Newborn care. Hardening of a child's body with air: a photo, how and how much time to do air baths for newborns

Newborn babies are not born as helpless as many people think. Their body is already able to protect itself and regulate the temperature depending on the environmental conditions. Thanks to natural thermoregulation, babies avoid overheating and hypothermia.

But it is very important to provide the child with conditions for training these abilities. If the baby is constantly in the same temperature, then his innate protection simply stops working. As a result, even the usual breeze and a small draft will be dangerous for the child.

That is why it is necessary to temper children from an early age. This will help you simple procedures, which we will describe below.

Air baths for babies

What is an air bath for a child

It is best to start hardening a newborn with air baths. It's simple but effective way strengthening immunity. The benefits of this procedure for the skin is difficult to overestimate. Pediatricians agree that exposure to air reduces the frequency of colds.

When to start this type of hardening? The sooner the better. It should be borne in mind that this is a gentle procedure that does not pose any risk to the baby if you perform it in suitable conditions.

You do not need any special knowledge for air hardening. The only thing that is needed from parents is the desire to improve the health of their child and the knowledge of how often, under what conditions and for how long to carry out the procedure.

Air baths for babies is a procedure in which the child is without clothes for some time. When it is cold outside, such hardening should be carried out only indoors, in the summer - also in the fresh air.

What are the benefits of this procedure for the body?

1. Strengthens the body's resistance to infections, especially SARS.
2. The baby has a thermoregulation mechanism, which saves him from overheating and hypothermia.
3. It is a powerful anti-inflammatory skin diseases(diaper dermatitis, diaper rash, etc.).
4. The procedure calms the child's nervous system.
5. The body is saturated with oxygen.
6. Improves appetite and sleep.

Why is this happening? It's easy to explain. When the baby is still growing in the mother's belly, the placenta protects it. He is not afraid of viruses and drafts, the child is constantly at the same temperature. Therefore, after birth, his immune system and the mechanism of thermoregulation are just beginning to develop.

Exposure to air just helps to activate and strengthen them. Just a few minutes without clothes teach the baby's body to effectively respond to temperature changes. And if you constantly wrap the child and protect it from the slightest temperature changes, its protective mechanisms will simply stop working. As a result, the child will be constantly sick.

Air baths for a newborn: how to do

Air baths for babies should be started approximately 2-3 weeks after birth. For the procedure to be as effective and safe as possible, follow these recommendations:

1. In the first month of a baby's life, it will be enough to leave him for a couple of minutes without clothes when changing diapers / diapers. How many times to repeat air baths for a newborn? Two or three times a day is enough.
2. When the baby is one and a half months old, combine hardening with massage and gymnastic exercises. It is advisable to take air baths at a temperature of 19-20 degrees Celsius. Remember that you need to lower the air temperature in the room gradually.
3. By six months, it is desirable to increase the duration of the procedure to ten minutes several times a day. Start with three minutes and increase the hardening time by one minute each day.
4. Make sure that the child does not overcool in any case. If you notice such a sign as goose bumps, immediately dress your baby and reduce the time of the procedure. In case of problems with sleep, appetite, acute diseases, do not harden.
5. Perform the procedure only when the child is healthy and in good mood. Combine hardening with the game so that it evokes positive emotions in the baby.

Remember that the most important thing in this business is regularity. To achieve the desired effect and really improve the health of the child, repeat the procedures every day. Reduce the air temperature and increase the hardening time gradually. Constantly watch the baby during hardening. Make sure that he does not turn pale and does not become covered with "goosebumps". At the slightest sign of hypothermia, immediately end the procedure. Air baths after bathing should not be carried out by newborn children.

Pros and cons of air baths

If you follow all of the above recommendations correctly, then hardening will only bring benefits to your child. The procedure will not have any disadvantages if you do not abuse it and sharply lower the air temperature.

