This week, Bobbi Conner talks with Dr. Bailey Allen about protecting newborn babies and infants from extreme summer heat. Dr. Allen is a pediatrician and pediatric resident at MUSC.
TRANSCRIPT:
Conner: I'm Bobbi Conner for South Carolina Public Radio with Health Focus here at the radio studio for the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston. Infants and newborn babies are at increased risk of serious heat related illness from exposure to extreme summertime heat. Doctor Bailey Allen is here to talk about the details and what we can do to keep infants safe. Doctor Allen is a pediatrician and pediatric resident at MUSC Children's Health. Doctor Allen, tell us about the risks that extreme summertime temperatures may pose to infants and newborn babies.
Dr. Allen: Infants and newborns just are not as good at regulating their body temperature as adults. And because of that, they're at more risk for heat related illness. So things we can see in terms of heat related illness would be dehydration, which is what we see most commonly. But infants and newborns can also have heat stroke or heat exhaustion. The risk of this is the greatest on really hot and humid days.
Conner: And tell us more details about exactly why infants and newborn babies are at higher risk of problems from extreme heat.
Dr. Allen: There are a couple reasons that infants and newborns are at higher risk of extreme heat. The first reason is that their sweat glands are more immature than adults. They just produce less sweat in general. Our sweat is important. It helps evaporate off and keep us cool. And they just can't do that as efficiently. The other reason is that infants are dependent on their caregivers to get taken inside to cool off. They can't tell us when they're too hot and aren't feeling good. That's especially important in cars. Cars get really hot, really fast, and infants can't remind you that they're in the back seat or that they're too hot.
Conner: So, the idea is to check the back seat of the car after every single car trip. What other tips can you share to help prevent leaving a child in a hot car?
Dr. Allen: Yeah, so there's a couple different tips that are recommended. Some car seats or cars have reminders to check your backseat. Some people put a reminder on their phone. I've also heard of people that leave a stuffed animal in their child's car seat when they're not in it, and then put it in their front seat when they are, so that they can look in their passenger side and see a visual reminder that their baby is in the backseat.
Conner: What else can parents do to keep infants safe from extreme heat?
Dr. Allen: The most important thing you can do is keep your child hydrated. So, offering lots of formula or breast milk. Making sure they are feeding frequently so that they're getting lots of hydration. Infants under six months of age cannot have any water, they just need breast milk or formula. So, when you're offering them hydration, breast milk and formula alone is enough to keep them hydrated. Dressing in light-colored cool layers. Babies don't need to be swaddled all the time, and they definitely don't need to be in fleece. Often if they're at home, just a diaper or just a cotton onesie is enough to keep your baby comfortable. If you're outside, making sure that you have shade, going inside frequently to cool off, and then making sure you have an area to go to cool off. So, if you don't have AC, if your AC is broken, finding different public places that would have AC, libraries, shopping malls, and sometimes they even have cooling centers for families to go to if they don't have AC during the heat of the day.
Conner: What are the early warning signs that an infant is in distress from heat?
Dr. Allen: So, an infant that is dehydrated will have decreased wet diapers or really dark urine. Some other signs that they're overheated would be a fever, a baby that's really fussy, any rapid or really deep breathing or vomiting. Definitely make sure your baby is staying hydrated. Take them inside and get them cooled off. If you're ever worried about your baby, you can call your pediatrician or take them to the emergency room.
Conner: Doctor Allen, thanks for talking with us about keeping infants safe from extreme summertime heat.
Dr. Allen: You're welcome.
Conner: From the radio studio for the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston, I'm Bobbi Conner for South Carolina Public Radio.
Health Focus transcripts are intended to accurately represent the original audio version of the program; however, some discrepancies or inaccuracies may exist. The audio format serves as the official record of Health Focus programming.
