Well if you believe the hype, we’re in for a so-called barbecue summer with lots of hot weather and sunshine aplenty – which is great news in many ways considering that the big bad wolf of recession has knocked any notions we might have had of escaping to the sun for a week or so firmly on the head.  The pre-parenthood me would have used all the recent weather predictions as an excuse to panic-buy sun loungers and Piz Buin but now that we have Bubs in tow I’m rather more worried about how I will keep him cool and content all summer long.  Some browsing on the web turned up interesting results and has led me to believe that we simply cannot survive the summer without the following items (unless, of course, it’s all an elaborate hoax and it pours with rain for the next three months.  Again.)

A decent fan.

We live in a timberframe house and in warm weather it’s like a bloody greenhouse so I decided to look for a fan that doesn’t make noise.  I really like the Propello fan from Black + Blum because it’s got rubber blades that are virtually silent and also safe for little hands.  A bit on the expensive side but looks like it’s built to last, and hopefully won’t drive me insane in the wee small hours.

Lightweight grobags.

I honestly don’t know how parents survived before the invention of the Grobag – if they didn’t exist I’d be in and out of Bubs’ room every five minutes to replace kicked-off covers.  The very act of zipping him into his sleeping bag seems to put him in the right frame of mind for sleep so unless it gets really, really warm this summer I’ll still be using one – they go down to 0.5 tog which is similar to using a sheet, and you can put your baby in wearing just a nappy if necessary.  Every Grobag purchased also comes with a free room thermometer and information about what to dress your baby in for bed depending on how warm it is.

Portable darkness!

I cannot stress how much I want one of these!  I just think it’s the most genius idea – a canopy that fits over your cot or travel cot and makes it dark inside so your baby can sleep.  It’s a perfect solution for holidays, especially if your baby is sleeping in the same room with you as you can have the lights on or curtains open even when your baby is napping.  It also keeps insects out which is great if you’re abroad.  Now if only they made one that would fit over our king-size bed…

A car seat cover.

I think these summer car seat covers from Maxi Cosi are a great idea – they’re made from terry towelling which makes them breathable and also absorbent to keep your baby more comfortable even on long car journeys.  They are easy to fit over the existing cover and are machine washable which I know will be a godsend – I’m already thinking about all the spilled drinks, melted chocolate buttons and sticky raisins Bubs will inflict upon his car seat this summer!

A pop-up sun shade.

I would really love to take Bubs to the seaside this year – having spent virtually all of my childhood summers on the Donegal coast hunting for crabs and freezing my wee bum off in the Atlantic, I feel the need to show him the sea and let him get sand between his tiny toes.  I won’t be going without one of these, though, and hopefully Bubs’ memories of summers by the sea won’t be marred by my two least favourite seaside hazards; sunburn and sandy sarnies.  It will hopefully also offer a solution to nap time and nappy changing – not to mention being a handy place for us to get changed!

And that’s it for the big stuff – now all I need is to stock up on sun cream, a paddling pool, charcoal for the barbecue and a fab hot weather wardrobe…those forecasts better be right!!