A baby registry for a summer baby

Our son arrived in the last week of June, in the middle of a heatwave, and the registry we had built in January was full of fleece sleeping bags and knitted hats. Half of it went back in the cupboard until October. A baby cannot regulate its own temperature the way you can, so a summer baby needs a different list from a winter one.

Clothes that let air through

Bodysuits and rompers in cotton, bamboo or muslin are the ones you reach for every morning. They let air move and pull sweat away from the skin. Short sleeves cover most days, sleeveless bodysuits the hottest ones, and keep three or four thin long-sleeved pieces for the supermarket, where the air conditioning is set for the staff, and for the evenings by the sea.

Ask for two sun hats with a wide brim and a chin strap, because one is always in the wash or under the pram. Thin cotton socks still belong on a summer list; a baby's feet on a hot terrace tile are the reason.

Keeping the room and the pram cool

A nursery fan built for babies moves air around the room without blowing straight on the cot. Look for one with enclosed blades and a night mode that does not hum.

A cooling mat for the cot or the pram, gel-filled or breathable mesh, helps in a heatwave. Buy one that is made for infants and follow the instructions that come with it; a mat meant for a dog bed is not the same thing.

Blackout curtains are the cheapest item on the list and possibly the most useful. They keep the sun off the nursery wall during the afternoon nap, and the room stays two or three degrees cooler.

Skin, baths and sunscreen

Summer babies get bathed more often. A fragrance-free baby wash cleans without drying the skin, and lukewarm water cools without giving the baby a shock. A plain moisturiser with a short ingredient list keeps the skin barrier intact, which sweat and extra washing wear down.

Sunscreen is for after six months. Before that, shade and clothing do the job. Once you do start, use a mineral sunscreen made for babies, SPF 30 or higher, and get the places everyone forgets: ears, the tops of the feet and the backs of the hands.

Feeding when it is 30 degrees

If you are breastfeeding, the water bottle is for you. A one-litre insulated bottle deserves a place on the registry next to the muslins, because the thirst is real and you will be sitting down a lot.

For bottle feeding, the question is how to keep formula safe on a day out. An insulated bottle bag with a cool pack does it, and a couple of spare bottles help, since babies drink smaller amounts more often when it is hot.

Once solids start, ask for more bibs than you think you need and things that rinse under a garden tap. Mashed peach, 28 degrees and eating outside is a combination you will meet weekly.

Getting out of the house

A light pram with a big canopy, decent ventilation and a seat that lies fully flat lets the baby sleep in the shade while you keep walking. A clip-on fan with a bendy neck, fixed to the handlebar, puts the air exactly where the baby is and costs about 15.

A changing bag with an insulated pocket is worth the money. You will carry spare outfits (summer babies go through two or three a day), water for yourself and whatever cooling mat or fan you are using that day.

Put the summer version of the list together early, before the fleece arrives from the grandparents. You can create a baby registry and share it with everyone who wants to help, so the sun hats turn up and the knitted cardigans wait for October.