Summer safety Q&A

Wondering how to keep your baby healthy and happy this summer? Relax. Our experts have answered many of your questions to give you the low-down on summer safety.

• The sun
• The heat
• Insect bites
• Food on the go

Q "My daughter appears to be allergic to the suntan lotion that I have been using. Could you recommend another one that is more sensitive to the skin?"

A "In general, when your daughter is outdoors in the sun, wearing a sunhat and a pale-coloured, lightweight T-shirt will help to protect her from sunburn. Unfortunately, sunscreens often contain substances that irritate children's skin. You need to try sunscreens that are hypoallergenic and designed specifically for children. It may be necessary to try several before you find one that suits her, and it would be worth doing this before you go away on holiday."

Q "With the weather getting warmer, I have no idea how much clothing to put on my daughter. On a sunny day can I take her out in the pushchair with a cardigan and without a jacket, or will she get too cold because she is in the buggy?"

A "You need to dress your daughter with the same number of layers that you wear. For instance, if you feel the need to wear a coat then dress your daughter in a coat. When babies are very small they cannot control their body temperature in the same way that adults can, this is why you need to be careful not to let your baby get too hot, because their bodies can not cope with it. When the weather is very hot, it is best to strip your baby down to her vest, keep the vest on as it will help to keep any sweat away from the body. Keep your baby out of direct sunlight and remember to offer her plenty of fluids throughout the day. You can check how warm a baby is by feeling their chest or back, do not simply feel their hands or feet as they are often cold."

Q "Is it possible for a baby's eyesight to be damaged by the sun? My husband likes taking our four-month-old baby to the window when there is glaring sunshine outside and I am very concerned that he may be damaging the baby's eyesight in this way."

A "Young babies do tend to like light and will automatically turn towards it. However, bright sunlight is uncomfortable for all of us to look at. If your baby is squinting in the sun or is uncomfortable, then it is probably not a good idea to force him or her to stay in the sunlight. If your baby seems quite happy to look out of the window, then it is probably not doing him or her any harm."

Q "I have heard that it is not advisable to use sunscreen on a baby under six months old. Why is that?"

A "To be honest, I have not heard this, but I wonder if what is meant by it is that babies should stay out of the sun before the age of six months and sunscreen should not be relied on to protect them, which would make sense. The problem is, when you can get sunscreens that are complete sun blocks, or near enough, some parents will think that the baby can wear that and will be no problem. But this is not so. Babies can become overheated, dehydrated and adversely affected by strong sunlight, no matter how much sunscreen you put on them. I would say that it is best to keep small babies out of the sun. In fact, I would go further and say that all babies and toddlers should be kept out of strong sunlight.

Debbie Honer, GP

The heat

Q "My daughter suffers quite badly from heat rash. What is the best thing to do for this?"

A Heat rash is quite common in young children and their skin is generally more sensitive than that of adults. The best way to avoid problems is to ensure that your daughter doesn't become too hot and that she doesn't spend too much time in the sun. Wearing a sunhat and a pale-coloured, lightweight T-shirt will help to protect her from heat rash. Prickly heat, which causes an obvious raised rash, tends to occur commonly in young children and is related to high humidity and inefficient sweat glands. A thin layer of cotton clothing next to the skin helps sweat to evaporate. There is also a condition called solar urticaria, which is a type of allergy to sunlight. This tends to occur quickly (within five minutes of sun exposure) and settles usually within an hour. If she does get a heat rash, a lotion such as calamine can be soothing.

Dr Jo Lee, GP

Insect bites

Q For a couple of months, my 18-month-old daughter has been plagued by red bumps, mainly on her legs, but sometimes on her neck and face. The first time they came up I went to the doctor and he said they looked like bites. He said he'd noticed midges in his garden, as it was quite mild, and not to worry. I am a bit concerned as to whether they are just harmless midge bites or whether there could be something in the house, such as fleas (although neither myself nor my husband seem to have them). We don't have any pets and I don't know what flea bites look like. These are red blotches, some of which have a little white centre. They look quite 'angry' for a day or so and then they die down. Sometimes she's itchy and sometimes not. There have been more over the last few days (she's currently got about five or six in various stages on her legs), but it's been mild and we've been to parks, in the garden and visited a farm in the last week. I'd be grateful for any suggestions/advice."

A The bumps that you describe do sound like insect bites. They could well be flea bites, but these are most commonly acquired when there is a cat or a dog in the household. Even if you do not have a pet, it is possible that there might be biting insects in the house, but the source may be difficult to find. If there are biting insects in the house it is not unusual for only one person to react to the bites, and angry reactions are much more common in babies and young children. This tendency to over-react to bites tends to diminish as the child gets older. If the bites are mainly on your daughter's legs, then an outside source is probably most likely. Bites are sometimes, but not invariably, itchy, and if itchiness is a problem, antihistamine medication or a mild steroid cream would be helpful. Both of these can be prescribed by your GP.

