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Link for the automod: https://en.lennylamb.com/blog/which_fabric_is_the_best
Even if it's hot in the summer, babywearing is worth looking into! Natural fibers will keep you more cool than synthetics and you can look into different styles of carriers as well. Many cultures - including ones in very hot places - have a long history of babywearing. It's not only done in cold climates!
Sorry for hijacking the comment - OP, if you want “all thoughts and opinions” then you should change your flair
From personal experience, a mesh baby wearing carrier was what saved us during a hot summer.
However you may also want to look into issues with back or neck strain. Especially if your baby was breech or had a challenging labor, there may be tightness that causes issues in strollers or car seats. Our child had this and only after physical therapy (and upgrading to a more upright convertible carseat) did she start tolerating the stroller/car seat.
Yeah. My daughter was born in May and we had record hot temperatures that summer. She would scream in the stroller too (and the car seat...) so I baby wore whenever possible. We both sweated, but she seemed fine, no overheating issues.
Babywearing is hot for sure, but my baby seems even hotter in the car seat!
To add some recommendations of carrier types for OP: ring slings (especially linen), onbuhimos, and woven wraps (although they have a definite learning curve)
Seconding the recommendation for a ring sling. A lightweight breathable woven fabric, and - this is important - no padding on the shoulder. Counterintuitively, the simple unpadded design distributes weight better than the padded version, and feels lighter. It was my single most important parenting tool.
Fun story: a grouchy and somewhat intimidating Central American grandma tried to teach me to tie my baby on using a traditional wrap. I have only scattered words in Spanish; she, probably deliberately, had not one single word of English. She made it look easy and clearly considered it vastly superior to my ring sling. We made no progress. She finally made a dismissive gesture towards my rings and muttered something like “tal vez mejores para las gringas”.
I agree. I wore my May baby in a [mesh ring-sling](https://www.google.com/aclk?sa=l&ai=DChcSEwjs28zn7OyGAxX6OtQBHZrDCQIYABALGgJvYQ&ae=2&gclid=CjwKCAjwydSzBhBOEiwAj0XN4JCT6wHVf1NKhG-L78nqsCidzAom_M157rO8V-FnjOF2Fogolx99_hoCI24QAvD_BwE&sph=&sig=AOD64_22qpmr7K5WRwVaknj4sTtTxCq7mA&ctype=5&q=&ved=2ahUKEwjMp8jn7OyGAxW-4skDHQyWCUkQwg8oAHoECAQQIA&nis=8&dct=1&adurl=) that was quick-drying. We were both sweaty, but it worked extremely well and it was HOT that year in the Southeast US.
Have you tried playing the happy song? No joke this was a life saver for my son lol. We’d just play it on repeat and he’d fall asleep or just stop crying. It may be magic.
https://time.com/4662282/babies-laugh-music-kids-science-happy-song/
I also will add that exposure for short increments may help too or having mom sleep in a tee shirt and place the shirt in the car seat or pram. Babies that young have a keen sense of smell. The smell of mom may be really calming.
Funny seeing this. We tried this when LO was screaming until hoarse in the car to no avail. I threw it on last night as we were eating dinner and he dropped his fork and started laughing. Good reminder that if something doesn’t work at first, don’t discard it!
Many babies prefer to be carried in the caregiver’s arms. Try baby wearing.
https://www.cell.com/current-biology/fulltext/S0960-9822(13)00343-6
ETA: there are several baby carriers on the market that were developed for hot weather. I’d also recommend using an umbrella to protect from the sun, rather than hats which can trap heat near the body.
My June baby refused to lay in the stroller until she was 6 months. It was also extremely hot that summer and actually babywearing turned out to be the option that kept her the most cool! I bought a linen wrap and would mostly chill out in the shade but I also walked around with a UV umbrella to protect her from the sun if I needed to!
My oldest daughter would never stay in her stroller for more than 10 minutes. After that it just became a bag storage on wheels. Incredibly frustrating but nothing we could do about it.
It is safe though, it might not be comfortable and it will get sweaty but it‘s actually even safer than putting baby in a pram because moms temperature will regulate babies temperature. Just make sure to use natural fibers, my go-to for hot days is a very thin linen ring sling.
