Care in the sun
There are many myths surrounding a baby's need for extra fluids during hot weather. As mentioned before, babies can overheat in hot weather, but they are unlikely to dehydrate. A baby is more likely to suffer from dehydration during periods of illness, with prolonged bouts of diarrhoea and/or vomiting (in either hot or cold weather), than from experiencing hot conditions.
Therefore, there is no medical evidence that babies need extra fluids during hot weather, other than what they would normally have. Bottle fed babies should remain on their normal amount of formula milk and breastfed babies should be fed on demand. You may find your baby wants to feed on less milk, a little more often (this may also be because they are somewhat restless and unsettled in the heat), but the overall volumes of milk your baby drinks should not be all that different. For breastfed babies, the short, frequent feeds mean the baby is drinking more of the watery 'foremilk', and less of the fatty 'hindmilk'. One of Nature's inbuilt survival mechanisms. You can read more in
breastfeeding - the milk.
If you are really concerned, you can offer your baby up to 30 to 50 mls of cooled, boiled water in a bottle, once or twice a day
AFTER their normal feed, but don't worry if they are not interested in drinking this, as it is not really necessary. Do not start 'replacing' your baby's normal feeds with boiled water.
Care in the sun
A newborn baby's skin is usually close to perfect. However, it can also be very easily burnt, often within a few minutes of being exposed to direct, strong sunlight. This is because they do not have sufficient melanin in their skin (or the pigment that gives skin its colour, and the body's natural protection against limited exposure to the sun).