I absolutely love living in Arizona but one of the biggest problems that I struggle with each year is the heat that comes during the summer months. I do enjoy the heat but once the temperatures start reaching 100 degrees, there is very little about it to enjoy. I was warned when I got here by Hans Eckhardt Tucson resident and my helpful neighbour that it is not just the heat that causes problems but the dryness of the heat too.
Something that worries me a lot is the amount of kids who go to hospital each year to be treated for heat related health issues and I will not be accused as a father of not doing enough to prevent the death or illness of my child because of the blistering heat in Tucson. I protect my children through the day with suncream and smart clothing choices but it is the evenings that worry me a lot. If you want to know how to keep your child cool during the night, here is what I do to look after my kids.
Start in the Day
I have a house which really holds the heat well which is a bad thing when you are trying to keep it cool, thankfully, it also keeps the cold in so when it comes to protecting my kids at night, I start during the day. Black out blinds should be put inside your kids’ bedrooms and left closed all day to ensure that the room stays as cool as possible.
Cold Air
I always thought that switching the air con on in my children’s bedrooms would be a great way of keeping them cool but this is not a recommended option. The air that comes out of an air conditioning system is cold air which has many water molecules in it and when the kids breathe this air all night, it can cause pulmonary problems and throat issues. My routine is to turn on the air con for1 hour before my kids go to bed, once they are in bed I switch it off and instead put fans in their rooms to circulate the cold air.
Bedding
When the warm weather hits you need to make sure that your kids have light and breathable bedding which keeps them cool and airy throughout the night. It is more than likely that your kids will kick their bedding away throughout the night but when they first go to sleep, mine like to be covered up and it is important that I get them the type of bedding which covers them, and keeps them cool.
Tips
A couple of tips which I have learned is to give the kids a cool bath before bed so that you can reduce their body temperature before sleeping. Also I like to place a couple of bottles of frozen water in their rooms as when they melt, they cool the air in the bedroom.
