Its hot this week. How to cool a young baby?

[Patopopo]

I've got a six week old baby in a very hot London flat.
Its 28.5c in our flat right now at 19:40. Tomorrow's forecast is for +30c which means an even hotter home.

-How can I keep the baby safe and cool? We don't have air conditioning or an electric fan.

-And what are safe limits? I know the ideal temperature is 16-20 but how hot can it get before it becomes dangerous for a baby?

Damp towels/flannels hung round the room, no clothing bar a nappy. Can you buy a fan tomorrow?

Can you open windows and get a through draft going? That should help.

DD always loves a luke-warm bath.

one way to lower temperature by a degree or even two is to soak and wring a towel and leave it hanging over a clothes horse. heat energy is used up in evaporating the water in the towel. we left the bottom of the towel dipped into a baby bath full of water so the towel didn't dry out overnight.

if you can get an electric fan all the better

and even better (obviously) is an aircon - we got the delonghi nf170 is a Which? best buy - it works miracles - our boys' bedroom goes down to around 20 (from high 20's) in 15 mins or so.

Thanks for all the good ideas. I will try the soaking trick.

Any ideas on the upper safe limits on temperatures. I know the ideal guides are between 16-20c but does anyone know what the safe upper temperatures limits are.

No doubt in much hotter countries babies have to deal with this all the time.

I don't think safe upper temps are often published because as you say in very hot countries it's much hotter than here.

I keep blinds drawn during the hottest part of the day and always have air circulating with windows open to create a through draught or a fan on in the room. Baby in a nappy and lots and lots of fluids. Breastmilk will change its own composition in the heat to provide adequate water.

If you can beg/borrow/buy a fan, then fan + damp towel works really well.

Cotton sheet, no covers (or a thin sheet if LO doesn't like no cover) and just a nappy.