The NHS has reported a dramatic 3,500% surge in parents seeking online advice about keeping their babies safe in the sun over the bank holiday weekend, as record-breaking temperatures prompted a wave of health-related web searches.
New data from NHS England shows that visits to its dedicated pages for baby first aid and sun safety hit 4,728 on the Monday of the holiday, a stark jump from the previous week. The spike was part of a broader rush for heat-related guidance: the heatstroke advice page recorded 20,092 visits on the same day, compared with 488 the Monday before, bringing the weekend total to 36,724. Queries about sunburn also rose sharply, with 5,342 visits on the Monday and 10,314 across the whole weekend.
The surge coincided with Tuesday being confirmed as the hottest May day on record for both England and Wales, with the mercury reaching 35.1°C at Kew Gardens and 32.9°C in Cardiff’s Bute Park. Health officials had issued amber heat-health alerts for several English regions, with yellow alerts covering others, as the public sought to cope with the unseasonably high temperatures.
‘Real concern for new parents’
Duncan Burton, chief nursing officer for England, said: “While many enjoyed the rare treat of a sunny bank holiday, the soaring temperatures have been of real concern for many new parents, with a 3,500% increase in the number seeking NHS advice for how to keep their babies safe in the sun over the weekend.”
Mr Burton, who has previously led NHS programmes for maternity and neonatal care, stressed that babies and young children are particularly vulnerable to heat because they cannot regulate their body temperature effectively. They can become dehydrated quickly, and their developing immune systems make it harder to fight off heat stress. Research has also indicated that heat stress during pregnancy can affect foetal development and birth outcomes, and may influence an infant’s growth up to the age of two.
NHS guidance for keeping babies safe in hot weather
The NHS advises that babies under six months should be kept completely out of direct sunlight. For older infants, parents are urged to use lightweight clothing, wide-brimmed hats, and sunglasses, and to apply sunscreen with at least SPF 30 to babies over six months, reapplying regularly. A key warning is not to cover prams or buggies with blankets or cloths, as this can trap heat and cause the baby to overheat dangerously.
Fully breastfed babies under six months do not need extra water in hot weather, the NHS says, but they should be offered more frequent breastfeeds. For formula-fed infants, additional cooled boiled water can be given between feeds.
For anyone showing signs of heat exhaustion — including tiredness, dizziness, headache, nausea, excessive sweating, clammy skin, cramps, fast breathing, a high temperature, or irritability in children — the NHS recommends moving them to a cool place, removing unnecessary clothing, giving cool fluids, and cooling the skin with water. If symptoms do not improve within 30 minutes, or if there are signs of heatstroke — such as a very high temperature, hot red skin that is not sweating, confusion, seizures, or loss of consciousness — parents should call 999 immediately, as heatstroke is a life-threatening emergency.
These episodes of hot weather have historically driven large increases in online health searches. In July 2022, visits to the heat exhaustion section of the NHS website rose by 525% in a single week, and in September 2023 a 552% surge was recorded. More recently, in June 2025, a heat-health alert prompted a 198% rise in visits to the heat exhaustion and heatstroke page within 48 hours. Alongside heat concerns, very high pollen levels have also been pushing up NHS website traffic: visits to hay fever advice pages rose by 86% in one week in June 2025.
The NHS website, which received around 701 million visits in 2024, remains the primary source of health information for the public during extreme weather events. Dr Claire Fuller, NHS co-national medical director for primary care, and Professor Sir Stephen Powis, NHS national medical director, have both previously commented on the surge in web visits during heatwaves, noting the pressure such conditions place on services. During one period of industrial action by junior doctors in June 2024, the spike in heat-related online advice came at a time of added strain on the health service.
Alongside sun and heat risks, authorities have also warned about the dangers of open water swimming after several fatalities; the RNLI cautioned that cold water shock can occur even when air temperatures are high.
