resources to know that precisely, so they give an age where 99% of babies will have crossed the weight threshold etc.)

Zimunya · 07/07/2026 13:41

MaJoady · 24/06/2026 14:24

If you need to be out with a young baby in these temps it's not necessarily easy.

In certain directions sun shines in the bassinet regardless of having the (large) hood up. Below 6 months, babies can't use suncream, so keeping them out of the sun is important. You have to balance the sun risk with the heat risk.

I mocked up a crappy solution that could extend the reach of the hood with a muslin cloth, but still had large gaps at the sides to maintain airflow, but not easy when you're out and about.

I think the scorn from pp on this thread isn't helpful. Very few people are using wool blankets over the pram, it's things like muslins that seem very thin, so people don't consider them holding heat in the same way

Totally agree. Parents have to balance exposure to sun alongside body temperature. We lived in Africa when DD was a baby, and I often had a muslin type cloth loosely draped over the pram so she wasn't in direct sun. Like you, I made sure there were large gaps at the sides to maintain air flow. She survived. Things aren't always "safe" and "unsafe" - common sense should be applied once all factors have been considered and applied.

Flip

1 2 3 4