When a child falls ill, parents seek to help him by any available means, but often doubt the permissibility of using certain types of procedures. For example, are baths allowed if a child has a runny nose? Would bathing be harmful if you are so unwell, causing complications?
Can I bathe?
If a runny nose is the only symptom, a ban on bathing is not justified. On the contrary, baths will help alleviate the baby's condition, it is only important to follow some rules:
- The optimum bath water temperature is approx. +37+38°FROM.
- Drafts must be avoided, and the air of the room before swimming is advised to warm up a little (for this, a little hot water is most often poured into the bath).
- If the baby is in the bathtub, the upper body needs to be watered with a ladle, to smooth out the difference in temperatures affecting the top and bottom of the body.
- Immediately after bathing, you must prevent hypothermia, therefore, the child should be dressed in pajamas or other warm clothing.
- It is best to immediately after the procedure, the baby went to bed.
- In the absence of such a need You don't need to wash your child's head, since getting the hair wet may increase the runny nose.
- Bathing a child is often not recommended - bathing every other day is enough.
- The optimal duration of bathing with a cold is considered 7-10 minutes.
Bath as the simplest inhalation
A runny nose most often occurs with a viral infection, when the pathogen affects the nasopharyngeal mucosa and thereby provokes excessive mucus production. When the baby is in the bathroom, his airways are moisturized and warmed up, just like inhalation. This reduces the swelling of the mucous membranes and strengthens local immunity.
If a child develops allergic rhinitis, a bath will help remove allergens from the mucous membrane, which also helps to improve the condition of the baby.
What else are baths useful for?
- In case of illness, toxins and waste products are released not only through the respiratory tract, but also through the pores in the skin. AND bathing will help your baby get rid of these harmful substances more efficiently.
- Babies fall asleep quickly after bath, thanks to which they fully rest and gain strength. This is especially valuable for children who suffered all day because of snot and the inability to breathe through their nose.
Baths with sea salt or herbal decoctions
If you add sea salt or herbal decoction to the water, this will increase the usefulness of the procedure. During bathing, water droplets with such additives will in any case fall into the baby's nose. This will have a beneficial effect on the mucous membrane and stimulate blowing out., as a result of which the nasopharynx will be easily cleared of mucus and viruses.
Such bathing is a great substitute for rinsing the nose in cases when the child does not like the procedure. Besides, the child will breathe vapors from herbal decoction or sea water, and this will have antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory effect.
To make a bath with salt, you need to prepare 500 g of sea salt without any additives and pour it into a bath filled with warm water until it is completely dissolved.
Having brewed a series for a therapeutic bath, chamomile, eucalyptus, lavender or other medicinal plants, the broth is added to the water immediately before bathing.
When is it forbidden to swim?
Baths with a runny nose should be abandoned if:
- The baby has a fever.
- The child has lacrimation.
- The baby's breathing is broken.
- The child refuses to swim.
Tips
- Directly before bathing, the child should not be fed, and it is also not necessary to give the baby medicine and a lot of drinks... Food and any liquids should be given to the baby no later than an hour before the procedure.
- Having decided to bathe your baby in a decoction of herbs, you should consult a pediatrician. If a child has a tendency to allergies, be very careful when using medicinal plants.
