What this is about
Is it safe to cover the stroller with a blanket? On a sunny walk it looks like the easy fix. The sun cuts into your baby's eyes, the hood stops short, and there's a muslin in the diaper bag. It is thin, it feels airy in your hands, and half the strollers in the park have one clipped across the front.
It isn't, and a real test shows why: a cloth over the opening leaves the seat hotter than it would be with no cloth at all. Shade belongs above the seat, where the air can still get in.
What a muslin or blanket does to the seat
A muslin feels airy because you can see light through it. That light is the sun, still getting in and warming the seat through the weave. What the cloth does stop is the breeze that carries warm air out of the seat, so the heat that comes in stays, much as it does in a car parked in the sun with the windows shut.
Researchers in Sydney pushed the same stroller out on 16 hot summer days, about 33°C (91°F) outside, and measured the air in the seat after 20 minutes, with and without a cloth over the front.
What a cloth over the front does to the seat
The canopy alone
37.5°C 99.5°Fin the seat after 20 minutes
The stroller as it comes, with the canopy out and the front open. On a day this hot, a seat in the sun gets warmer than the air around it, but the breeze still gets through.
Not good: A dry muslin over the front
40°C 104°Fafter the same 20 minutes
The thinnest cloth parents use, and the seat still came out hotter. Under it, you can't see your baby either.
Not good: A flannel blanket over the front
41°C 105.8°Fafter the same 20 minutes
A thicker cloth, like a cotton flannel receiving blanket, held in even more heat.
Shade that reaches where the hood stops
Start with what the stroller already has. Pull the canopy all the way forward, then look for more of it: some canopies unzip into a longer panel, or have a visor that slides out of the front edge. This shade sits overhead like a roof and leaves the front and sides open to moving air.
When low morning or evening sun still gets under the rim, add a shade made for the job: a canopy extension that clips onto the hood's edge, a clip-on parasol, or a sun sail with open sides for a long walk at midday (stroller sunshades). If the seat turns around, turn your baby's back to the sun, and a sun hat shades the face where the shade misses. The sun moves with every turn of the route, so set the shade again as you go (dressing a baby for a sunny day).
When the cover is for a nap
The other reason for a cloth is sleep. Many parents find that a tired baby who keeps looking around drops off faster once the busy street is out of sight.
A nap outside doesn't need darkness. By day, light and everyday noise are fine for sleep, and they help a young baby learn that night is different. What helps is less to look at: pull the canopy down as low as it goes, recline the seat, turn the seat to face you if it turns, and walk somewhere quieter or stop in deep shade.
If your baby was under a cloth
Pull the cloth off and push the stroller into deep tree shade or indoors. A quiet, sleeping baby is no sign that all is well, because heat makes babies drowsy, and a baby can't tell you it's too hot.
Once you are in the shade, feel the back of your baby's neck or chest. Skin that feels warm and dry is comfortable. If the skin is hot, flushed, or sweaty, strip off a layer of clothing and offer a breastfeed or formula. Stay in the cool spot until your baby cools down.
On a cold day, the blanket goes over the legs
A blanket does still belong in the stroller, over the legs. When the air is brisk, tuck a stroller blanket firmly over your baby's legs and hips, keeping the top edge below the armpits and well away from the face. If you check the neck and feel damp sweat, fold the blanket back.
Against the wind, pull the canopy forward or turn the seat away from it (windy days). The opening stays clear in winter too, so the air keeps moving and you can see your baby.
Questions parents ask
What if the cloth covers only one side, or leaves a gap?
It still closes part of the opening, and loose fabric shifts the moment you roll over a curb or a breeze catches it. Stroller pegs and blanket clips are sold everywhere, but clipping fabric over the front still blocks the air. A clip-on parasol on the sun's side gives the same shade with the front open.
Does a stroller fan make a covered stroller safe?
No. In the Sydney test, a clip-on fan under a dry muslin still left the seat hotter than no cloth at all, and a fan on its own barely changed the temperature in the seat. A stroller fan belongs under a shade with open sides, where it keeps the air moving past your baby.
Are covers made for strollers safe?
A shade above the seat with open sides, yes. A full cover that closes the whole seat lets less air in, even in mesh, and hides your baby from view, so if you use one for a nap, keep your baby in sight and open it often (stroller sunshades).
Can I put a muslin over the infant car seat on the stroller?
No. An infant seat clicked onto the stroller frame heats up under a cloth the same way, and its canopy is short. Pull the canopy all the way out and clip a parasol onto the frame. A light car blanket goes over your baby's legs, never over the whole seat like a tent.
Is a rain cover the same thing?
A rain cover made for your stroller closes the front on purpose, and its vents let air in. It holds heat too, so it goes on when the rain starts and comes off when it stops (rainy-day walks).
How do I keep my baby cool in the stroller?
Light clothes, a walk outside the hottest hours, and deep shade whenever you stop, because a stroller standing still in the sun heats up fastest (what should a baby wear in hot weather?).
If your baby stays hot
- Move to a cooler place and remove one layer.
- Offer the usual milk feed.
- Call emergency services now if your baby is hard to wake or struggling to breathe.
- Get prompt medical advice if your baby stays unusually hot or will not feed.
Stay with your baby in the cooler place while you get advice. Do not continue the walk to see whether the heat passes.
