What is more useful for a child - to be wrapped in several layers of warm clothes at the first slight cold snap, or to wear something warm only with the onset of cold weather? Which point of view is closest to the truth? Mothers share their experiences, and the pediatrician tells what is true and where is delusion.
You cannot wrap a child
Nadezhda, 30, mother of twins (3 years)
My children were born at the beginning of summer, and we immediately decided that we would be engaged in tempering them. They didn't put on hats until late autumn, and then they began to put a warm blanket in the stroller. In winter, babies wear lightweight jumpsuits without any insulation. With the onset of spring, I take off extra clothes from the children, focusing on the weather. If I feel hot in a jacket and a hat, then why should my children be comfortable in this form?
Of course, during the walk, everyone considers it their duty to tell me that the kids will definitely freeze, get cold and get sick. But I learned to humorously respond to such remarks of others. I believe that I am doing the right thing: the kids have never been sick with something serious.
Victoria, mother of a 5-year-old son and a 6-month-old daughter
My husband and I are athletes, so we know firsthand how important clothes that are properly selected for the weather conditions are. Sweating is always much worse than feeling a little cool. We dress children according to these considerations: our daughter is very mobile, loves to run, and while we carry our son in a stroller, covered with an awning from rain, wind and snow.
Keep your nose and hands warm while walking. This is the main criterion for me. If they are hot, then the child is already hot, you need to remove excess clothes. Over time, you begin to understand how to dress in different weather, but you absolutely cannot wrap yourself up. In the apartment, children go barefoot all year round, without socks and slippers.
It is better to dress babies warmly
Olga, 42 years old, mother of sons (13 and 7 years old) and daughters (10 years old and 4 years old)
My children always dress warmer than me: even the eldest son does not go out without a hat if the temperature is below +6. In our area, summer is rarely hot, so I think it is impossible to do without thin knitted hats. Until the age of three, the cap can be removed if the temperature is about +20 and there is no strong wind. But in this case, you need to wear a light panama hat for protection from the sun (or a light beret). I have a positive attitude towards flu shots, and my children get them every year. Therefore, they almost never get sick - and, of course, because I dress them warmly. And I also cover the kids with a blanket when they are in the stroller.
Julia, 27, mother of a 5-year-old daughter
My daughter was born with poor health. She suffered pneumonia while still in the maternity hospital, and then she constantly got snot and otitis media. For her age, my girl is very small and thin, so I always try to protect her and dress her as warmly as possible. During frosts, we try not to leave the house unnecessarily. The apartment has a warm floor. I am very afraid of cold and drafts, so the baby wears socks, a warm suit and a knitted hat. In the summer, I always have a spare blouse and hat in my bag. What if it gets colder?
Marina, an experienced pediatrician with 20 years of experience: “You need to look at the child's reaction”
There is no universal recipe. Heat transfer in children is not the same as in adults. Babies have more body fat than we do (look at newborns, babies are always wrinkled). The thing is that children have much higher reserves of the so-called brown fat - there are many blood vessels in it and it gives the body energy and heat, and does not consume them. Its activity is activated only at relatively low temperatures.
Better to supercool a little than to overheat. A sweating baby runs the risk of catching a cold quickly: any strong wind or draft will lead to illness. Each child has an individual temperament: the most active children can be dressed lighter, because they are constantly running. But calm kids who love to sit still should be dressed warmer. People generally feel differently when the temperature changes - and children are no exception to the rule.
The main recommendation for parents of healthy children is as follows: you need to remember that up to the age of two, babies react to external temperature more acutely than we do. When the weather gets colder, they are even colder than adults, and even hotter in the sun. That is, in a warm season, it is worth dressing children easier than yourself, and in a cold season, wrap them up warmly. But this advice will only work if the baby has the same temperament and body structure as yours.
- Walking with a baby in the heat: 10 safety rules
- How to dress a newborn for a walk (summer, autumn, winter)
- Walking with a child in spring: how to dress, what to do and what to play
- Memo for parents: how to dress a child in spring
- 5 rules of winter walking with a child
