Walking with a baby every day in the fresh air in winter, summer, autumn and spring is useful for both the baby and his parents. Some mothers are afraid to walk with a newborn baby and may keep it at home for several months after giving birth. Infants may have other possible obstacles to going outside: illness, cough, teething and fever, sometimes bad weather interferes. At such moments, many parents are worried whether it is possible to walk with a child with a cold, whether it will harm their beloved child.
Walking in winter with a toddler
Why fresh air is good for you
The baby of the first year of life receives a lot of new information from the outside. This is a completely new world for him, full of mysteries and further discoveries, mastering skills and abilities, meeting relatives, mom and dad and establishing a stable daily routine. Outdoor activities are part of the daily routine.
Why should a baby be outside? The benefits of fresh air for babies are obvious:
- due to changes in room and outdoor temperatures, adaptation to various environmental conditions occurs, the mechanisms of thermoregulation are improved;
- the baby's natural curiosity is satisfied in the knowledge of the external world;
- active games, running, constant jumps and fun on the street - an excellent workout of the muscular and respiratory systems;
- there is close communication with the parents, which forms the emotional and psychological comfort of the child.
Important! To know for sure whether it is possible for a child to walk on the street with snot, you first need to identify the cause of their appearance. Many diseases cause a runny nose: allergies, ARVI, viral pathogens, fungal or bacterial infections. Clean air will help moisturize the nasal cavity and cleanse it of toxins.
Recommendations for walking
Parents need to follow these guidelines for a successful walk:
- Before a walk, the baby should clean the nasal passages with an aspirator, and older children should be offered to blow their nose.
Aspirator for newborns
- First, adults dress, then children, who are immediately taken out into the street to avoid overheating.
- Walking should be done in less crowded places.
- Staying on the street is no more than 20 minutes if the child has a runny nose, or the baby was recently born. Older children can walk for up to an hour.
- It is impossible to wrap up a baby in warm clothes. If he began to sweat, and his face turned red, then he overheated, this brings very great harm to the thermoregulation of the crumbs.
- Babies should not cover their mouth and nose with a scarf - this will increase the reproduction of microorganisms.
Contraindications for walking with a cold
With a runny nose, the child has some contraindications for walking:
- Too bad weather conditions - heavy rain, strong wind, hail, blizzard;
- The infection is in the active phase, or there is a possibility of infecting other children (chickenpox, measles, diphtheria);
- The kid is lethargic, weak, he has a fever.
Chickenpox in a child
When you can walk
Rhinitis is the body's response to viruses, bacteria, or allergens. A runny nose also occurs due to the physiological characteristics of the nasal sinuses in infants, imperfections of the immune system.
If the snot appeared due to allergies, then it is imperative to drive the child outside. If there is a reaction to the flowering of trees, then this period of time must be waited out at home.
Allergic reaction in infants
The opinion of Dr. Komarovsky
Dr. Komarovsky, a Russian pediatrician, argues that walks with a newborn baby are necessary. To walk with a baby, first of all, you need to teach the parents themselves, in order to remove from their heads the fear and fear that the child will get sick.
Note! When the baby breathes fresh air, his bronchi and lungs get rid of house dust, which actively accumulates in the respiratory organs. Besides, a walk is an excellent prevention of respiratory diseases.
Basic rules for walking in winter
The very first walk for a baby happens when he is discharged from the hospital. Even if it is short, but even then the baby breathes fresh air.
The doctor recommends not to delay the next time you go outside, starting from the 10th day of discharge for no more than 10-15 minutes. If you gradually increase the walking time every day, by the month the child can already be on the street for a long time.
Evgeny Olegovich suggests not pulling a heavy stroller up the stairs, but taking a walk on the balcony in the first months. Subsequently, you can even spend daytime dreams on the balcony or in the yard of your own home.
Walk and sleep on the balcony
Komarovsky draws attention to the fact that it is not worth wrapping up the baby too much. If he is sweating and blushing, then next time he needs to be dressed lighter. Parents are often afraid that the baby will not freeze, but in the doctor's practice, frozen children, as a rule, did not happen, while overly wrapped children are a frequent occurrence.
Additional Information. Newborn babies have a completely different metabolic rate. That is why, where parents freeze, children feel comfortable, and where it is warm for an adult, a baby can be hot. In view of this reason, it is necessary to dress the baby somewhat easier than a caring grandmother requires.
Additional recommendations
The doctor gives important advice for parents:
- In winter, children should not be allowed to run and jump overly actively in the street so that they do not sweat and then become overcooled.
- If the baby has rhinitis caused by an allergic reaction to pollen, then a gauze bandage should be worn outside. After a walk, you should wash your face and wash off allergens from your face.
- If the baby is tired and asks for a hand, it's time to go home. Overwork can affect your well-being.
- After vaccinations with BCG, DTP and Pentaxim, walking on the street is mandatory, but not in crowded places. It is possible and necessary to reduce the portion of food, if the baby refuses, less contact with strangers.
- Do not wrap the child up too much, otherwise he will scream, be capricious, try to throw off his clothes, and not want to sleep during a walk.
If a baby sleeps without whims on the street, he is not wrapped up
If the weather is windy and cold
In the first month of a baby's life, you can walk with him at temperatures up to minus five, by the end of the second - already at minus ten degrees, the third - up to minus 15.
It is not so much severe cold, wet snow or wind that is dangerous, but improperly selected clothes. It’s not worth it to be a hero and go out in a frost below minus 15 degrees, with a strong wind and blizzard. You can walk in rain, snow, winter or spring, but you should always choose the right outerwear.
If the child has a fever
Parents are afraid to take the baby out into the street during illness, they think that this will only worsen the situation. Komarovsky is sure that this is completely wrong and even ridiculous.
If the temperature exceeds 37.5 degrees, then you should refuse to walk - cold air can cause spasm of the blood vessels, and this will provoke a loss of internal heat.
With a fever below 37 degrees, it is possible and necessary to walk, especially if the child is kind, active, wants to go and get some fresh air.
Important! If the baby is lethargic, weak, you should not waste his strength on walking on the street. At a temperature of 38 degrees, as a rule, children want only one thing - to lie down or sleep. Let the child rest once more, replenish the reserves of energy and strength.
For bronchitis, tracheitis, a walk is the best medicine. Fresh air is free of house dust, toxins and small particles, it is humidified, therefore it has a very beneficial effect on the respiratory system. If the illness is severe, for example, pneumonia, then you cannot actively play in the air, but it is inappropriate to refuse a calm walk.
Note! If, after several walks, the child develops a wet cough, then this is a positive dynamics in the development of his recovery. The baby's respiratory organs began to be moistened with air, so he began to cough up, getting rid of phlegm and accumulation of viral waste.
Walking with a baby is always interesting for all participants in the process. Do not be afraid of this useful procedure, which will help a newborn to get stronger faster, harmoniously develop himself and his immunity. Subsequently, walks will bring a lot of good emotions to the baby, improve health and mood.
