Sun safety

We take sun safety for ourselves and our Wild Things very seriously, and monitor the levels of the sun’s ultraviolet (UV) strength from March onwards each year. Some of the things that we do to protect ourselves from skin damage and heat-related illness include:

• adapting our activities to make use of shade and water play
• planning the places we visit, avoiding open spaces and favouring naturally cooler, shaded places such as woodland
• the times of day that we are active outside, making the most of the cooler hours in the morning
• wearing appropriate clothing – loose, light-coloured fabrics that protect the shoulders and layers that can be put on and taken off as needed
• providing all of our children with brimmed legionnaires-style hats that protect both the eyes and the back of the neck
• providing protective sun creams and sprays that we apply regularly throughout the day ( for babies and children over six months)
• using UV-reactive patches to identify if our sun cream or spray needs to be reapplied early

Heat warnings

We have signed up to Weather Health Alerts, issued by a partnership of the UK Health Security Agency and Met Office. Additionally, we take further actions when the Met Office issues a warning for extreme heat, including:

• shading as much of the garden as possible
• restricting our activities to shaded areas
• incorporating water into our play
• using our UV rash vests and/or lightweight cotton-linen hooded tops for added protection
• suspending our usual rules requiring long trousers
• moving play indoors once the garden temperature reaches 30^oC (or before) to prevent heat stress
• recommending that, if at all possible, you collect your child before we leave for the afternoon school run

Within the house, we follow the advice given to open windows during the night to let the cooler air in, and shut or restrict them once it is hotter outside than in. In the rooms on the sunniest side of the house, our curtains remain drawn throughout the day. We use a dehumidifier and a bladeless fan in our main indoor play area, always have water available for the children to drink, and monitor the room temperature through our Hive thermostat located in the play area.

Safer sleep during hot weather

We follow the Lullaby Trust guidelines regarding safer sleep during hot weather. We strive to keep the room where the children sleep as cool as possible, closing the curtains at sleep time and throughout the afternoon, once the sun has moved round to the front.

We remove layers of clothing as required, have a variety of togs of sleeping bags for our youngest, and will add or remove cellular blankets as required for those over 12 months. A bladeless fan circulates the air in the room without being directed at the children and a dehumidifier reduces the moisture content of the air within the room.

School runs

School runs are, unfortunately, a necessity until July 2026, so we take every precaution to keep the children cool during hot weather. We bring drinking water with us, wear our sun hats and sun cream/spray, leave a few minutes early so we do not need to rush, and shade the pushchair as much as possible with the hood and additional sun shades/parasols. We take the most shaded route to and from school, and give everyone a cooling snack that includes moisture-rich foods once we return to the setting.