To make the effect even more positive, combine the usual air hardening with other preventive procedures. First, ventilate the room more often. Best of all - through the method, when all windows and doors are open. Of course, the child at this time should not be in the room. When it fills up fresh air bring the baby back.

It is desirable that as a result of ventilation, the air temperature drops by a couple of degrees. It is not necessary to dress the child warmer after this. In the cold season, repeat airing 4-5 times a day for 5-10 minutes. Leave the windows open at all times during the summer.

Take your child outdoors more often. At a temperature not lower than 10 degrees below zero, babies 2-3 weeks old can already be on the street. But remember that the first walk should last no more than 10-150 minutes. Gradually increase the walking time to one and a half to two hours.

Never dress your child warmer than necessary. He shouldn't sweat, but he shouldn't get cold either. If the child is comfortable in his clothes, he sleeps well, breathes evenly, his hands are warm, and his complexion is pink.

All parents have certainly heard about how hardening is beneficial for the health of their child, starting from a very early age. Many people imagine hardening in the form of extreme dipping into an ice hole, taking a contrast shower or dousing with ice water. In fact, in the case of babies it can be daily habitual procedures: walking in the air, doing gymnastics, air baths, swimming, water baths etc. The whole process of hardening occurs with the help of air, water and sun.

Air procedures have practically no contraindications and are equally useful for all babies, however, consulting a doctor and determining the optimal hardening strategy with his help will be useful.

In fact, these baths are one of the most effective methods of hardening newborns in early age. They pose absolutely no danger to the health and life of the baby, and are very easy to perform. It is enough to leave the child naked for a certain time.

The main goal pursued by this procedure is to activate the protective functions of the body of newborns, which will help to cope with all the dangers in the dangerous environment in which they enter after birth. Protective, thermoregulatory and other functions of the child's body are laid down at the stage of intrauterine development. To awaken, improve and strengthen them, hardening is required, and as one of the methods of this complex concept, air baths are required.

Many parents make the mistake of constantly wrapping the child up, immersing him in a hot and dry environment and creating a hothouse creature out of him.

At the same time, they may not even realize that by doing so they create the prerequisites for the atrophy of all the protective functions of the body of their baby and leave him completely defenseless against external viruses, bacteria and other dangers. So the child remains painful and short-lived for life.

The main methods of hardening

Baby can take air baths different ways. The most common are the following:

• air ventilation in the room;
• finding the baby naked in the room;
• walks in the fresh air: wakefulness and sleep.

As far as ventilation is concerned, the best option cross-ventilation is considered. In this case, the baby must be temporarily removed from the room. To ensure free circulation of air from the street, you can open the window and the door at the same time. When the room is filled with fresh air and the temperature in the room drops by a couple of degrees, the child can be brought back. Dress him up in more warm clothing not worth it, as the whole effect of airing and taking a fresh bath will be lost.

The regularity of airing the child's room in winter should be at least 4 times a day. The duration of ventilation in the cold season should be 10-15 minutes.

Walks in the fresh air should be carried out regularly. At the same time, the season does not matter at all, since it is always necessary to walk, dressing the baby in accordance with weather conditions but do not wrap.

It is possible to start taking out a newborn to fresh air from 2-3 weeks of age. Be sure to ensure that the air temperature is not lower than -5 degrees. The duration of the first walks should be 10-15 minutes. Gradually, this time can be increased, evenly bringing up to 2 hours. It is best to walk outside with a regularity of 2-3 times a day in between feedings.

Babies up to the age of 1.5 years are recommended to sleep in the fresh air. During daytime sleep on the street, you will notice how calmly and naturally he will rest, breathe evenly and what pink tone acquire facial skin. All this indicates that the baby is comfortable and good at taking air procedures. Discomfort will be signaled by restless behavior, turning blue in the skin (if cold), as well as damp, sweaty skin (if hot).

Relatively the last way hardening the child - taking a bath naked, it should be noted that in this way, the baby has the following:

• the conditions for heat exchange are improved;
• increased oxygen uptake;
• well-being improves nervous system;
• the baby sleeps well, eats and behaves calmly.

