Breastfeeding in the Heat

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By Ali Weatherford

I live in central Texas which is also Breastfeeding Success headquarters. It’s July here now, and in central Texas that means scorching heat. I, and many of us living here, avoid getting cars with leather seats or never wear shorts in fear of having our bare skin scalded when we first sit down. Going outside for any amount of time over 10 minutes has to be planned for. Do I have cold water, sunscreen, an umbrella, am I dressed properly, am I hydrated, etc.? And when you’re a parent carrying a baby and breastfeeding, there’s another level of complication.

For Your Comfort and Safety

It’s important to prepare to be hotter than you were before in hot weather. Sometimes there are hormonal changes that mean you feel the heat differently, but you’re also carrying a heavy little hot compress around with you. If you’re breastfeeding, that can be intensified. You might feed your baby and find that there is a pool of sweat between you two when you’re done. It can be very uncomfortable. Here are some tips to keep you feeling more comfortable:

Stay hydrated and wear sunscreen! It’s more than important that you take care of yourself. You can only do a great job of taking care of your baby if you are safe and well.
Loose fitting clothes tend to help you feel cooler. Consider baggier pants/shorts, skirts and dresses. Tight fitting clothes tend to trap body heat.
Choose the fabrics carefully. Linen is a summer staple because it is cotton fabric made with a very open weave for breathability. Other lightweight cotton fabrics like poplin or seersucker are cooler too. And there are special synthetic fabrics made to draw sweat away from your skin and promote cooling. Check the labels. They will most definitely advertise it if using those kinds of fabrics.
Consider full coverage clothing. It might not feel like the right thing to cover yourself from head to toe, but with the right fabrics, you can stay cool while preventing sunburn. There are specially made shirts and dresses that are designed to cover and also cool. They might have special vented areas built in or have flaps that can help with circulation.
Choose your underwear well. If you’re wearing a dress or skirt, anti-chafing shorts can be a lifesaver. And moisture-wicking underwear can make a difference.
Wear wide-brimmed open-weave hats. The traditional straw hat is an example, but there are also plenty of more modern versions to choose from.
Stay in the shade whenever possible. This might mean taking umbrellas or pop-up tents with you.
It might feel better to have your baby in a stroller rather than on your body, but it can also be easier to forget to check on your baby, so stay on alert and monitor your baby’s status often. If you wear your baby, consider getting a carrier made of cooler and moisture wicking fabrics. There are many on the market designed to help you and your baby feel cooler.
Get battery-powered fans. There are some great models that attach to just about anything including a stroller. Just be sure to attach the fan securely, and keep it out of reach of your baby.

For Your Baby’s Comfort and Safety

Babies, especially very young ones, aren’t as good at regulating their body temperature as we are. They tend to get colder more easily, but they can definitely get too hot and don’t have a fully developed way to help them cope with rising temperatures. They really do depend on their caregivers to keep them comfortable and safe. Be sure to pay very close attention to your baby’s behavior and anticipate their needs whenever you can.

One of the most important things you can do is give your baby plenty of extra milk breaks. You don’t have to give your baby supplemental water or any other drinks. Breast milk has all the hydration a baby needs, they will just need more of it when temperatures rise.
Your baby might feel a little cooler in a stroller rather than being carried, just be sure to keep them shaded. It’s not a good idea to completely cover the stroller opening with a blanket or stroller cover though. That can create a hotter situation. It’s best to keep the airflow open and instead find an umbrella or shade that can move to adjust for the angle of the sun.
Dress your baby in lightweight, breathable fabrics. Lightweight cotton is a favorite.
Attach a fan to the stroller to keep the air moving for your baby.
If your baby is attached to you, a carrier designed for warm weather can also keep them cooler.
If your baby is hanging out on a blanket on the ground or on any other kind of seat, bed, or swing, just be sure they stay in the shade.
Take breaks from the heat with your baby if you can. Go inside and enjoy some air conditioning or cool off with some water. If your baby can get into the water, just be sure the sun is not an issue.
It’s generally not recommended that very young babies under six months wear sunscreen, so it’s best to minimize direct sun exposure to very short excursions of just a few minutes at a time. Their skin is especially sensitive to sunburn, so it doesn’t take much.
Never leave a baby unattended in a car, especially when it’s hot outside. It doesn’t take long for a car to get dangerously hot.
Babies can wear big hats and sunglass too, and it makes for really cute pictures!

Tolerance Levels vs Safety

Everyone will have a different level of tolerance for heat. I’ve never lived further north than central Texas, so I can handle a lot of heat. But I get very upset when it starts to get cold, because I don’t know how to properly handle it. I don’t have the right clothes and accessories, and I don’t know what to do in cold emergencies. I would say that even though my tolerance level for cold is very low, I’ve at least learned enough to help me feel safer. It can be the same with intense heat. Once you know how to stay safe, it’s more about your level of comfort. You might decide that it’s not worth getting out much, and that’s OK. I hibernate in the winter, and I have plenty of friends who like to tease me about that. But I won’t turn down summer fun regardless of the temperatures. We are all different, so let yourself off the hook if this is one of those things that’s too far outside your comfort zone. And if you can’t avoid it, just be sure to follow some basic guidelines for safety, and trust that you and your baby will be just fine.

Reference

Narrative Review on Infants’ Thermoregulatory Response to Heat – PMC

About the Author

Ali Weatherford, ICCE is the manager of Parent Education at Breastfeeding Success and a childbirth educator certified by the ICEA. She has also trained with Birthing From Within™, DONA International, Spinning Babies™, and regularly attends annual conferences and training related to childbirth education, perinatal mental health, and more because she will never be done learning! She has a BA in Psychology with a background in research and writing. When she’s not teaching and learning about birth, she’s probably cooking and hanging out with her two wonderful kids and many pets at home in Austin, TX.