Toddlers and young children need outdoor activity to build strong bodies and minds, but they also require extra care in the heat.
In the summer months, this balance can make parents anxious. How long should children be out? How do I know they're doing fine? What should I avoid?
Since the beginning of the summer, Europe has experienced record-breaking temperatures across the region that have caused over 10,000 excess deaths. Human-caused climate change is making heatwaves longer, stronger and more widespread.
That shift makes questions about keeping babies safe more pressing, said Katherine Williamson, a pediatrician with Rady Children's Health in California.
“We talk about drowning and choking with toddlers, and now we’re starting to add in heat,” she said. “It’s become something that’s more commonplace as a potential injury.”
