Fighting the Summer Heat

Fighting the Summer Heat

One thing I hate about summer is of course pretty obvious – it’s the scorching heat. I remember when I was a kid, I would go home with my nose bleeding profusely. You could even see traces of my nosebleed from my neighbour’s house to mine; one would think a mass murderer had tried to escape. This is why I could not leave the house without a white towel and a bottle of water.

I love the freedom and the beach, but summer + Pibi = nosebleed; it’s something inevitable. And I hate summer for that.

Now that we have Baby Charley, my roommate (my husband, btw) and I make sure that Baby Charley could enjoy summer without any blood fest either from her or me. 

1. (Sometimes) We let her go on her birthday suit. Baby Charley hates the heat, and we hate it when she cries because of it. One of the immediate, and I could say, effective solutions we have is to let her wear her birthday suit – sometimes. We joke that she’s part of this SLH in Batangas – Samahang Laging Hubad – because she always wants to strip naked…a habit we’re trying to control since she is a girl after all.

2. Often, we would dress her in loose cotton sandos or spaghetti. On the days that she doesn’t fight against being a civilised human being and wearing something on, we would let her wear loose, usually white, cotton sandos or spaghetti, so that should she decide to go on her birthday suit, she could remove the sandos herself.

3. We make sure she gets enough fluids. Adults have very high demand for ice-cold water or coke or beer during summer to quench our thirst. We reckon that babies do need the same thing, too (not the beer of course). That is why we make sure that Baby Charley gets enough milk either from me or from Nan HW One this summer. Seriously, the last thing we need is a dehydrated baby.

4. We give her at least two (2) baths everyday. Summer is annoying not only because of the heat, but also because it makes you smell bad…and this true for babies as well. To survive the heat and the smell, Baby Charley receives at least two baths everyday (one in the morning and one in the afternoon before her 6pm habit), which is something she enjoys. Sometimes, when she’s tired from all her gala, she would just get a wash-up or punas in the afternoon. Thank God for Mustela Physiobebe because it makes her smell good all day.

5. We always have a wet towel or wipes ready. Baby Charley is already at the stage when she drools a lot – as in a LOT! Because of this, we have wipes or a small wet towel at hand. This summer, the wet towel is very important, too, to make sure Baby Charley doesn’t overheat especially in high noon.

6. Baby Charley sleeps with the A/C and electric fan on. This is one of her splurges even before she was born. The A/C and the electric fan will be on full blast when she sleeps. Several times we have tried to turn either the A/C or the fan off when she’s already in deep sleep and when we’re almost frozen cold, but she would wake up every time. So, even if it’s a power nap or a slumber at night, the A/C and the fan should be on at the same time. No arguments necessary.