How to stay cool at a baseball game (and on any hot sideline)

Everything on this page about heat and health is general guidance from the National Weather Service (NWS) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), quoted and linked below. It isn't medical advice. If someone shows the signs of heat stroke, call 911.

Why shade comes first

The heat index is, in the NWS's words, “a measure of how hot it really feels when relative humidity is factored in with the actual air temperature.” The NWS also notes that heat index values were devised for shady, light-wind conditions, and that exposure to full sunshine can increase them by up to 15°F. So the number on your weather app assumes you're in the shade. On an open soccer field or in the top row of the bleachers at 2 p.m., you aren't.

That's why shade is the first step, not the last. The CDC's own heat advice starts in the same place: stay in the shade as much as possible. At a lot of youth fields that means bringing it, because the only shade is a dugout roof or a tree that isn't where your kid is playing.

Ten ways to stay cool

1. Check the heat index, not just the temperature. Humidity is what makes a 90-degree day feel worse than the forecast high.
2. Bring shade and follow it. A clamp-on umbrella, a canopy chair or a pop-up canopy. The sun moves; move your chair with it.
3. Drink before you're thirsty. The CDC tells athletes to drink more water than usual and not wait until they're thirsty, and tells everyone to carry a water bottle and refill it through the day. The NWS says the same, adding non-alcoholic and decaffeinated fluids.
4. Go easy on sugar, caffeine and alcohol. The CDC suggests limiting drinks high in sugar and sodium, caffeine and alcohol in the heat. That includes the tailgate cooler.
5. Dress for the heat. The NWS recommends lightweight, loose-fitting, light-colored clothing to reflect heat and sunlight.
6. Don't get burned. The NWS points out that sunburn reduces your body's ability to shed heat. The CDC recommends a broad-spectrum sunscreen with SPF 15 or higher, reapplied after two hours in the sun and after sweating, plus a hat with a brim all the way around and sunglasses that block UVA and UVB.
7. Get off the hot metal. Aluminum bleachers in full sun are a hot seat. Your own chair with a mesh back, or a stadium seat between you and the plank, puts fabric where the metal was.
8. Use water on the outside, too. Cool, wet cloths are part of the NWS's first aid for heat exhaustion; a damp towel on the back of the neck between innings uses the same idea before anyone is ill.
9. Take an air-conditioned break. The NWS suggests time in air-conditioned places during extreme heat. Between games, a cooled-down car with you in it counts. An empty parked car never does (more on that below).
10. Eat light and watch each other. The NWS suggests light, cool, easy-to-digest foods such as fruit or salads. The CDC asks athletes to monitor a teammate's condition and have someone do the same for them; parents can do that for the whole bench.

The warning signs

The NWS lists three heat illnesses, from mild to life-threatening. The CDC adds that muscle cramping may be an early sign of heat-related illness, and tells athletes: if you feel faint or weak, stop all activity and get to a cool place.

Who needs extra care

The CDC names the groups at higher risk from heat: infants and young children, people 65 and older, people with heart disease, people (especially children) with asthma, pregnant women, and people working or exercising outdoors. On a sideline, that list describes the players, their younger siblings and their grandparents all at once. The CDC advises dressing children in loose, lightweight, light-colored clothing and making sure they drink plenty of fluids, while staying away from very cold or very sugary drinks.

What to look for in shade gear

Shade products fail in the sun they're built for, so read the spec sheet with that in mind:

• A UPF rating. UPF 50+ is what the canopy chairs and clamp-on umbrellas we score publish.
• Adjustability. A canopy or umbrella that tilts and swivels follows the sun as it moves; a fixed canopy shades you well only at one time of day.
• For a clamp-on umbrella, the clamp opening. Measure the chair frame or bleacher rail first. A clamp that opens to 1.5 inches won't fit tubing thicker than that.
• For a chair, a mesh back and a published rating. Mesh lets air through; a rating above your weight and a warranty in writing keep the chair around for more than one summer.
• The warranty's sun clause. GCI says sun damage and extended exposure to the elements void its chair warranty; Kijaro and ALPS exclude UV damage. Use the chair in the sun, then store it out of it.

Our picks

Canopy chair or clamp-on umbrella?

On durability evidence, the canopy chairs in our registry score low. The best-known, the Kelsyus Original, has no maker spec sheet or published warranty at all, and scores 3.1. The Sport-Brella Recliner publishes a 250 lb maximum and a 1-year warranty but no weight, and scores 3.7. Both are fine for shade; neither is a chair we'd call built to last.

That's the argument for splitting the job. Buy the most durable chair that suits you, then add shade with a clamp-on umbrella like the Versa-Brella (4.6, held back by a 1-year term and no load rating to score). When the umbrella wears out, you replace a 1.8 lb accessory, not the chair. Our best canopy chairs ranks every canopy chair we could document, and our best sideline chairs for sports parents ranks the chairs worth clamping one to.

For the full packing list for a tournament weekend, see travel baseball must-haves for parents; for an open soccer field, soccer mom must-haves. If you'd rather sit up off the bleacher plank, our bleacher seat picks cover that, and the rest of the category is in the sideline and tailgate chair hub.