Oh No! How do I keep my rf baby cool? Pleas HElp!

mykidsmylife · Aug 30, 2007

I drive a 2007 Dodge Caravan w/o rear vents. I didnt even realize this when we purchased it. We got it the day before dh went back to Iraq and were not even expecting to buy it. Anyways, I was going to get the windows tented to help keep it cool, but an unexpected dental expense came up and I HAVE to fix it. Needless to say we do not have the money to get the windows tented right now.

It gets VERY hot here. Sometimes over 150 in the van. We are in the dessert of texas.

So how the heck do I keep my 11m old cool? The vents dont hit him. I had to put a fan in (which I know is a big no-no) but he gets so sweltering hot that he breaks out in rashes and screams. Also he has breathing issues so him getting that hot is NOT an option.
The fan I have is small and I have it cliped tot he headrest. I only use it on days when we are in the upper 90's-100's. I want to find domething dafer b/c I know that if we got in a wreck and it broke it could seriously injure him.

So what options do I have. Is there anything else I can do to keep him cool?

Defrost · Aug 30, 2007

We had no A/C in our vehicle (in Arkansas) when my oldest was a baby. We couldn't roll the windows all the way down because the wind would "suck his breath," and he'd spend the trip gasping. We let him ride in just a diaper, that helped some. I would also carry washcloths and wet them to put on his head/shoulders (over his harness, of course).

joolsplus3 · Aug 30, 2007

On a really hot day, you have to get the car started and run the A/C on fresh air mode (not the recirculate, that'll take days to get cool) to cool off the car, then you just have to freeze in the front, aim the vents straight up to the ceiling so the air bounces back down on him. When you park the car, do like the seat manual says: leave a white/light towel on the seat to keep sun off it to keep it a lot cooler. Use a windshield shade when you are parked. Get some sticky 'limo dark' window cling stuff for the back windows from walmart. He'll be fine

crunchierthanthou · Aug 30, 2007

You can try aiming all the front vents at the ceiling. That will help some of the cool air fall on him.

azgirl71 · Aug 30, 2007

Aiming vents toward the ceiling seems to help here in AZ where it is also super hot. I have a friend wh has been known to buy the gel filled ice packs. The really thin ones and put them under the sides of her car seat cover between the shell and the cover down by the hips to help keep he child cooler when her AC was not working.

mykidsmylife · Aug 30, 2007

Thank you. I will try aiming the vents that way.

Because there is no shade here, even if I let the ac run for 10 min it still is too hot back there for him.
I opened the back windows today and hope that will help some also...

Thanks

flipper68 · Aug 30, 2007

What color is your van? Darker colors heat up faster and cool off slower.

Another good investment is window shades you put up when you park. Any of them help. The ones that are nylon on the "bendy" frame give you more options for placement (side windows/rear windows vs. front only).

I used to cover my steering wheel, seat, and gear shift with a towel - it was burgundy/black in a burgundy car. It helps alot when the covered parts are in direct sun. My car has a grey interior now and it doesn't seem to get as hot.

My brother swears by opening the rear window vents (the pop out windows) on the van to "pull" the air back and help cool off / warm up faster.

mykidsmylife · Aug 30, 2007

I have sun shades up. I wanted to see about those wondow vent things. I wasnt sure if they worked or not...

Well it is 87 here today and feels hotter. I have the windows in the back opened and there is a definet difference. I guess we will be ok as long as we dont hit triple digit weather again.

Guest · Aug 30, 2007

Go with window shades. They don't cost much.

Regular tint doesn't do much. Both of our cars are tinted. It routinely gets over 100 around here. It's about that hot right now. The truck has regular factory tint. I had limo tint in my old Civic. Stuff doesn't do that much in the high heat like you get. Only our BMW has fancy tint (not factory). It actually has two brands for legal purposes. Type 1 (brand called Huper Optik) costs about $400 to do 5 windows. Type 2 (brand called V-Kool) costs about $600 to do 5 windows nowadays. The only cars that come with the fancy tint from the factory are Mercedes. It's the ones with the blue tinted windows, and you have to buy a super expensive package to get that tint. Regular tint is more effective as a privacy shield than a heat shield.

Those removable sun shades that stick on with a suction cup are just as effective as regular tint. Much more cost effective if you're on a budget.

mykidsmylife · Aug 31, 2007

I have the suction cup shades and they dont stay on.
I found some clingy ones and may just buy a few more to put on their windows. I have noticed the rear vents being open is helping a lot and I aimed the vents at the ceiling.
But it is starting to cool off now I think so hopefully he will be okay.

Thanks for the advice

Oh No! How do I keep my rf baby cool? Pleas HElp!

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