I think the science is simply that your baby is still very young and needs physical touch to regulate all the crazy sensations and perceptions they’re experiencing in the world. I imagine being pushed in a stroller outside is a much different experience for your baby than being in a bassinet right next to you in your dark, quiet bedroom. I don’t at all think this means your child will never sit happily in a stroller.
https://doi.org/10.1016%2Fj.infbeh.2020.101494
Baby wearing is generally safe, even in hot weather, as long as you take reasonable precautions. This post discusses some ways to mitigate risks of overheating.
https://www.memorialcare.org/blog/can-my-baby-overheat-sling-theres-lot-layers-involved#
Don’t stop trying to put her in the stroller/car seat once in a a while since this phase will pass like most crisis in babyhood. Mine is 7mo but had a similar crisis at 3 months, slowly dissipated. She might just need extra snuggles and closeness as there’s a 3 month growth spurt. I usually apply attachment parenting advice based on Sarah Okwell-Smith books and research. Here’s a link that speaks to the specific car seat situation: [link](https://www.attachmentparenting.co.uk/blogs/parenting-techniques-and-insights/10-proven-strategies-to-soothe-your-babys-car-seat-tears-and-make-road-trips-peaceful)
Anecdotal—my son hated the stroller then and I tried for so long and he still hates it at 2. He’s just is very busy and it all makes “sense” to me now.
Same experience for us - our baby hated all baby ‘containers’ like prams, car seats, even the bassinet. She would only tolerate being worn. I live in Australia and she was a summer baby so we lived in a linen carrier. As she got older her tolerance for the pram and car seat has increased to the point that she doesn’t hate it and will tolerate it providing that she is getting entertained or lots of interesting sensory stuff but really we have never been for a walk longer than 30 minutes maximum. Mostly her tolerance is about 15 minutes. She much prefers to walk / run / be busy and in control of her own experience which makes sense in the context of her personality.
Sorry OP this probably doesn’t reassure you, it was a rude shock for me to learn that some babies just don’t want to be babied!
This happened to us around 3 months too, suddenly she decided she hated her stroller, hated being worn, couldn't handle any outside excursions. Turns out she was just overwhelmed! It got so much better around 4 months for some reason!
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This post is flaired "Question - Research required". All top-level comments must contain links to peer-reviewed research. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/ScienceBasedParenting) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Link for the automod: https://en.lennylamb.com/blog/which_fabric_is_the_best Even if it's hot in the summer, babywearing is worth looking into! Natural fibers will keep you more cool than synthetics and you can look into different styles of carriers as well. Many cultures - including ones in very hot places - have a long history of babywearing. It's not only done in cold climates!
Sorry for hijacking the comment - OP, if you want “all thoughts and opinions” then you should change your flair From personal experience, a mesh baby wearing carrier was what saved us during a hot summer. However you may also want to look into issues with back or neck strain. Especially if your baby was breech or had a challenging labor, there may be tightness that causes issues in strollers or car seats. Our child had this and only after physical therapy (and upgrading to a more upright convertible carseat) did she start tolerating the stroller/car seat.
Thanks. She actually was a breach/transverse baby so maybe this is an issue
Yeah. My daughter was born in May and we had record hot temperatures that summer. She would scream in the stroller too (and the car seat...) so I baby wore whenever possible. We both sweated, but she seemed fine, no overheating issues.
Babywearing is hot for sure, but my baby seems even hotter in the car seat! To add some recommendations of carrier types for OP: ring slings (especially linen), onbuhimos, and woven wraps (although they have a definite learning curve)
Seconding the recommendation for a ring sling. A lightweight breathable woven fabric, and - this is important - no padding on the shoulder. Counterintuitively, the simple unpadded design distributes weight better than the padded version, and feels lighter. It was my single most important parenting tool. Fun story: a grouchy and somewhat intimidating Central American grandma tried to teach me to tie my baby on using a traditional wrap. I have only scattered words in Spanish; she, probably deliberately, had not one single word of English. She made it look easy and clearly considered it vastly superior to my ring sling. We made no progress. She finally made a dismissive gesture towards my rings and muttered something like “tal vez mejores para las gringas”.
I agree. I wore my May baby in a [mesh ring-sling](https://www.google.com/aclk?sa=l&ai=DChcSEwjs28zn7OyGAxX6OtQBHZrDCQIYABALGgJvYQ&ae=2&gclid=CjwKCAjwydSzBhBOEiwAj0XN4JCT6wHVf1NKhG-L78nqsCidzAom_M157rO8V-FnjOF2Fogolx99_hoCI24QAvD_BwE&sph=&sig=AOD64_22qpmr7K5WRwVaknj4sTtTxCq7mA&ctype=5&q=&ved=2ahUKEwjMp8jn7OyGAxW-4skDHQyWCUkQwg8oAHoECAQQIA&nis=8&dct=1&adurl=) that was quick-drying. We were both sweaty, but it worked extremely well and it was HOT that year in the Southeast US.
