Have you ever seen a blanket (or a piece of fabric) draped over a baby’s stroller? Have you ever put a blanket over your baby’s stroller?

Dr. Anat Shatz, a senior Ear, Nose and Throat doctor at Shaare Zedek and the head of ATID (the Israeli Foundation for the Study and Prevention of Sudden Infant Death) and an Organizational Board Member for the International Society for the Study and Prevention of Perinatal and Infant Death (ISPID) was interviewed on an Israeli news website and shared, “A Swedish study from 2016 found that even a thin sheet that covers the stroller reduces the air circulation and increases the temperature inside [the stroller] to dangerous levels of 15 degrees more than the surrounding area within an hour,…

The ‘greenhouse effect’ that is known to occur when children are forgotten in the car is the same effect as when a diaper/blanket is put on the stroller…In addition, overheating the area around the baby can cause sudden death and the parent cannot tell if the child is in distress since the child is covered and the parent cannot see the baby’s face. There is also a danger that the diaper may fall on the child and hinder their breathing.

It is best to use a stroller where the child faces the parent or the caregiver. If one covers the stroller then use a wide cover that does not completely cover the stroller and always make sure that the baby’s face and head are visible and touch the baby from time to time and make sure the baby is not sweating. In addition, try not to go out from 10:00 to 15:00, and if you do go out during those hours then try to be in the shade.”