Summer’s coming up and while it may not be hot yet where you are, it’s definitely hot where I live. I’m a desert rat, grew up in a desert city, and heat is what I know and love (trust me, if you throw a snowball at me ❄️, I’m liable to hurl a cactus at you 🌵 🤪 ).
It’s hot outside and even hotter in the car. The kids are crying in the back seat, they’re all sweaty and red and mom is panicking, thinking they’re going to get heatstroke. They could, I suppose. Kids’ bodies don’t have temperature controls like adults do; they can’t dissipate heat effectively and overheat quickly. Heat exhaustion strikes first: skin is pale and sweating is profuse, child may complain of nausea, headache, and dizziness, there are muscle cramps. It’s very uncomfortable; I’ve had it a few times. Heat stroke comes after heat exhaustion and is the most severe form of heat sickness—it’s LIFE THREATENING. Symptoms include flushed and DRY skin-sweating has stopped, altered mental status, core temperature of 105˚ or higher.
What can we do to keep our kids happy and cool in our hot vehicles when we first get into them and as we drive? There are some basic things we can do plus there are some products on the market made specifically to keep kids cool.
First, let’s understand how our vehicles heat up. Jan Null of San Francisco State University has studied how vehicles heat up and has shown that as the sun hits the surfaces of the vehicle, the objects inside the vehicle heat up by conduction: just like a pot gets hot on an electric stove element. The air warms inside the vehicle and as it warms, the molecules get excited and bump around faster and faster, which in turn make the air warmer. Sun also comes in the windshield and other windows and heats the air and surfaces inside, making those molecules move around faster-you get a bunch of hot air in the vehicle moving around like in a convection oven, minus the fan. So, you’ve got a vehicle heated by conduction and convection. Science aside, it’s hot in there.
How can we keep cool? The following ideas do include Amazon affiliate links where, if you click them, we may earn a small commission at no cost to you. (Thanks so much! 😊)
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- Start by covering up the windows. Use sunshades to cover up the windshield. Use one in the back too if you have a sedan. It really does make a difference, especially if you have leather seats! (Can you say yeouch!). Have your windows tinted as darkly as is legal and that you can tolerate. This, too, makes a huge difference. There are varying shades of tint and varying colors ranging from smoky browns to grays to mirrored finishes. They darker the tint, the harder it is to see out of at night; on the flip side, the darker the tint, the harder it is to see in the vehicle during the day. On our last van, we had limo tinting on the back windows and the darkest legal on the front windows and it stayed pretty cool during the summer. On our old van, we were one step lighter than limo tinting in back and still had the darkest legal on the front windows. It felt warmer to me, but it was also a dark gray van and the air conditioner wasn’t as robust as the last van. We didn’t have tinting on our SUV for the first year we had it and it was truly nasty. The leather seats nearly burned off my skin every time I sat on it in shorts, it was uncomfortably hot to ride in all the time, and we would get sunburned on even the shortest trips. Tinting the windows made all the difference in that vehicle.
What if you can’t tint your windows? Baby stores sell static cling window tinting in the car seat accessories aisle. You could try one of those lightweight screens that suction cups to the back window, but will it actually stay up? Not if you have my luck. Here’s a magnetic screen shade to try. What don’t you want to buy? Those roller shade things that suction cup to the window. Why? In a crash that shade will fly off the window and smash into someone in the car. When was the last time you had a suction cup stay up?
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- Throw a white towel over the car seat. This keeps the sun off the seat and the light color of the towel reflects the sun’s rays. They also make special car seat covers that look space-agey.
- If you have a van or SUV with rear air vents, you’re lucky. That helps cool off the back seat faster and you can aim them at the kids. If you don’t have rear vents, aim your front air vents toward the ceiling. The cool air will bounce off the ceiling and back down toward the back seat. Remember, warm air rises, cool air falls.
- Use a Noggle if you don’t have air vents pointed directly at your kids. The Noggle is a tube that connects to your air vent and directs air flow very effectively to your child. It’s terrific! We used one for our dogs in the 3rd row of our SUV when they rode back there and didn’t have an air vent.
- Use a misting spray bottle with cool water and spritz your kid. Some kids will probably hate this with a passion, others will love it. As the water evaporates off their skin, they’ll cool down.
- Sunglasses help little eyes handle the glare of direct sunlight and you want to make sure they’re UV-rated. These from COCOSAND get good reviews for babies and for older toddlers and preschoolers, Pro Acme sunglasses seem to be the way to go.
- Above all else, don’t forget to bring water to drink. You never know when your battery will die or a flat tire will happen and dehydration happens quickly in warm weather. When it gets warm out, we never leave the house without each of us grabbing a water bottle first. It’s just smart. (And speaking of break-downs, or even worse, a crash with injuries, keep a towel or blanket in the car in case someone needs to sit or lie down. Blacktop can quickly burn skin if the sun’s been shining on it).
I have to admit I’ve borrowed some of these good ideas from others over the years. What are some of your warm weather tips for staying cool in the car?
@marcela, the best thing to do is feel fabrics yourself. I know that some think plush covers, like velour (think Britax cowmoo), are hot for their kids and others don’t have any problems with them at all. Britax used to have a yummy denim that was perfect! Anyway, look for a cover that’s not too plasticky and that looks absorbent.
Does any one have a recommendation on car-seats for a sweaty baby?
I used to cover my Civic hatchback when I was at work and at the end of the day, my car would be probably 80* inside. This was when I lived in Tempe (Phx area) and one summer we hit 122*.
This might be a bit unwieldy for minivans and SUV’s, but for our little Civic the Tyvek car cover is awesome for keeping the car cool when we can’t find a shady spot to park.
I don’t know if not leaving your windows down is being fearful, or smart. If it’s open enough that you can get your hand in, then someone can just reach in and unlock the vehicle.
Now, to the blog, the best one has to be the white sheet/towel over the car-seat in hot weather. Definitely helps. 🙂
I opt for the good ‘ol fashioned “green” alternative when I can: we park farther away, in the shade whenever we can. I live in VA, and we often have temps over 100* but we also have trees. But even shade from a building makes a world of difference!
I also leave my windows at least half-way open. Then I lock the doors. That drives some people crazy, but I figure you only live once, and you can’t spend your whole life fearful and afraid. If someone wanted to get into my van with it set up like that, they’d have to be really motivated 🙂
The Doctors tv show talked about heat illness and hyperthermia today (http://www.thedoctorstv.com/main/show_page/199 ) and leaving kids in cars accidentally. Here’s my blog article on the topic: https://carseatblog.com/?p=1604 .
Cracking windows does help, but it still allows the temp in the car to get just as hot–it just takes longer, according to Mr. Null. I’ve found it works too, or at least it feels like it does.
Julie, I won’t tell you what my thermometer said today ;).
To help cool the car down quickly, I roll the windows down and crank the air conditioning. That helps push the hot air out and replaces it with cooler air. After a few minutes I roll the windows up and away we go.
I’ve seen solar powered fan/vents that mount in a window crack or sunroof. They claim to lower interior temperatures by 10 or 20 degrees or something. Not sure how well they really work, but that’s another possibility. Here’s an example, though this one got poor reviews- http://www.amazon.com/Trillium-Worldwide-TWI-7001-Solar-Powered-Ventilator/dp/B0007LXTN2 .
I have also found that cracking the windows just a smidge helps keep the car just slightly cooler.
No great ideas from me, but the SW in your picture next to the 95 immediately made me think it stood for ‘SWeltering’.