Overheating in Babies and Children

Seeing a baby or child experience overheating can be scary for parents and caretakers, and it’s a common occurrence. “Heat causes more injury and illness than any other weather condition,” said William Chu, M.D., a board-certified pediatrician and medical director at Pediatrix Urgent Care of Texas. “Each year there are more than 60,000 emergency room visits and about 700 deaths due to heat-related illness.” According to Dr. Chu, the first signs your child may overheat are typically sweating and thirst. From there, if the illness isn’t treated, he said symptoms will progress and may include headaches, dizziness, irritability, confusion, weakness, cramping, increased body temperature, dry skin and dark or decreased urine. He stressed that heat-related illnesses progress, so you should act as soon as possible upon the onset of symptoms.

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