Baby and Child Hot Weather Checklist

Babies and young children are among the groups most at risk from hot weather, and their health can be seriously affected by dehydration, heat exhaustion, heatstroke and sunburn¹. The single most useful thing you can do is keep them out of the sun between 11am and 3pm, the hottest part of the day, and keep them in the shade when you are out at other times². Dress them in loose-fitting clothing and a sunhat with a wide brim or a long flap at the back to protect the head, ears and neck, and apply sunscreen regularly⁴.

If a child does become very hot, act quickly. Official guidance is to move them to a cool area, encourage them to drink cool water and cool them as rapidly as possible, by sponging or spraying with cool water, placing cold packs around the neck and armpits, or wrapping them in a cool, wet sheet with a fan on them⁶. If they seem unwell with heat exhaustion, move them to a cool space, give them water, loosen any tight clothing, sponge their body with water and call 111 for advice².

The rest of this page is the checklist itself, then the reasoning behind each item: why the middle of the day matters, how to spot a child who is overheating when they will not tell you, and the places a child should never be left or pushed on a very hot day.

The hot weather checklist for babies and children

Work through this list before a hot spell and again on the day. Each item is here because official guidance names it.

1. Plan the day around 11am to 3pm. Keep them out of the sun during this window, when UV levels are highest⁹.
2. Shade first, then sunscreen. Keep children out of direct sun, cover up exposed skin and reapply sunscreen regularly⁵.
3. Dress them for heat. Lightweight, loose-fitting, light-coloured close-weave clothes, a wide-brimmed hat and wraparound or wide-armed sunglasses⁴.
4. Offer water often. Give frequent water breaks, and spray children down with a spray bottle in extreme heat³.
5. Move activity to cooler hours. Children should not take part in strenuous physical activities on very hot days¹⁰.
6. Keep the pram shaded and ventilated. Keep children in prams or pushchairs in the shade, remove excess clothing, ensure adequate airflow and check regularly that they are not overheated¹¹.
7. Never leave a child in a parked car. Not even briefly: never leave anyone in a closed, parked vehicle, especially infants, young children or animals⁷.
8. Know how to cool a very hot child. Sponge or spray with cool water, use cold packs around the neck and armpits, or wrap them in a cool, wet sheet with a fan on them⁶.
9. Know when to call for help. For heat exhaustion, move them to a cool space, give water, loosen tight clothing, sponge with water and call 111².
10. Keep hot drinks away from children. Keep hot drinks out of reach and never pass hot drinks over children¹².

Keep them out of the sun between 11am and 3pm

Every set of official hot weather instructions in the UK repeats the same window: keep out of the sun between 11am and 3pm⁹. It is the hottest part of the day, and it is when UV rays are strongest⁹. For babies and young children the advice is the same, and stated plainly: older babies should be kept out of the sun as much as possible, particularly in summer and between 11am and 3pm when the sun is at its strongest¹.

In practice that means shifting the day rather than cancelling it. Plan outdoor play, errands and walks for the morning before 11am or the evening after 3pm, and treat the middle of the day as indoor or deep-shade time. The UK Health Security Agency's advice for hot weather is to keep out of the sun between 11am and 3pm, avoid extreme physical exertion, drink plenty of fluids, take water when travelling and look out for vulnerable people¹³.

Shade is not the same as indoors, and not all shade is equal. A sunshade over a pram or a buggy can trap heat if it blocks airflow, which is why the guidance on prams is specific: keep them in the shade, remove excess clothing, ensure there is adequate air flow and check regularly that the child is not overheated¹¹. A tree or a building's shadow that moves with the sun is better than a fixed cover that turns the pram into a warm box.

If you are out and about, public buildings such as places of worship, local libraries or supermarkets may be cooler than your home and can be visited as a way of cooling down⁸. More on finding one is below.

Light, loose clothing, a wide-brimmed hat and sunscreen reapplied often

Clothing does most of the work before sunscreen is even opened. Official advice is to wear loose-fitting, breathable clothing and a hat if possible¹⁴, and for children specifically: loose-fitting clothing, sunglasses and a sunhat with a wide brim or a long flap at the back to protect the head, ears and neck from the sun⁴. Light-coloured, close-weave fabrics are recommended for sun protection generally⁸.

Sunscreen is the second layer, not the first. Apply it regularly and wear a hat when outdoors⁵. The general sun protection advice is to stay in the shade between 11am and 3pm when UV levels are highest, wear lightweight loose-fitting light-coloured close-weave clothes, a wide-brimmed hat and wraparound or wide-armed sunglasses⁸.

Children may not notice they are overheating: how to cool a very hot child

Children can be seriously affected by heat before they say anything about it. The risks official guidance names for babies and young children are dehydration, heat exhaustion, heatstroke and sunburn¹, and the most common risk from heat is dehydration and sunburn⁶. Babies and young children aged five years and under are specifically named as more vulnerable in a heatwave¹⁵, and babies, young children and pregnant women are at particular risk from hot weather¹⁶.