Babies under the age of 1 year can be left unswaddled for some time. The air temperature in the room should be normal from +18 to +20 degrees. It is very appropriate to combine this procedure with gymnastics, and in summer with sunbathing. The regularity of performing air baths is initially 2 times a day for 3 minutes, bringing the time gradually to 10 minutes.

It is very important not to ignore the signs of hypothermia in a child, for example, the appearance of goose bumps. At the first appearance of suspicions that the baby is cold, procedure should be stopped..

Important hardening rules

The durability of the positive effect will be maximum if you follow the basic rules of hardening:

• carry out regularly and systematically;
• consistently lower the air temperature during hardening;
• it is best to carry out procedures when the child is in a good mood;
• it is necessary to exclude the possibility of hypothermia.

Thus, with the help of simple and very effective procedures, you can increase the protective functions of the child's body.

Modern smart and far-sighted mothers know that hardening helps to protect the baby from frequent colds and strengthen his immunity. You can start hardening procedures from the first days after the birth of the baby. The choice of such procedures is limited due to the fragility of the immune system of the newborn. Air baths are considered an effective and pleasant way to harden a baby. Young parents need to know how to take them correctly and what other hardening methods to supplement.

What are air baths and how are they useful for young children?

Air baths are the most gentle preventive hardening procedure for newborn babies. It consists in the fact that the child is laid naked on the back for a short time, and then on the tummy in the crib or on the changing table.

Hardening can also be carried out on the street and gradually the time increases, and the air temperature drops.

Being in the mother's womb, the baby gets used to the external environment corresponding to the temperature of the mother's body, therefore, after birth, the skin is receptive to fresh air and oxygen, and it must be gradually accustomed to normal conditions. Air baths also have many additional effects that positively affect the health and well-being of the newborn:

• prevention of inflammatory diseases and skin irritation (diaper rash, diaper dermatitis, prickly heat);
• assistance in the formation of the process of normal thermoregulation of the body;
• improvement of blood circulation;
• strengthening the nervous system and improving well-being: good appetite, sound, healthy sleep;
• formation of a natural barrier and resistance to viruses and bacteria.

How and how long should air baths be done?

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Experts recommend starting hardening with air baths no earlier than 2 weeks after birth, if there are no additional contraindications. Parents need to follow a few simple principles to make hardening correct, successful and enjoyable for both mom and dad and for the baby:

• Air baths should be done regularly (preferably daily) and systematically. It is necessary to leave the baby naked up to 3 times during the day.
• Children should not be left unattended while taking a bath to minimize the risk of injury. It is advisable to talk with the baby all the time, distract him with a rattle, toys or a song.
• In the first months of life, air baths should not be arranged after bathing. A sudden change in temperature is a factor that provokes a cold.
• The temperature in the room should be at least 22 degrees, and the air should be fresh. Gradually, you can lower it to 17-18 degrees.
• It is necessary to carefully monitor the well-being of the child during the procedure. Constantly check that the nose and extremities are warm. The baby should not be pale, covered with a vein network and "goose bumps" or tremble.

The time of the procedure gradually increases: up to 1 month - 2-3 minutes when changing a diaper, from 1.5 months to six months - 5-10 minutes in combination with gymnastics and massage. At an older age (after a year), the child can be naked for as long as he wants.

Other types of air hardening

The most important factor in air baths is air quality. It should be fresh, clean and cool. It is more convenient and efficient to carry out air hardening in the country, outside the city where trees grow, it is possible to quickly move to a comfortable room and there is no gas pollution, dust and noise from cars.

In such conditions, children can be safely taken out into the street and try other types of hardening.

Room ventilation

The need for oxygen in a baby is much greater than in an adult due to the rapid development of the brain, so the room in which he is located must be often ventilated. In the warm season, it is possible to provide constant access of fresh air to the room, and in the cold, when they work heating appliances, it is necessary to ventilate the room at least 5 times.

