Air conditioning can keep your little one safe from the high temperatures and heavy humidity that summer bring. Still, there are certain precautions that you should take to ensure your baby’s comfort. While an air conditioning contractor can offer advice tailored to your circumstances, the general guide below will help you prepare for the season. 

What to Know About Air Conditioning & Infants

How Is Air Conditioning Safe for Babies? 

Young children and newborns especially are more susceptible than adults to extreme temperatures. Stifling or excessively humid conditions can cause everything from heat rash — uncomfortable, itchy patches of red bumps on the skin caused by blocked sweat glands — to heat stroke and dehydration, which may manifest as sweating, rapid breathing, flushed cheeks, dry mouth, fewer wet diapers than normal, a sunken fontanel, or skin that’s hot to the touch. A comfortably cool and well-ventilated home, by contrast, will improve your little one’s ability to sleep and may even reduce the likelihood of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). 

How Do I Use It Correctly? 

As helpful as your unit can be in keeping your baby safe, setting it too low can make the room too chilly. Air conditioning contractors and pediatricians alike recommend keeping the ambient home temperature at about 68 and 72 degrees Fahrenheit. Avoid heavy quilts or thick swaddles; instead, dress your baby in lightweight wearable blankets or sleep sacks. Don’t position your baby’s crib too close to the vents, as the air flow may not be comfortable for them. Make sure all ducts and filters are clean. While ducts generally need to be cleaned once every three to five years, and filters should be removed, vacuumed, rinsed, and replaced at least once per season, ask your air conditioning contractor if you should increase this frequency. 

Keep your family cool and content this summer with help from the air conditioning contractors at Doug Mapstone. Serving the Manlius, Fayetteville, DeWitt, and Cazenovia, NY, area, the experts at this women-owned business are fully equipped to handle everything from unit repairs to new installations. Their technicians take pride in getting the job done right. Call (315) 682-7181 to request an evaluation. Visit them online to learn more about their services.