While waiting for the birth of a baby, all mothers prepare in advance the items that will be needed to care for the newborn baby in the first years of his life. One such item is a thermometer. First of all, a thermometer is purchased, which will measure the temperature of the baby's body. However, a baby thermometer for water should also be added to the shopping list for the baby's birth.
The need to acquire
Such a thermometer, which determines the temperature of the water, is extremely important for the correct bathing of the baby. Thanks to the use of a water thermometer, any mother will be sure that the temperature in the bath corresponds to the required parameters, and the baby will not freeze when bathing and will not fall into too hot water.
This is important because thermoregulation in babies who have just been born is still imperfect, so excessively hot or too cool water when bathing can lead to health problems in the toddler.
At the same time, an adult should not rely on his feelings - it may seem to mother that the water is warm, but for the baby it will be cool or vice versa.
Kinds
All thermometers that can determine the temperature of the water when bathing a baby are divided into:
- Built into the tub. This version of a thermometer for water is convenient in that it eliminates the need for an additional purchase of a thermometer (you just need to buy a bath) and the need to make additional movements to assess the heating of water (the thermometer will show it constantly during a hygienic procedure). In addition, it is safer for the child, since babies cannot take it in their mouth or break such a thermometer.
- Separate. These thermometers are sold separately from the bath. They sink into the water when filling the tub and swim in it when the baby is bathing or are removed after placing the baby in the water.
Depending on the design, water thermometers are divided into:
- Alcohol.
- Electronic.
- Oil.
Conventional thermometers are also mercury, but they are considered unsafe, which is why such thermometers when bathing babies these days do not apply.
Traditional thermometers filled with oil or alcohol are safer and more affordable, so they are in great demand among young parents. Inside such thermometers there is a flask sealed at both ends containing colored alcohol or oil.
Electronic models measure temperature very quickly and accurately, but are quite expensive. They are very convenient to use, safe for children and can often additionally measure the air temperature in the room. Some of these thermometers do not display degrees on the display, but pictograms suggesting cold, normal or hot water prepared for bathing.
Design
By their design, children's water thermometers are very diverse. Nowadays, water thermometers are often on sale in the form of an attractive and bright toy. For bathing a child, you can purchase a thermometer in the shape of a flower, duckling, fish, submarine, frog, giraffe, whale and other cute animals. To the touch, these toy thermometers are both hard and elastic.
Tips for choosing
- Pay attention to the material the thermometer is made of. The product must have a quality certificate, and a pungent smell must not come from the thermometer itself.
- Also pay attention to reliability of the purchased water thermometer. Choose a product with a shatterproof and waterproof case so that the thermometer will withstand situations when the little one wants to taste the thermometer, throw it overboard on the bathroom floor, or knock the thermometer on the sides of the bath.
- Important and appearance of the thermometer, so a model in the form of a bathing toy is a good choice.
Instructions for use
Using a thermometer involves the following actions:
- Fill the baby's tub with water.
- Submerge the thermometer in the water.
- After a few seconds (if using an electronic model) or a few minutes (using thermometers filled with oil or alcohol), evaluate the result.
- Add hot or cold water to the bath as needed, then take another measurement.
What temperature should the bath water be?
For bathing babies of the first month of life, the optimal parameters of water temperature are 36.6-37 ° C. The water in the bath should not be heated above + 38 ° C.
What if the thermometer is broken?
As a rule, thermometers that measure the heating of water in a baby bath are made durable, so they are very rarely damaged. Since such thermometers are not made with mercury these days, then damage to the thermometer filled with alcohol or oil does not threaten the little one. A broken thermometer should be discarded and replaced with a new, serviceable model.
An example of how a water thermometer looks and functions can be seen in the following video.
