Mo’ melons, no problems.
Here’s a cuter way to stay cool in the sweltering summer heat.
Parents in China have been seen nestling giant winter melons in their babies’ cribs to help keep their bodies cool.
Images circulating on social media show the hot tots cuddling with oversized fruits and vegetables, which are often as big as the babies themselves.
Pets, too, are getting in on the cooling action, per a recent Instagram post by Chinese news outlet CGTN Frontline.
But it’s not just an adorable photo op — there’s both science and tradition behind the quirky summer trend.
Winter melon, aka wax gourd, is a vegetable species native to South and Southeast Asia. While the thick whitish flesh is indeed edible and used in various culinary settings — such as soups and curries — it also serves as an ancient Chinese remedy for cooling down, according to South China Morning Post.
The gourd is 95% water, which is why it’s so good at absorbing body heat. For practitioners of traditional Chinese medicine, the green, waxy rind can also be used in prescriptions aimed at cooling down patients.
The vine-ripened vegetable, which can grow up to 24 inches long and wide and weigh over 20 pounds, is harvested in the fall and dubbed “winter” melon because of how long it lasts before rotting, with a shelf life of up to a year — and part of what makes it so useful when balmy spring and summer come around.
That might not be big enough to reduce internal temps for grown-ups, but it sure makes for a charming and eco-friendly approach to keeping kids comfortable.
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