Children heat up faster than adults and depend on the grown-up in charge to keep them cool and hydrated. In the Valley that grown-up is often a babysitter, sometimes a teenager. Go over the points below with any new sitter, and repeat the conversation each spring.
Heat: prevention first
- Plan outdoor time around the sun. On hot days, keep play outdoors to early morning or evening, in shade, with breaks indoors. Maricopa County advises avoiding outdoor activity during peak heat and following heat advisories.
- Water before thirst. Offer water regularly, before children ask. Leave filled bottles in the fridge.
- Dress for it. Loose, lightweight, light-colored clothing, a hat, and sunscreen (SPF 30+) for any outdoor time.
- Check surfaces. Slides, swings, pool decks and pavement can get hot enough to burn. Touch them first.
- Never leave a child in a car. Not for a minute, not with the windows cracked. The CDC notes a car's inside temperature can rise almost 20°F in the first 10 minutes. If a child is ever missing, check the pool and the car first.
Heat: know the warning signs
Maricopa County lists these warning signs of heat stroke, a life-threatening emergency: very high body temperature (above 103°F), confusion, dizziness, nausea, a rapid strong pulse, red, hot and dry skin with no sweating, a throbbing headache, or unconsciousness. Call 911 and begin cooling the child right away.
Signs of heat exhaustion in children can include tiredness, irritability and clammy skin; in babies, fewer wet diapers and dry lips. Move the child to a cool place, apply cool cloths and give fluids, and call the parents. If symptoms get worse or don't improve, get medical help.
Pools: one clear rule for every visit
The Phoenix Fire Department teaches the ABCs of water safety: Appropriate supervision, Barriers, Classes and Devices. For a babysitting night, that becomes:
- Decide before you leave: swimming or no swimming. For most visits the simplest rule is "no one goes in the pool area." Write the rule down.
- If swimming is allowed, the sitter is the water watcher, and that's her only job. No phone, no cooking, no walking the dog. The CDC advises close, constant supervision without distractions. Arizona's health department suggests swapping water watchers every 15–20 minutes when more than one adult is present; a lone sitter shouldn't be asked to watch the water for long stretches.
- Check the barrier together. The gate should self-close and self-latch; doors to the pool should be locked; chairs and tables kept away from the fence so children can't climb over.
- Floaties and lessons don't replace supervision. Phoenix Children's advises parents not to rely on flotation devices or swim lessons alone.
- Rescue gear and phone by the pool. A hook or pole, a flotation device, and a charged phone.
- Monsoon rule. Phoenix Fire's guidance: never swim when you hear thunder or see lightning. Everyone out and inside.
If a child is found in the water
Phoenix Fire's water-watcher guidance: yell for help and pull the child out, call 911 immediately and stay on the line, and begin CPR. If you are not trained, follow the 911 operator's instructions until help arrives.
Monsoon and power outages
- Show the sitter where flashlights are kept (not candles).
- If the power fails on a hot day, keep children in the coolest room, keep drinking water, and call the parents. If the house heats up and you can't reach them, contact the nearby adult on your handoff sheet.
- Keep children away from downed power lines and flooded washes and streets.
Quick card: heat & pool rules for tonight
- Heat stroke signs (hot, dry red skin, confusion, very high temperature) or a child in the water: call 911 first, then call us.
- Never leave a child in a car. If a child is missing, check the pool and the car first.
- Thunder or lightning: everyone out of the pool and inside.
For a deeper look at pools, read Pool Safety for Babysitters in Phoenix. To check training, see CPR and First Aid Questions to Ask. This page is general safety information, not medical advice; follow the guidance of your child's doctor and emergency services.
Sources
- Maricopa County: Signs of heat-related illness
- Maricopa County: Extreme heat, know your risk
- Maricopa County: Babies and young children heat fact sheet (PDF)
- CDC: Infants and children and heat
- City of Phoenix Fire Department: Water safety
- City of Phoenix: Water Watcher card (PDF)
- CDC: Preventing drowning
- Arizona Department of Health Services: ABCDs of water safety (Aug. 2026)
- Phoenix Children's: Water safety for parents
General information for planning, last reviewed October 26, 2026. It does not replace emergency services, medical or legal advice.