Mum shares heat warning for babies in strollers – but some say she’s ‘patronizing’

A mum staggered after trying to warn a fellow mum about a ‘dangerous’ technique used to shade children in prams – when she was quickly put into her place

With forums, websites and blogs galore, it’s no secret that moms love sharing advice with other parents and parents-to-be.

While most people who share parenting advice do so with the best of intentions, sometimes it can be misguided and leave the recipient angry or upset.

Unfortunately, one mother learned this the hard way and took to Mumsnet to share her experience after trying to warn a mother about her baby’s safety.

She begins, “Okay, I would never normally walk up to a mom and ‘point out something,’ but.

“It’s a hot day here (26 when I used to go to the park) and I was walking the dog at my local park. Took son who is six months.

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“As I was walking through the park and across some fields, two mothers were sitting and having a kind of picnic in the sun (no shade).

“One of the mothers obviously had a baby for a nap in the stroller (baby as a parlor booster, I assume). To provide some shade she had taken two muslin towels and draped them over the bassinet opening and clipped them over the openings with stroller clips.”

The anonymous mother explained that she had read that the technique causes a “greenhouse effect” that “can be quite dangerous”.

She goes on to explain that it’s better to use a shade made of black material with air holes to block light from entering while still allowing airflow.

The mum then shared details of the conversation she had with the woman in the park, saying: “Gosh, it’s soooo hot today, isn’t it? Nice to have some sun but poor little ones get so hot.

“I’m not sure if it helps, but I really liked these parasols as they let the air out so much lighter and more breathable than muslin.”

The woman asked what she meant, to which she replied: “Sorry, I’ve only read that muslin doesn’t let air through and can make babies hotter, so I thought I’d just mention how amazing the product is than not.” sure you’re aware of that?”

She was then met with a hostile reaction, with the woman saying, ‘I told you what? Why don’t you just piss off and leave us alone.”

Before leaving the woman, the Mumsnet user replied: “OK I’m literally trying to keep your kid from overheating, that’s all. Look it up.”

After telling her friend about the encounter, she was told she came across as “patronizing and disruptive”.

And several fellow parents forum users agreed, some even criticizing her for walking her dog in this heat.

One commenter said: “Yes, condescending. Also did you know that at this temperature it is too hot to walk a dog, dogs overheat easily as they don’t sweat, only pant, and very hot walkways can burn their pads. It is best to take them for a walk very early or very late in this weather.”

Another wrote: “I’m sure you meant well but I’m 100% not surprised they told you to fuck off.”

However, many were happy to see that the mother had shared the woman’s advice for the baby’s safety.

One user replied, saying: “You were right and were just looking for a baby. I wouldn’t take it to heart, she was probably just feeling defensive and maybe a little stupid. People sometimes act weird because they know they accidentally did something dangerous.”

“I think you did the right thing, OP, but it will never go down well. Hopefully she will look it up and realize how dangerous it is. I hope her baby is fine,” said another.

What do you think? Let us know in the comments below.