Hanoi and many localities across the country are experiencing a widespread heat wave, with some places particularly intense above 40°C. To ensure children's health in the face of harsh weather conditions, many parents have had to change their living habits, proactively choosing suitable places and playing hours.
Taking advantage of the weekend free time, Ms. Dang Phuong Thao (Cau Giay ward, Hanoi) took her child to the playground at the foot of the building to play with friends. However, instead of playing comfortably as before, she had to carefully calculate the time.
It's just the beginning of summer and the temperature has reached 40°C, so I'm very worried. To avoid the sun, I only let my child go out around 7am - 9am or after 4pm, prioritizing areas with cool shade. If playing indoors, I will choose playgrounds with air conditioning," Ms. Thao shared.
To reduce heat for her child, Ms. Thao always brings a hand fan to cool her child every time she goes out. She added: "My baby is secretly less sick, but in this weather using a lot of air conditioners can also easily cause respiratory diseases. I proactively supplement vitamins and give my child water regularly, about 60ml each time, each time about 2 hours apart. As soon as I see that my child's lips show signs of dryness, I immediately supplement water.
Just like Ms. Thao, Ms. Nhu Thi Xuan (Cau Giay ward, Hanoi) who is taking care of her 18-month-old grandchild also said that choosing the time to go out is currently the top priority. "Winter is any time, but summer must be much more careful. In the morning, I take my grandchild down to the yard from about 7:30 am to 9 am and then go upstairs, in the afternoon I only dare to let him play for about 1 hour at the end of the day for coolness," Ms. Xuan shared.
According to medical experts, hot weather is the leading factor that makes children susceptible to diseases such as flu, runny nose, especially heatstroke, heat shock. Therefore, taking care of children's health during this period is very necessary.
Master Nguyen Thi Hien, Department of Nutrition and Diet, Hanoi Children's Hospital, said that in summer, there are days when the sun is already harsh from early morning. When taking children out, parents need to wear wide-brimmed hats to cover them. Especially at noon, high levels of UV rays can affect health, not only causing children to sweat a lot and lose water but also directly affecting the skin and mucous membranes. Therefore, parents should let children play before 9 am and after 4 pm to limit the impact of hot sun.
In addition, parents need to pay attention to giving children enough water and supplementing enough nutrition to ensure health in the summer.
According to the meteorological agency, from around the 15-16th, hot weather in the North, Central Highlands and Southern regions tends to gradually subside. From around the 17th, hot weather in the Central provinces tends to decrease.
Also according to the meteorological agency, in April 2026, hot weather will increase almost throughout the country, the intensity is assessed to be more intense than the same period many years ago, mainly concentrated in some areas such as the Northwest, Thanh Hoa to Hue and the South.
