The dangerous heatwave hacks parents must know – from not covering prams to avoiding spraying a hosepipe on your child

TEMPERATURES are soaring and although this can be great for outdoor fun with the family – the hot weather can pose a number of risks.  Here are some heatwave dangers parents should be aware of, and how to avoid them… Second-degree burns from a garden hose pipe A mum-of-three has issued a heartbreaking warning to […]

TEMPERATURES are soaring and although this can be great for outdoor fun with the family – the hot weather can pose a number of risks. 

Here are some heatwave dangers parents should be aware of, and how to avoid them…

Las Vegas Fire Dept

Mum Stacey shared how her baby suffered second-degree burns over 30 per cent of his body from being accidentally sprayed with a garden hose exposed to sunlight[/caption]

Second-degree burns from a garden hose pipe

A mum-of-three has issued a heartbreaking warning to all parents about kids playing in a heatwave, after a little boy suffered second-degree burns from a garden hose pipe.

Stacey, who runs Daisy First Aid Redhill & Croydon, took to Facebook to share an image of the nine-month-old baby last summer, explaining not many people realise how dangerous hose pipes can be during hot weather.

She said: “Two years ago, this baby suffered second-degree burns over 30 per cent of his body from being accidentally sprayed with a garden hose and firefighters have issued a fresh warning recently.

“Hoping to prevent this type of accident happening again, the fire department warned: ‘A garden hose exposed to direct sunlight during the summer can heat the water inside the hose (not flowing) to 130-140 degrees Farenheit [54-60C] which can cause burns especially to children and animals.

”Let the water flow a few minutes to cool before spraying on people or animals.’

Covering prams

You may think adding a cloth over your pram will help give your baby shade, but it could cause temperature to dangerously rise.

Parents-of-two JK and Charlie carried out two controlled tests over two seven-minute time spans.

On one occasion the pram, which contained a doll, was covered by a muslin cloth and on one occasion it was not.

Over a period of seven minutes, when left open and uncovered, the pram heated up from 23.3 degrees to 29.9 degrees – an increase of just over 6.5 degrees.

But over the same amount of time, when covered by a muslin cloth, the pram heated up from 22.0 degrees to a sweltering 35.1 degrees – heating up by 13 degrees.

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Warning about the heat of artificial grass  

While artificial grass may look pristine, people on social media have been showing off their thermometers to show how hot it can get.

One person claimed their grass was double the temperature of real grass in the sun.

Freezing hot water bottles

One woman shared the sleep tip she swears by – filling up a hot water bottle and putting it in the freezer before bed.

Hot and bothered Facebook users were impressed by the simple hack, though many warned of one vital safety issue.

Freezing a hot water bottle can cause damage to its rubber material, resulting in leakages next time you use it.

This could result in boiling hot water leaking, potentially causing burns.

Devon Lost Dog Search & Rescue/Facebook

Artificial grass can get extremely hot in high temperatures[/caption]

Facebook

Thermometers show how grass is affected by the sun[/caption]

Getty - Contributor

You should avoid spray hosepipes that have been exposed to direct sunlight[/caption]

Extreme Couponing and Bargains UK group/Facebook

Don’t later add boiling liquid to hot water bottles that have been frozen – as the rubber can tear[/caption]