by A new study has found parents and carers shouldn’t cover prams with a dry cloth on hot days, finding the common practice could dangerously increase temperatures inside.
The study by University of Sydney’s James Smallcombe found using a dry muslin or flannelette cloth for sun shade seals in heat and can increase the temperature inside the pram by nearly four degrees.
However, the same study found using a moist muslin cloth and a battery operated fan dropped heat levels in prams by five degrees in hot weather.
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“The optimal cooling effect was achieved when a moist muslin draping was coupled with additional forced convection delivered by an inward facing battery-operated fan attached to the stroller frame,” the world-first research concluded.
The testing was done in hot and humid Australian climates.
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) has previously warned against covering prams but until now, it was not known the extent of danger it could cause infants.
The ACCC advises parents to regularly check on infants when out and about.
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Child and family support charity Red Nose said pram accessories did not have to meet mandatory safety standards like prams did.
“Many parents don’t realise that in their well-meaning attempts to keep the sun or rain off their babies, they can significantly increase the risk of overheating and suffocation,” Red Nose said on its website.
“It is essential to keep the sun off your little one, but covering the pram with a wrap, blanket, or plastic cover is not the safest way to do it.
“Covering a pram or pusher can reduce airflow and dramatically increase the temperature.”
Red Nose said an infants temperature could rise three to five times faster than an adults.
“Covering the pram reduces air circulation, even with ‘breathable’ material, enabling heat to rise quickly.
“Think of a parked vehicle and how hot it can get sitting in the sun, even in winter.”
It warned covering a pram could also reduce the ability to observe a baby.