If a child is very hot, cool them first and ask questions later. The guidance is to sponge or spray them with cool water or use cold packs around the neck and armpits, and wrapping them in a cool, wet sheet with a fan on them can help cool them safely⁶. Cold packs wrapped in a cloth and placed under the armpits or on the neck can help, and you can improvise with a bag of frozen peas in a tea towel¹⁰. A damp cloth on the back of the neck, wrists or armpits is particularly effective because these are pulse points where blood vessels sit close to the surface¹⁰.

For a child who is hot but not unwell, the everyday measures are gentler: give frequent water breaks, spray down children with a spray bottle, and take cool baths and showers in extreme heat³. For the full picture of symptoms and when to escalate, see Heat Exhaustion and Heatstroke: Signs and What to Do and When to Call 999 or NHS 111 for Heat Illness.

Where children should not be pushed on very hot days

The clearest warning in the guidance concerns cars. Never leave anyone in a closed, parked vehicle, especially infants, young children or animals⁷. Do not leave babies or children in small, enclosed spaces such as a parked car, as they can get hot very quickly⁴. Ensure that babies, children or older people are not left alone in stationary cars¹⁷.

Prams and pushchairs are the other enclosed space to think about. Keep children in prams or pushchairs in the shade, remove excess clothing, ensure there is adequate air flow and check regularly to ensure they are not overheated¹¹. A cover draped over the front to block the sun can cut airflow, so check the child's temperature and comfort often rather than assuming the cover is helping.

Away from the car, the guidance on where not to push a child is about heat and exertion rather than a specific place. Children should not take part in strenuous physical activities on very hot days⁸. If you are out with a pram, keep them in the shade, remove excess clothing, ensure there is adequate air flow and check regularly to ensure they are not overheated¹⁰.

Strenuous activity, sport and school in hot weather

The rule on activity is blunt: children should not take part in strenuous physical activities on very hot days⁸. Children should not take part in vigorous physical activity on very hot days¹⁰.

Schools are expected to manage heat rather than close. Official guidance for schools and early years settings recognises the importance of going to school for children and young people's learning, wellbeing and safety during hot weather, and advises schools to consider adjusting timetables to avoid teaching during very hot conditions⁶. Uniform rules should be relaxed, especially during amber or red Heat-Health Alerts, and children should wear loose, light-coloured clothing to help keep cool and sunhats with wide brims to avoid sunburn⁶. Schools are also advised to open windows early in the morning to let stored heat escape, close them during the day when it is hotter outside than inside, and encourage children outdoors to stay in the shade as much as possible⁶.

That guidance was first published on 19 December 2024 and updated on 8 July 2026 to align with guidance specifying children under five and to clarify measures supporting school attendance during hot weather⁶. For what the alert levels mean for your family, see Heat-Health Alerts: Yellow, Amber and Red Explained.

Cool spaces: libraries and other places to take a child

When home is too hot, official guidance points to public buildings. Libraries, leisure centres, supermarkets, community venues and places of worship can often provide a cooler environment¹⁰. Public buildings such as places of worship, local libraries or supermarkets may be cooler than your home and can be visited as a way of cooling down⁸.

Some councils go further and promote specific buildings as cool spaces. In Bexley, libraries are promoted as cooler spaces open during normal opening hours that can offer a comfortable place to rest during hot weather¹⁹. In London, cool spaces are described as indoor spaces for Londoners to shelter from the sun, cool down, rest and take respite on hot days, and the map also signposts outdoor spaces with shade, shaded seating, drinking water and toilets, though these may still be very hot during hot weather²⁰.

For a family with a baby or toddler, a library has practical advantages: it is indoors, free to enter, and open during normal hours¹⁹. Check your own council's website before setting out, because the buildings promoted differ from place to place. Our guide to Cool Spaces: Finding Somewhere Cool Near You explains how to find one.

Keeping the checklist ready before the hot weather arrives

Most of this list costs nothing and needs no shopping, but a few items are worth having in the house before a hot spell so you are not searching for them on the hottest day.

• A spray bottle for spraying down children in extreme heat³
• Cold packs, or a bag of frozen peas and a tea towel for cooling at the neck and armpits¹⁰
• A cool, wet sheet and a fan for cooling a very hot child safely⁶
• Sunscreen and a wide-brimmed sunhat that fits now, not last summer⁴
• Loose, light-coloured clothing in the current size⁶
• Water bottles for frequent water breaks and for travelling³

It also helps to know your local cool spaces before you need them, and to check the heat alert level for your area. For the wider household picture, from keeping rooms cool to what to do in a power cut during a heatwave, start with Heatwaves and Drought: A Household Guide and the Hot Weather Preparation Checklist. If you are also looking after older relatives, Who Is Most at Risk in Hot Weather covers the other groups the guidance names.