The real problem isn't with your baby; it’s with you. And there are two risks to look out for: one is over-heating, and the other is sunburn and skin damage.

YOUR SKIN
The sun radiates light to the earth, and part of that light consists of invisible ultraviolet (UV) rays. When these rays reach our skin, they cause tanning, burning, and other skin damage.

There are three kinds of UV rays: UVA, UVB and UVC. You need to protect yourself from exposure to UVA and UVB, the rays that cause skin damage.

UV rays react with a hormone in your skin called melanin. This is your first defence against the sun and it absorbs dangerous UV rays before they do any serious skin damage.

Melanin is found in different concentrations and colours; the darker your skin colour, the more melanin your skin has to protect itself. As the melanin increases in response to sun exposure, the skin tans, but even that healthy looking tan may be a sign of sun damage.

Sunburn happens when the amount of UV exposure is greater than can be protected against by the melanin. The lighter your skin, the less melanin it has to absorb UV and protect itself.

And all skin, no matter what colour, responds to continued sun exposure by thickening and hardening, resulting in leathery skin and wrinkles later in life (and you don’t want that, do you?).

Unprotected sun exposure is even more dangerous if you have very fair skin and hair, or a family history of skin cancer, including melanoma.

THE HEAT
You may already feel like you’re carrying around a little furnace inside you and you may have been inclined to feel warm when the rest of the world was bundled up in jerseys. But now that it’s summer you’re even more likely to swelter.

Although this isn’t’ likely to harm your baby, it’s horribly unpleasant for you, so take extra care not to get too hot or dehydrate.

Here are some tried and tested methods for keeping your cool: