As the summer heat truly begins to kick in, parents in the UAE will be searching for ways to keep their babies cool.
Maintaining a safe room temperature when your baby is asleep is very important. Not only will this mean your baby is likely to sleep better, but it also reduces the risk of sudden infant death syndrome (Sids).
Babies can’t regulate their body temperatures until they are about 11 weeks old. This means parents have to monitor their temperature and adjust their clothing and room temperature accordingly.
What temperature should my baby’s room be?
For newborns, aged under two weeks, the room temperature should be between 24 and 26ºC, according to Cecile De Scally, lead parent educator at Malaak Mama & Baby Care, a childcare agency in Dubai.
After two weeks of age, the room temperature can be lowered to 22ºC and parents should monitor to make sure the baby is warm enough, she says.
If a baby is too cold, his or her blood sugar could drop, which affects their health and growth, she says.
But overheating can also be harmful as it “can impair a baby’s arousal mechanisms, respiratory drive, cerebral oxygenation and cardiac responses”, says Avril Carr, a baby and toddler sleep coach in Al Ain.
Carr advises parents to check their baby’s temperature throughout the night, especially in summer.
This should be done the first time when putting the baby to bed. Parents should also do it when they go to bed themselves and again in the middle of the night, either when the baby wakes to feed or — if he or she is sleeping through — by setting an alarm in the night.
Parents should gently feel the back of their baby’s neck or back.
If the baby feels too “hot or sweaty”, parents should shed layers and make the room cooler, says Kate Holmes, head of support and information at The Lullaby Trust.
Don’t check a baby’s temperature by touching his or her feet or hands as these can often be cold, regardless of the child’s core temperature, says Carr.
In summer, as night turns to morning in the UAE, the temperature increases, so parents may need to lower the air-conditioning temperature to compensate, she says.
How can I keep my baby’s room at a safe temperature?
A room thermometer can be helpful to gauge the temperature and more accurately than the air-conditioning thermometer, says De Scally.
Air-conditioning is the ideal way to regulate a baby’s room temperature and the noise can also help to lull babies to sleep, says Carr.
Carissa Valentim-Du Toit, a childcare development manager at the baby and childcare services company CloudNine Kids in Dubai, says parents can maintain the temperature of the baby’s room by making sure that the air-conditioning units are serviced every six months and there are no items blocking the vents.
“You should also adjust the grilles of the vent, so the airflow is not directly on the baby’s cot,” says Valentim-Du Toit.
As air-conditioning can dry out the air, she recommends using a humidifier or putting a bowl of sterile water in the room.
Parents using an electric fan should make sure it isn’t facing the baby directly as this can lower the infant’s body temperature too much, says Carr. Instead, they should face the fan towards the wall to ensure good air circulation.
If the baby’s cot is near a window, move it to a cooler spot to prevent the sunlight from warming the mattress and sheets during the day, she says.
Can I follow a routine to keep my baby cool at night?
A lukewarm bath (around 38ºC) can help gently reduce a baby’s core temperature before bed and can help him or her to sleep better, says Carr.
Dressing the baby in breathable materials, such as cotton, and clothes that can be removed easily is also essential on summer nights.
Babies should not wear hats or gloves while sleeping. Spare clothes and blankets should also be removed from the cot as they pose a suffocation risk.
A mattress with cooling technology such as breathable fibres, which draw heat away from the baby’s body, can also be a good investment in the summer, says Carr.
She recommends putting babies to sleep on their backs, so they are not breathing recycled carbon dioxide.
What about keeping my baby cool during the day?
If going out for a walk with your baby in the summer, Valentim-Du Toit recommends going in the early morning or evening for no longer than 20 minutes.
She suggests turning the air-conditioning off before going out, to allow the baby to gradually adjust to the higher temperature.
When getting into your car in the summer, it’s a good idea to let the air-conditioning run for a while before strapping your baby in, she says.
Parents should also ensure their baby's change bag contains water, sun cream and other essentials to stay safe in the sun.
To avoid tragedies such as hot car deaths, parents can invest in technology that alerts them to check the back seats before they exit their vehicle, says Carr.
Another tip is to leave your phone or bag on the back seat as this means you are more likely to check the area before leaving the car.
