While environmental concerns are important, you also don’t want to be forcing your baby to suffer in the name of green living.  Can you keep your little one cool without resorting to canned air? None of my baby cool-down ideas will win any prizes for originality, but sometimes it’s good to remember the low-energy, low-cost alternatives to sitting around in an air-conditioned room:

Popsicles and other frozen treats. Even babies as young as six months old enjoy frozen confections every now and then. Make your own and they’re practically free. Here is my recipe for a strawberry spinach concoction.

Shade.  Spread out a blanket, sip an iced tea, and read baby books to your little one.

Mist. Try a spraying your baby with a bit of water to keep him cool. Warning: some babies do NOT find this amusing!

Grocery shopping. Nothing like pacing those air-conditioned aisles to cool you down on a hot summer’s day. Plus, you’ll cross an errand off your to-do list.

Sprinklers and baby pools. Some parks in our city have wading ponds and sprinklers for little ones–and even young babies have a great time with their parents.

Cool baths. No yard, and no park featuring sprinklers and wading pools? There’s always a nice cool bath for your baby.

Wet wash cloths. My daughter used to love sucking water  out of a wet wash cloth on hot days. It seemed to keep her calm and cool.

Ice chips. When I was just a few months old, my parents took me on a cross-country car trip without air conditioning. Supposedly iced chips kept us all sane.

Any more cool-down tricks I’m missing? Let us know!

All these ideas have worked for me. For more Works for Me Wednesday tips, head on over to We are THAT Family.