As the temperatures climb this summer, we’ll be looking for any and all ways to keep cool and comfortable. But is air conditioning safe for your baby? I know some moms are wondering if the cold air could cause a chill or even asthma later in life…
Everything that I’ve heard suggests that it is generally safe to have your baby sleep in an air conditioned room — especially if the alternative is a hot, humid, and stuffy room. That said, there are a few precautions you might want to take when using the air conditioner in your baby’s room:
The ideal temperature: 25°C — 27°C
When children sleep, their temperatures decrease so they easily get sore throat and fever that leads to diarrhea. To keep children safe, parents should only let the temperature of the house be around 25°C — 27°C. It’ll be good for children if the difference between the house’ and the outside’s temperatures is as much as 7 degrees Celsius. For example, if the outside temperature is 35°C., the one in air-conditioned room should be 28°C. And, it won’t cause much trouble if the children keep running in and out of the air-conditioned room.
Avoid placing your baby near vents
Whether you have central air or window units, air conditioners tend to have concentrated flows of cold air coming from the vents — this might be too strong for your baby. Babies can take advantage of the cool room without being directly in the path of blowing air.
Hygiene
This is one of the thing that most parents are tend to forget. Parents take notice of cleaning the air-conditioner recurrently to avoid mold and pathogens. We suggest doing servicing for the air-conditioner 3–4 times a year depends on your usage. When you don’t use air-conditioners, you should let the door open so that the room will be airy.
Prevent sudden changes
Staying in an air-conditioned room all day is a complete “shouldn’t”. Children who stay in air-conditioned room for 4 successive hours often have dry skin and sore throat. You should make them go out of the air-conditioned room each 2–3 hours.
When the weather is hot and your children have just got home, you shouldn’t let them go to the air-conditioned room right away. Before going to the air-conditioned room, you should make your children wait for a while and rub their sweat. And before the children leave the room, you should open the door and let them get used to the outside temperature.
Dress babies lightly but covered.
This way the cold air isn’t directly touching their skin while they sleep. Keep babies’ skin moisturized. Air conditioning can dry out the air, so make sure your baby’s skin isn’t getting too dry. Use a lightweight moisturizer to keep your baby’s skin soft and hydrated. Another idea for keeping your baby’s room from overheating during the summer is to use a fan (although it should be noted that fans move air around, they don’t cool the air).
Babies, particularly newborn, can’t adjust their body temperature as well as adults. This makes them vulnerable to overheating and heat-related illnesses such as heat rash, dehydration, heat exhaustion or heatstroke. On the other hand, a room that is too cold could severely lower your baby’s body temperature and chill him. Follow these tips to help keep your baby safe and comfortable while using an air conditioner.
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