12 Ways to Keep Your Child COOL in the Car Seat

You never want your little one to be too hot!  If your baby is overheating a number of things may happen.  At the very least he will be uncomfortable, his sleep may suffer, and he may get heat rash, but there are also other more serious complications.   So now, before summer approaches, we’ve compiled ten tips (some of which you can prepare for now) to ensure your child stays as cool as possible in his car seat this summer.

(1) Did you know that a white or light colored interior can keep the car up to 50 degrees cooler than black?  The same applies to the car seat fabric as well.  The car’s interior and exterior color is the primary factor on interior temperatures.  Keep this top of mind when purchasing a vehicle and/or a car seat.

(2) Speaking of car seats, you might consider one with a ventilated mesh fabric  like this to improve air flow and improve comfort,

(3) Or a mesh liner intended to do the same.

(4) Block the sun

• When possible, park in shaded areas (or ideally a garage!) to stop the sun from beating directly on your vehicle, trapping hot air inside
• If legal in your area, tinted windows can help keep a car cooler and block UV radiation
• Reflective sunshades can reduce the interior temperature of a car by 15 degrees and the dashboard temperature by 40 degrees

(5) When feasible, dress your baby lightly and pre-cool the car for a few minutes before buckling her up (also be sure metal buckles are not hot, which could easily burn her delicate skin)

(6) Once in the vehicle, point your front A/C vents up towards the ceiling to help direct airflow to the back seat.  Crack open back window to help circulate the air.

(7) For an innovative way to cool down, use evaporative cooling towels—but only over the child’s harness straps, never underneath

(8) Car seat sunshade—a  see-through tested shade hood can shield a baby from 99% of the sun’s UVA and UVB rays and still               allow him to view the world around him

(9) Consider a Noggle.  A Noggle is a fabric-covered piece of flexible ductwork that divers air from a front vent directly to your child—this is great for rear facing car seats

(10) Cover the car seat with a white or light colored receiving blanket while not in use—and slightly open all windows so heat doesn’t get trapped.  It will actually help keep the car seat from absorbing excess heat

(11) This  car seat cooler helps keep car seats comfortable in almost any heat condition.

(12) We already told you how to maximize your A/C output for your child, but in the event your A/C is underperforming, always keep it running cold with FJC products.

Finally, while we’re discussing cars, babies and heat—remember to NEVER leave a child or pet alone in the car—even for a  moment.

LMK 2019