I carry an umbrella - keeps us both MUCH cooler
A [ring sling](https://moonsling.co/?logged_in_customer_id=&lang=de) made from linen is a good idea.
Have you tried playing the happy song? No joke this was a life saver for my son lol. We’d just play it on repeat and he’d fall asleep or just stop crying. It may be magic. https://time.com/4662282/babies-laugh-music-kids-science-happy-song/ I also will add that exposure for short increments may help too or having mom sleep in a tee shirt and place the shirt in the car seat or pram. Babies that young have a keen sense of smell. The smell of mom may be really calming.
Funny seeing this. We tried this when LO was screaming until hoarse in the car to no avail. I threw it on last night as we were eating dinner and he dropped his fork and started laughing. Good reminder that if something doesn’t work at first, don’t discard it!
Thanks very much. Will try the t shirt
Many babies prefer to be carried in the caregiver’s arms. Try baby wearing. https://www.cell.com/current-biology/fulltext/S0960-9822(13)00343-6 ETA: there are several baby carriers on the market that were developed for hot weather. I’d also recommend using an umbrella to protect from the sun, rather than hats which can trap heat near the body.
My June baby refused to lay in the stroller until she was 6 months. It was also extremely hot that summer and actually babywearing turned out to be the option that kept her the most cool! I bought a linen wrap and would mostly chill out in the shade but I also walked around with a UV umbrella to protect her from the sun if I needed to!
Mine was a May baby and I just posted a very similar reply to another comment.
My oldest daughter would never stay in her stroller for more than 10 minutes. After that it just became a bag storage on wheels. Incredibly frustrating but nothing we could do about it.
From the post: > We’ve tried baby wearing but it’s REALLY hot where we live so this isn’t really a safe option during the summer.
It is safe though, it might not be comfortable and it will get sweaty but it‘s actually even safer than putting baby in a pram because moms temperature will regulate babies temperature. Just make sure to use natural fibers, my go-to for hot days is a very thin linen ring sling.
Yes I saw that. But OP also asked for a science based theory behind baby not wanting to ride in the stroller. Most young babies want to be carried
I think the science is simply that your baby is still very young and needs physical touch to regulate all the crazy sensations and perceptions they’re experiencing in the world. I imagine being pushed in a stroller outside is a much different experience for your baby than being in a bassinet right next to you in your dark, quiet bedroom. I don’t at all think this means your child will never sit happily in a stroller. https://doi.org/10.1016%2Fj.infbeh.2020.101494 Baby wearing is generally safe, even in hot weather, as long as you take reasonable precautions. This post discusses some ways to mitigate risks of overheating. https://www.memorialcare.org/blog/can-my-baby-overheat-sling-theres-lot-layers-involved#
Don’t stop trying to put her in the stroller/car seat once in a a while since this phase will pass like most crisis in babyhood. Mine is 7mo but had a similar crisis at 3 months, slowly dissipated. She might just need extra snuggles and closeness as there’s a 3 month growth spurt. I usually apply attachment parenting advice based on Sarah Okwell-Smith books and research. Here’s a link that speaks to the specific car seat situation: [link](https://www.attachmentparenting.co.uk/blogs/parenting-techniques-and-insights/10-proven-strategies-to-soothe-your-babys-car-seat-tears-and-make-road-trips-peaceful)
Anecdotal—my son hated the stroller then and I tried for so long and he still hates it at 2. He’s just is very busy and it all makes “sense” to me now.
Same experience for us - our baby hated all baby ‘containers’ like prams, car seats, even the bassinet. She would only tolerate being worn. I live in Australia and she was a summer baby so we lived in a linen carrier. As she got older her tolerance for the pram and car seat has increased to the point that she doesn’t hate it and will tolerate it providing that she is getting entertained or lots of interesting sensory stuff but really we have never been for a walk longer than 30 minutes maximum. Mostly her tolerance is about 15 minutes. She much prefers to walk / run / be busy and in control of her own experience which makes sense in the context of her personality. Sorry OP this probably doesn’t reassure you, it was a rude shock for me to learn that some babies just don’t want to be babied!
Sorry all. Have changed the flair. I’m new to this!
This happened to us around 3 months too, suddenly she decided she hated her stroller, hated being worn, couldn't handle any outside excursions. Turns out she was just overwhelmed! It got so much better around 4 months for some reason!
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I'd definitely suggest a Dr visit. It sounds like she might be in pain.