Barbie Kyagulanyi: How to beat the heat rash

I looked at the sun yesterday afternoon and said. “We know you are beautiful and bright. But please take a seat. We have all seen you!” Is anyone out there as agitated as I am? The hot season is here and we have all started experiencing the discomfort that comes with “summer”. As we embrace the heat, dust, sweat and thirst and also cope with the change in weather, have you thought about how we will help our babies cope?

I had a sleepless night. My nine month old baby cried unusually. After changing the diaper and feeding, she relaxed a bit, played in bed and resumed crying. When I switched on a brighter light, I noticed that she was scratching her neck. I got a chill on seeing a terrible rash, red burn and wounds that had developed as a result of constant scratching. I looked closer and realised that her face had a similar rash. That may be happening in your house if your baby is sleeping in a hot room/bed.

If you are still using the same very warm sleep suits and fluffy blanket that you have been using during the wet season, plan to make a change soon because it’s going to be hotter than it is now. Excess heat irritates the skin and disrupts sleep. Your baby will need less of the usual warm covers at night and you will have to ensure that they sleep in lighter clothes.
You will also need to apply oil and body lotion more times than you have been doing because your baby’s skin may get a little drier. Three to four times a day is good enough. You might also find yourself feeding more times than you have been doing in the past months. If you are breastfeeding exclusively please take more fluids than usual because your baby will be demanding more of the breast milk.

To prevent heat rash, keep the baby as free as possible. If your neighbourhood is too hot, you can opt to leave them dressed in just the under pantie during the day. Ensure that they are not naked at night because as it comes to past midnight, temperatures reduce drastically and you don’t want the midnight cold to disrupt their sleep. If your baby has suffered the rash like mine is; visit a clinic and get tubes to smear on the affected area as recommended by the doctor. I’d also advise the usage of baby powder if necessary.

Our children need water; warm water, room temperature water, cold water, WATER,WATER AND MORE WATER. As they lose water through excess sweating, replace it by making them drink enough of it. Plus, avoid being in dusty environments. Change in weather is inevitable but we need to care for the babies differently every time there’s change.