Living in the South, summertime walks a very fine line. We want to make the most of the great weather, but the “great weather” really only lasts a few hours early in the morning and a few hours just before and right after the sun goes down. Hudson and Hayes were both born in the summer. With a six-week recovery time after giving birth, we spent a whole lot of time inside just trying to stay out of the heat. We saved our outdoor activities for early in the morning or much later in the evening. If we needed to run an errand during the day, we made sure they were all indoor errands.
But there is a time when everyone needs a little bit of fresh air. To make the most of being outside in the summer in the South, we’d load up in the stroller at around 8:30 a.m. and go for a walk for about an hour. I tried to time the stroll to start right after a feeding, and then the baby would always fall asleep early into the walk. It was great for me to just be outside to get some fresh air, and great for the baby to get some fresh air too. When we’d go outside, we’d put Hudson or Hayes in a plain short-sleeved or sleeveless onesie. No footies, long sleeves, or long pants were needed. We needed to make sure that their soft baby skin could breathe, so we didn’t put on clothes that would make them any warmer than necessary.
Hudson, 2 months old
When Hayes was about 3 months old, we went to the beach. I was worried about how to keep Hayes cool while Hudson played. We got Hayes a little tent for babies that has extra sun protection coverage. The tent also had a great floor to keep the sand off of him. When it was time for Hayes to nap, we just laid him down on the floor of the tent and he went right to sleep. We also had a tiny little battery-operated clip-on fan that we put in the tent with him so he’d have some breeze.
Hayes, 3 months old
What are your solutions for making the most of summer with your baby? How do you help your baby beat the heat?
Check out the Huggies Mommy Answers Facebook app!
Find more posts from bloggers sharing their experiences of motherhood on the Huggies page on BlogHer.com.
Whitney says
We are getting ready for a week at the beach, and I have referenced a post you did last year about going to the beach with a baby. Our son is 4 months and we never travelled with my daughter when she was that small. I’m hoping to be able to keep him comfortable and happy without spending my entire week inside.
Blue-Eyed Bride says
It can be done, Whitney! 🙂 We just avoided the hottest times of the day when our boys were really little. Sunburn is so scary for babies.
Desiree says
We took Quinn out on the lake for the 4th. We put him in one of those net floaties and he loved it! He would just lay back and enjoy floating around in the cool water. I think we have a water baby on our hands ha!
Blue-Eyed Bride says
How fun! I know he just loved it!
Deidra says
Where did you get the tent from that will let so much at the beach?
Blue-Eyed Bride says
Hey, Deidra! The tent is from One Step Ahead. It has a floor and has some built in sun protection. We used a large tailgate style tent over the small tent to protect the adults and Hudson.
Melissa says
I’m up in CT and the past few years our summers have been super hot and humid. It’s disgusting. We’re in the middle of a 90-something degree every day heatwave and I hate it. Next week it supposed to be in the 80’s and I can’t wait! Anyway, last summer L was a newborn and I was recovering from giving birth, so we were inside a lot or we just did little walks. This summer we go to the beach when it’s not super hot, L has a water table to play with, and we love the mall play area and the children’s museum. Landon and I both run hot, so being outside in extreme heat isn’t pleasant for either of us.
Laura says
I live in Texas, so this is a HUGE concern of mine. I’m pregnant right now so next summer we will have our little girl and I’m already nervous about making sure she can deal with the heat when outside/on the beach. I love the idea of the little tent and the fan, I think I’m going to have to steal that!
Blue-Eyed Bride says
Using the bath seat as a beach chair for the baby was really fun, too! 🙂
Jill says
Remind me again where you bought the tent? We’re going to need something like this for Sydney this year. 🙂
Blue-Eyed Bride says
Hey Jill! We got it from One Step Ahead last year. I’m sure they still sell it.
Erin @ WriteTasty says
Good plan! We’ve been spending lots of time indoors this summer so far, what with the 95+ degree heat. I love that bath seat– it looks almost like a bouncer?! Where did you get it? I see the source for the tent but I’m missing the bath seat. I love the tent too. Our favorite beat-the-heat tools are our tiny baby pool (for Mama’s feet haha), N’s water table, and the sprinkler. Our highly shaded backyard doesn’t hurt for sun protection either.
Blue-Eyed Bride says
Hey Erin! It’s a Summer bath seat. It isn’t a bouncer, but it worked great for giving him a “breathable,” cool place to sit on the beach since he couldn’t sit up. And it kept him out of the sand. Love the bath seat as a baby seat on the beach.
Diane says
I love the bath seat as baby seat for the beach! Will have to remember that if we ever have baby #2. Cute beach babies you have!