
Swedish researchers have found that a muslin or blanket covering a pram can reduce air circulation and create intense heat, with one doctor warning even a thin cover can increase the risk of SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome).
This doesn’t surprise me at all. As a mum of two, I would say that 90% of mums I’ve come across use a muslin over their pram to protect from the sun’s rays. I’ve always wondered what sort of temperature is being created under there.
When our first bub was around six months old we were living in Queensland during a particularly intense summer. The heat and humidity were unbearable. I’ll never forget the time I lifted the muslin covering his pram to find him sweating and red. From then on, I never used one in warm weather.

Top Comments
So, why did Sonia Kruger get in so much trouble for being anti-muslin?
Yes, I read this advice a good 6 months ago somewhere and noted it as we planned our family. I'm glad you've written an article about this.
This I'd have thought was just common sense 'children should be kept inside during the hottest parts of the day' ?
I used to live in a beach suburb, and one thing that shocks me about summer and kids is when, in the height of summer -- mid-Jan to mid-Feb -- when parents have their kids at the beach for many hours in the greatest heat of the day -- say 11-4 -- and at around 4.30pm, 5pm you'd see families crossing the road from the beach to their cars and the kids would be burned to a crisp, painfully crimson-skinned. To me, that is terrible parenting.