24/06/2026
stay cool everyone! Babies with helmets, especially. See below. If your baby has a temperature 38 degrees or more, remove the helmet. cold wet towels on their skin, nappy only with no clothes, fans and air conditioners.
My brother Mat, lives in California and has some tips for all of us for next week ....
Soak 5-6 towels - tea towels, bath towels, face washers, any shape and size. Pop them in a container or zip lock bags and pop them in the fridge or freezer. Throughout the day wrap the cold towels around yourself and if possible get in front of a fan. Rotate them over the day resolving the 'used' ones while you take advantage of a fresh cool towel.
Pop your shirts, shorts, clothes in the fridge or freezer too. They don't have to be wet and it'll make things more comfortable.
As much as possible air your house out overnight (as long as it's cooler outside than inside). Check your weather app and make sure you set an alarm to get up and close the house an hour before the temperature rises. Close up windows, doors, curtains.
If you have access to cardboard and tinfoil use this to block your windows against the sun and heat.
As much as possible keep the TV, computers, and any other large electronics off during the day. These will generate more heat than you realise.
Sip water all day long. Measure out 3-4L of water and aim to get through that every day. Adding some cucumber sticks to your water will add electrolytes. On that note, eat as much cold and wet food as you can. Watermelons, oranges, apples, cold soup. Eating things with high water content will help keep you hydrated.
Leave some containers of water outdoors for wildlife. You are going to see quite a few expired birds in the coming days. Placing some water in a container with rocks and sticks (to climb out and rest on) could be the difference between their life or death.
Good Luck from California!
Mat