Air hardening is the most optimal method of strengthening a child's health. It has been noticed that children who are not accustomed to constant walks, who are in the stuffiness of unventilated rooms, eat poorly, are lethargic, and feel discomfort in their tummy.
Why is it necessary to harden?
During hardening:
- the immune system is strengthened, thereby causing the child's body to become immune to viral diseases.
- adaptation of the child's body to changes in the external environment is faster.
- metabolism is normalized.
- thermoregulation is being established.
- the body's vascular response to a change in the environment returns to normal.
- sleep and appetite are restored, the general condition of the child improves.
When to start hardening?
Hardening must be carried out almost immediately after the birth of the baby, subject to the following conditions:
- the child must be healthy;
- the general condition of the baby is satisfactory: he sleeps calmly, good appetite, there is an increase in weight that corresponds to age;
- Your local pediatrician has given you a hardening permit.
Learn more about how to start tempering newborns
Air hardening types
Air baths
You can start hardening from the first days of life by arranging air baths for the baby. While in the maternity hospital, the first tempering is carried out when changing the child's clothes: for a few minutes they leave him without a diaper and clothes. At the same time, the temperature in the ward is taken into account, it should not be lower than 22-23 degrees. Since the baby has just emerged from an environment where the temperature is much higher, even conditions that are comfortable for an adult may be unacceptable for the baby.
The following procedures should be carried out regularly, gradually lowering the temperature in the room and increasing the hardening time. The first 6 months they are done twice a day, starting from 3 minutes and gradually adding 1-2 minutes. The maximum duration of the procedures should be 10-15 minutes. After 6 months, they continue to take air baths in the same mode and add another 2 minutes to each procedure, reaching 15-30 minute sessions. The temperature is gradually reduced from 22 degrees to 18-20.
Airing the room
To create the optimal temperature in the room, you need to ventilate it regularly. A child needs fresh air for proper development. Children need oxygen several times more than adults, therefore in the warm season it is better if the window is always open (of course, make sure there are no drafts), and in winter, during the heating season, ventilation is done up to 5 times a day.
In the absence of a child, it is good to do full and long-term ventilation of the room through and through. To control the temperature in the children's room, a thermometer is hung above the bed.
Blinds, curtains, fans and air conditioners are used to maintain optimal temperatures in summer. It is not recommended to run the air conditioner in the presence of children, as it can lead to colds. It is important to prevent the baby from overheating at night, so the baby should be ventilated before bed.
In the baby's room, especially up to a year, it is necessary to maintain air humidity, this indicator should be at least 50%. Electronic humidifiers do this job well.
Walks in the open air
Being in the fresh air is necessary for babies under one year old, it has a hardening effect, strengthens the immunity of children. For the first time you can go for a walk one day after arriving from the hospital.
They start with a 10-minute walk, gradually increasing its time to 1.5-2 hours in winter and up to 2 or more hours in summer. It is recommended to walk at least 2 times a day. In summer, in good weather, the number of walks can be unlimited - the more, the better. In frost below -15 C with the wind, it is not advisable to go out for a walk with babies up to a year, but if there is no wind, then you can walk for a few minutes at -20 C. Try not to wrap up the child, but also do not dress too lightly. It is best to choose clothes for a walk the same as yourself - according to the sensations.
Walking improves the functioning of the nervous cardiovascular system, hardens and prevents rickets, increases appetite.
Hardening rules
- systematic and regular classes. Termination of procedures leads to a decrease in the adaptive properties of thermoregulation. In babies up to a year, this happens after a week's break;
- gradual temperature change. Getting used to irritating effects in the body occurs gradually, so hardening procedures should be started with very minor changes;
- monitor the physiological and psychological reactions of children. The skin on the feet and palms should be warm. Cold limbs and nose, “goose bumps” are signs that the child is uncomfortable. In this case, you should not lower the temperature and increase the time of the procedures yet. If the baby is cold, naughty, you need to dress him;
- set an example for children (temper together).
It is worth stopping hardening
- with acute respiratory diseases (runny nose, tonsillitis, etc.);
- at elevated temperatures (about 37 C and more);
- if the child is cold while walking.
After an illness, it is better to start hardening from the beginning, again from the maximum temperature and minimum time, gradually, in the same mode.
We read further:
- Hardening by the sun
- Hardening of children: how and at what age to harden a child (hardening methods)
The Brovchenko family. Hardening. How we dress babies when sleeping on the street in March
