When you’re a parent or guardian of a child, there’s nothing more important than the child’s safety. You want to go above and beyond to ensure that your child is going to be healthy, happy, and thriving. During the summer, many people are nervous about their toddlers in the sun–like getting heatstroke or even a bad sunburn. Many people associate heatstroke with their children being out in the sun, but, it can actually occur inside, as well. Any room or area where the temperature is too high can cause negative and harmful effects on your children. One mother learned this the hard way when putting her daughter down for a nap, and, is using the traumatic experience to warn other parents out there of the dangers.
Jennifer Amba shared her harrowing tale in a 2017 Facebook post that went viral. Her daughter had gone into her bedroom and put herself down for a nap. After Amba had decided to go in and check on her daughter, she was shocked and horrified to see her daughter lying in bed completely lifeless and red in the face.
Apparently, the heat in the room was far too much for young Anastasia to take and it caused her to have a heatstroke–inside of the house, out of the sun. Amba writes in the viral post:
“This was the scariest moment I’ve had to imagine. THIS is severe heatstroke. There is nothing scarier than not being able to wake your baby up. THIS is clear proof a child doesn’t need to be in the sun.”
The mother immediately called the paramedics who arrived on the scene. According to the young mom, Anastasia’s sugar levels were a shocking 1.4–when normally, they would be at least a normal 4. She claims it was the scariest moment of her life as a mother. In the post (which has since been removed) she wrote:
THIS was my evening, this was the scariest moment I’ve had to imagine, THIS is severe heatstroke. There is nothing scarier than not being able to wake your baby up. THIS is clear proof a child doesn’t need to be in the sun to get heat stroke. It took us 20 minutes to wake her up, when ambulance came, they came with investigators because they didn’t know what to expect as did I. This was proof how fast things change. Anastasia put herself for a nap, I had no idea how hot her bedroom was until I went to wake her up soaked in sweat, red face, boiling and unable to wake her for 15 minutes, ambulance arrived faster then I could have ever imagined and took her sugars which were 1.2 and should be above 4, they administered sucrose and in minutes she started crying clearly scared. No it is not my fault this happened to her but it is hard not to blame yourself, this is a lesson learnt & hopefully other parents can take something from this & make sure you are checking the rooms in your house because thy can be as dangerous as a hot car. Still I’m shook and I can’t imagine what would have happened if I didn’t go check on her. We definitely had god on our side yesterday and I am thankful for emergency services and Jay who came as fast as possible to keep me together. ❤?? #iloveyou #summertime #heatstroke #reality
While the situation is completely terrifying for any parent or guardian to imagine, Amba is sharing her story online to warn all other parents and guardians how important it is to make sure your kids are safe–even indoors–during the summer and hot weather. She wrote that all parents should check the temperature of the rooms in the house, which can be as dangerous as leaving your child in a hot car in the summer. It’s also important to be aware of the signs of heatstroke in children.
According to Mayo Clinic, the signs are:
- High body temperature
- Altered mental state or behavior, such as confusion, delirium, slurred speech or irritability
- Alteration in sweat
- Nausea and vomiting
- Flushed skin
- Rapid breathing
- Racing heart rate
- Headaches