Keeping cool in my buggy

A stroll in the sun in the buggy is one of my favourite parts of my daily routine. Depending on the time of year, sometimes I find I need some shade to accompany me on my walk.

I have a parasol that attaches to my stroller, but this is pretty useless mainly because every time we turn a corner the angle of the sun changes and Mum needs to stop and fiddle with it to change its angle. On top of that it gets in the way when we are in shops and doesn't fit in the bottom basket when it's taken off and folded up. We don't even bother with it anymore.

I also have a blackout shade branded with the stroller (iCandy) that goes over my seat but it is very, very dark in there and Mum can't see me at all. She also can't get to me as it's so cumbersome to get on and off. If I was going to sleep in full sun it would be great but getting the thing on and off would wake me up anyway so it would only work if it was put on me before I fell asleep and Mum would need to take it off when I woke up. I'd then still need something to shade me so this is another pram accessory we don't use.

So after spending money on these two accessories for my stroller, we find the best things are the simplest things. My trusty sun hat with a wide brim and my sunglasses if it's really bright work well most of the time. But if the sun is really strong I just have a very light blanket, scarf or muslin draped over the hood and tied or clipped on the top to secure. I prefer a material that is slightly see through and I have the sides open so Mum can easily peek in at me. It's easy to whip off if we go indoors or in proper shade and will fold up to go in my changing bag or basket underneath.

Of course I can always use baby sunblock if I'm going to be in bright sunshine with my skin exposed but for my daily walk it's better for me not to be in the direct sun at all. Even the nice organic baby sunblocks have harsh chemicals in them so I prefer to use these only when I really need to.

So, sunhat, possibly sunglasses and the old muslin/ scarf is all I need and I'm good to go for my walk. See, I'm an easy baby really.