Parents urged to watch out for these potentially lifesaving signs of heatstroke in children

Saturday has been the hottest day of the year so far with many parts of the country seeing temperatures hit highs of 31 degrees. Amid the glorious weather, the HSE has urged people to be cautious of heatstroke, especially regarding children and older people, when soaking up the sun outside.

Heatstroke is a life-threatening medical emergency, especially for children. In some severe cases it can even cause brain damage. Children's bodies heat up at a much faster rate than adults' bodes and this is why children are more at risk of heatstroke. 

A child can get heatstroke if they cannot cool their body down and their body gets hotter and hotter. If a child does have heatstroke, they need emergency treatment quickly. 

What people may not know is that heatstroke or heat exhaustion can happen indoors as well as outdoors. Anywhere that is too warm such as a car or near a window on a hot day can lead to these conditions. 

Anyone can get heatstroke but children, the elderly and people with long-term health conditions are more at risk. Heatstroke needs to be treated as an emergency.

For more information on the symptoms and preventing heatstroke, visit: https://t.co/n5mMdjjvld pic.twitter.com/FBEqDWe4SE

— HSE Ireland (@HSELive) July 12, 2025

According to the HSE, children can get heat exhaustion if they get too hot or don't drink enough fluids. Because children don't sweat as much as adults, they find it much harder to stay cool. So, when it's hot, it's important to make sure that babies and children drink plenty of fluids to cool themselves down. 

The HSE says that heat exhaustion can then turn into heatstroke if the body is unable to cool down within 30 minutes which is then a cause for serious concern. So, to avoid getting to that point, what are the signs of heat exhaustion in children?

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Signs of heat exhaustion with children:

Here are the key symptoms of heat exhaustion according to the HSE:

• Tiredness, bad-tempered and irritable
• intense thirst
• weakness or fainting
• cramps in the arms or legs
• no appetite, feeling sick or vomiting
• complaining of a headache
• sweating a lot
• pale clammy skin
• temperature of more than 38 degrees Celsius (but less than 40 degrees Celsius)

What to do to cool your child down:

The first thing to do if you think your child may have heat exhaustion is to bring them inside if possible or into the shade away from the heat.

Another thing to do would be to undress your child and remove any unnecessary clothing such as jackets or socks.

Then, wash their skin and face with cool water to cool them quickly. You could also place cool packs around their necks and armpits. 

The HSE also advises that if your child is awake and acting normally, you should get them to drink a cold drink. Otherwise, if they are drowsy do not force them to drink and avoid caffeine as it can cause further dehydration. 

Signs of heatstroke with children:

If you think your child has developed heatstroke, you should call emergency services straight away. Here are the symptoms to look out for:

• still unwell 30 minutes after being treated for heat exhaustion
• feels hot and dry
• not sweating even though they are too hot
• severe headache
• very high temperature of 40 degrees Celsius or above
• fast breathing or is short of breath
• confused
• has a fit (seizure)
• loses consciousness
• unresponsive

Top tips to remember: 

Parents are urged to never leave children in a car. Parked cars can heat up by at least 10°C within just 10 minutes and opening a window doesn't keep the inside of the car cool enough. 

Other tips listed by the HSE include not allowing children to sleep in direct sunlight and switching off all lights and electronic equipment in bedrooms at night that you are not using.