There is no need for you to worry as long as your daughter is not unduly bothered by these bumps. If the problem continues, or she develops any other skin rashes, it would be worth arranging for her to be reviewed by the GP. It is likely that as time goes on the problem will either disappear, or a cause for these bumps will become obvious.

Dr Jo Lee, GP

Food on the go

Q "I am currently bottle-feeding my daughter and make up her feeds once a day, keeping them in the fridge until required. I use boiled water which has been cooled. How long can the boiled water be left to cool and still be safe to use? If I am going out, can I take a bottle of cold pre-boiled water and then add the formula when my daughter is ready for her feed? I know that bottles of formula milk must not be kept for more than one hour but does the same apply to cooled boiled water?"

A Cooled, boiled water can be used for up to 24 hours if kept in a sterilised container in the fridge. You can carry around cooled, boiled water to make up feeds during the day. This is much better than carrying made-up milk around. If you're able to transport the bottles of water in a small cool bag, that would be better. You can purchase a container to carry the powdered milk in the correct quantities, which makes life easier. Warm the water and add the powder to it once it is warm, so that the milk powder can dissolve properly. The water will be safe to use for a day trip out if necessary.

Q "I am taking my five-month-old baby on holiday to Spain and am worried about what water I should use to make up his formula. I have read that I should not use bottled water, so what would you recommend?"

A "If you can ascertain that the local drinking water is OK, then boil that in the same way as you do at home. If you are not sure, then use bottled water. Be careful, though, because some bottled waters contain too much salt for babies. You will need to check the sodium levels on the label. A sodium level of less than 20mg per litre is OK, but less than 10mg per litre is preferable. Choose a reputable named water, ideally one that you have heard of before, but do not rely on that alone. You will then need to boil this water before you make up your baby's bottles. Happy holiday!

Q "We're going on holiday to France where it's difficult to get full-fat milk in the small location where we will be staying. What is the best milk to give when abroad? Does it matter from what animal? What about UHT? I have read that this should not be given. Is this true?"

A "The ideal milk to give children under three years of age is full-fat, pasteurised cow's milk. If it's difficult to get this for a short space of time, then full-fat UHT milk can be given, or semi-skimmed milk, but only whilst you're away on holiday. You could offer a baby formula milk, which will be available in France or you could take some with you. It will mean making a pint up for the day, and keeping it in the fridge, but it's the next best option. Goat's milk etc should not be given.

Q "My baby is now seven months old. Do I still need to sterilise his bottles? Also I am going on holiday next week to Spain so I will be using bottled water for his baby milk. I am going to try the new sachets that you just add to water. Will I still need to boil the bottled water?"

A "You will only need to sterilise your baby's bottles if he has milk in them. Milk is a great carrier of bacteria and bottles are very difficult to clean completely. There is no need to sterilise any other feeding equipment, but it would be best to continue to sterilise the bottles for as long as he has bottles of milk. At seven months, he should only be having a bottle of milk at night and perhaps first thing in the morning. He can use a cup with a lid for other drinks. When you are abroad, you do not need to use a steam steriliser - a couple of sterilising tablets and an old ice cream carton will do.

The sachets of milk are a good idea, but you will need to boil the bottled water I'm afraid. Watch out too for ice cubes etc. made with tap water.

Q "I have a two-month-old daughter and have a family wedding coming up in three weeks. I bottle-feed my daughter and I don't know how to feed her on the day. Our weddings usually last all day and the halls don't have facilities for making feeds. I have purchased a Thermos travel baby bottle warmer and a milk powder dispenser. My question is: will the bottles with the boiled water remain sterile all day? I would be extremely grateful if you could answer my question as I am very worried about what to do. Thank you very much."

A This is quite a difficult problem, as I am not sure whether I would advise that water kept warm for such a long time should be used for a baby's bottle. You can buy ready-made milks now, in cartons for travelling, and it might be worth looking in the shops to see if they produce these in the milk that you want, or alternatively you could telephone the baby milk company and ask (they often have advice lines to help you with these situations). Are there no facilities in the hall at all? I thought that if you could take a small electric kettle with you and keep cooled, boiled water in the thermos flask, then you could use half cooled water, half hot water and the powder from your container. That sounds better, as it is safer to keep things cool rather than keep them warm.

Debbie Honer, health visitor

Where to next?

• For the low-down on everything you need to know about travelling
• Want more info on feeding on the go?
• Talk to other parents about great days out and travel tips on our travel and days out