Leaving our little one inside the vehicle for more than 10 minutes increases the chances of suffering heat stroke. This happens because the vehicle can double its temperature in just half an hour. We would be talking about going from 30 degrees to 60 in a very short time.
Precisely for this reason it is dangerous to leave children alone in the car, even when it is not hot, and the chances increase in the midst of a heat wave such as the one that has reached various areas of Spain these days.
The magnifying glass effect, the dark upholstery and the concentrated heat aggravate the situation. In addition, when the human body exceeds 42 degrees, the chances of suffering heat stroke skyrocket. Other consequences are sunstroke, burns, hyperthermia. According to data provided by Acierto.com, the death of a hundred minors in Europe in recent years. The ranking of deceased children is headed by France, Germany and Italy (in that order). 65% were less than two years old. In some countries such as the United States, the annual death toll almost reaches forty.
Some of the symptoms of heat stroke are fever, very hot skin, rapid breathing, headache, vomiting… In this case, the first thing to do is get the child out of the car (or call 112 to do so if the car does not is ours) and lower its temperature. We can do this by immersing him in warm water or with cold compresses on his head. Lying him on the ground and lifting his legs is recommended. If he is conscious, we must give him water, if possible with salts so that he rehydrates correctly.
To avoid this type of incident, some countries such as Italy have made the use of the child alert system in the car mandatory: an alarm that warns if the driver moves away from the vehicle and leaves their little one inside it. However, this is not the case in Spain.
On the other hand, there are a series of good practices for traveling with children and heat. Among other things, before putting the child in the car, we must check that the interior temperature is adequate. The ideal is between 21 and 24 degrees. In addition, if it has been exposed to the sun, it is convenient to ventilate before.
The air conditioning will become our ally. However, the airflow should not be directed directly at it. Otherwise, your mucous membranes can dry out or irritate the respiratory system.
It is also not convenient to keep warm and turn up the air conditioning, ideally you should travel with comfortable, loose and light clothing. In addition, mounting him with certain warm clothes in the seat increases the chances that the retention system will not work properly, and that the child will be thrown in a sudden stop or accident. Have an extra change of clothes in case you get dizzy.
To avoid the direct incidence of the sun we can opt for parasols. Other recommendations are to avoid going out during busy or very hot hours, periodically check your temperature, rest every hour and a half so that the baby can move, do not schedule excessively long trips, take water with us to hydrate him, etc.
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