Volvo ES90 Specs
Engine: Electric single motor (96kW), twin motor (106kW) and twin motor performance (106kW)
Power: 333hp, 449hp, 680hp
Torque: 480Nm, 670Nm, 870Nm
On sale: Later in 2025 or early 2026, depending on region
Price: Exact regional pricing TBA
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre flat-six
Torque: 450Nm at 6,100rpm
Transmission: 7-speed PDK auto or 6-speed manual
Fuel economy, combined: 13.8L/100km
On sale: Available to order now
Global state-owned investor ranking by size
|
1.
|
United States
|
|
2.
|
China
|
|
3.
|
UAE
|
|
4.
|
Japan
|
|
5
|
Norway
|
|
6.
|
Canada
|
|
7.
|
Singapore
|
|
8.
|
Australia
|
|
9.
|
Saudi Arabia
|
|
10.
|
South Korea
|
The years Ramadan fell in May
More on Quran memorisation:
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
The specs
AT4 Ultimate, as tested
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Power: 420hp
Torque: 623Nm
Transmission: 10-speed automatic
Price: From Dh330,800 (Elevation: Dh236,400; AT4: Dh286,800; Denali: Dh345,800)
On sale: Now
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
India squads
T20: Rohit Sharma (c), Shikhar Dhawan, KL Rahul, Sanju Samson, Shreyas Iyer, Manish Pandey, Rishabh Pant, Washington Sundar, Krunal Pandya, Yuzvendra Chahal, Rahul Chahar, Deepak Chahar, Khaleel Ahmed, Shivam Dube, Shardul Thakur
Test: Virat Kohli (c), Rohit Sharma, Mayank Agarwal, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane, Hanuma Vihari, Wriddhiman Saha (wk), Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Shami, Umesh Yadav, Ishant Sharma, Shubman Gill, Rishabh Pant
Notable salonnières of the Middle East through history
Al Khasan (Okaz, Saudi Arabia)
Tamadir bint Amr Al Harith, known simply as Al Khasan, was a poet from Najd famed for elegies, earning great renown for the eulogy of her brothers Mu’awiyah and Sakhr, both killed in tribal wars. Although not a salonnière, this prestigious 7th century poet fostered a culture of literary criticism and could be found standing in the souq of Okaz and reciting her poetry, publicly pronouncing her views and inviting others to join in the debate on scholarship. She later converted to Islam.
Maryana Marrash (Aleppo)
A poet and writer, Marrash helped revive the tradition of the salon and was an active part of the Nadha movement, or Arab Renaissance. Born to an established family in Aleppo in Ottoman Syria in 1848, Marrash was educated at missionary schools in Aleppo and Beirut at a time when many women did not receive an education. After touring Europe, she began to host salons where writers played chess and cards, competed in the art of poetry, and discussed literature and politics. An accomplished singer and canon player, music and dancing were a part of these evenings.
Princess Nazil Fadil (Cairo)
Princess Nazil Fadil gathered religious, literary and political elite together at her Cairo palace, although she stopped short of inviting women. The princess, a niece of Khedive Ismail, believed that Egypt’s situation could only be solved through education and she donated her own property to help fund the first modern Egyptian University in Cairo.
Mayy Ziyadah (Cairo)
Ziyadah was the first to entertain both men and women at her Cairo salon, founded in 1913. The writer, poet, public speaker and critic, her writing explored language, religious identity, language, nationalism and hierarchy. Born in Nazareth, Palestine, to a Lebanese father and Palestinian mother, her salon was open to different social classes and earned comparisons with souq of where Al Khansa herself once recited.
Specs%20
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EPower%20train%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E4.0-litre%20twin-turbo%20V8%20and%20synchronous%20electric%20motor%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EMax%20power%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E800hp%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EMax%20torque%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E950Nm%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETransmission%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EEight-speed%20auto%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBattery%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E25.7kWh%20lithium-ion%3Cbr%3E0-100km%2Fh%3A%203.4sec%3Cbr%3E0-200km%2Fh%3A%2011.4sec%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETop%20speed%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E312km%2Fh%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EMax%20electric-only%20range%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%2060km%20(claimed)%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EOn%20sale%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Q3%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPrice%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EFrom%20Dh1.2m%20(estimate)%3Cbr%3E%3Cbr%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Moon Music
Artist: Coldplay
Label: Parlophone/Atlantic
Number of tracks: 10
Rating: 3/5
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Scoreline
Man Utd 2 Pogba 27', Martial 49'
Everton 1 Sigurdsson 77'
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
What is safeguarding?
“Safeguarding, not just in sport, but in all walks of life, is making sure that policies are put in place that make sure your child is safe; when they attend a football club, a tennis club, that there are welfare officers at clubs who are qualified to a standard to make sure your child is safe in that environment,” Derek Bell explains.
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Company%C2%A0profile
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%20name%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ELeap%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EMarch%202021%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Ziad%20Toqan%20and%20Jamil%20Khammu%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Dubai%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ESector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EFinTech%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestment%20stage%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EPre-seed%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFunds%20raised%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Undisclosed%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ECurrent%20number%20of%20staff%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ESeven%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
What sanctions would be reimposed?
Under ‘snapback’, measures imposed on Iran by the UN Security Council in six resolutions would be restored, including:
- An arms embargo
- A ban on uranium enrichment and reprocessing
- A ban on launches and other activities with ballistic missiles capable of delivering nuclear weapons, as well as ballistic missile technology transfer and technical assistance
- A targeted global asset freeze and travel ban on Iranian individuals and entities
- Authorisation for countries to inspect Iran Air Cargo and Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines cargoes for banned goods
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