It is advisable, in the absence of a child in the room, to arrange long-term ventilation (up to 30 minutes), especially in the evening before going to bed. In this case, you need to control the indicators on the thermometer. You also need to monitor another parameter of the air - humidity. It should be in the range of 50-70% so that the baby does not dry out in the nose. To do this, parents hang a device in the baby's room that measures the humidity of the air - a hygrometer.

winter walks

The air is fresher in winter, so winter walks most useful for hardening. Before you go out with the baby on the street, you need to observe a few nuances:

• it is not recommended to walk in winter with a newborn baby up to 3-6 months;
• the air temperature should not be lower than minus 20–25 degrees and without additional negative factors- wind, blizzards, drafts;
• the baby should be comfortably dressed so as not to sweat or freeze;
• it is better to cover the baby's face with a thin diaper;
• the duration of the first walk should be no more than 5 minutes, then it can be gradually increased to 30 minutes or more;
• in one day you can go out into the fresh air up to 2-3 times;
• constantly monitor the condition of the child, the warmth of the nose and hands, so as not to miss signs of hypothermia.

Sleep in the fresh air

The most pleasant and relaxing pastime for a young mother and small child- This is a daytime dream on the street. Parents need to choose a comfortable stroller in which the baby will sleep comfortably, and a quiet place for walking - a square, park or garden.
It is necessary to ensure that there is no draft in the stroller. If parents do not have the opportunity to walk outside, then a balcony is suitable for sleeping in the fresh air. In the summer, when it's standing outside hot weather, it is best to be in partial shade and control the temperature inside the stroller so as not to overheat the baby.

Air bath contraindications and precautions

Before taking an air bath, parents should consider some precautions that will make the procedure enjoyable and truly beneficial. It is necessary to ensure the absence of drafts and wind, the presence of comfortable temperature and enough attention. According to experts, absolute contraindications to air hardening are:

• viral disease (runny nose, sore throat, tonsillitis, cough);
• increased body temperature;
• a sharp negative reaction of the baby in the form of crying, screaming and whims;
• prematurity;
• the presence of diseases in a chronic form.

How before a child start hardening, the more health benefits of his body this event will have. Many parents believe that hardening is necessarily an extreme immersion in ice-cold ice water, cold and hot shower or pouring cold water. If we talk about babies, then for them hardening consists of a set of daily routine procedures:

• Walks in the fresh air;
• Simple gymnastic exercises;
• Taking air baths;
• bathing;
• Water baths.
• Air, water and sun help the child to harden.

Rules for carrying out procedures for hardening babies

There are no contraindications for air baths. Such procedures will benefit any baby, but a doctor's consultation to determine the optimal scheme of hardening procedures is recommended.

1. A child up to 1 month old should be left naked for 1-2 minutes with each swaddling. Thus, he takes air baths. This procedure can be carried out 2-3 times daily.
2. Starting from the age of one and a half months, gymnastics and massage are added to the adoption of air baths. The air temperature in the room should be 18-20 degrees.
3. Within 6 months, the treatment time increases from 3 to 10 minutes - add a minute every day. You can do gymnastics, massage and air baths 2 times a day.
4. It is very important to avoid hypothermia of the baby. As soon as the first signs of hypothermia (goose bumps) appear, the baby should immediately be dressed warmly and reduce the time for hardening procedures in the future. If sleep and appetite disturbances are noticed, then air baths will have to be temporarily abandoned.

Why are air baths necessary?

The use of air baths is the most effective technique hardening of newborns. Firstly, such procedures are not dangerous for the health of children, and secondly, they are easy and simple to perform. For a few minutes, the child should simply be left without clothes.

They carry out such air procedures from the day of birth every day, not missing even one day. The main purpose of air baths can be considered the activation of the protective functions of the body of infants. These features can help to cope with the various dangers of the environment where newborns enter after they are born. Even when the child is in the womb, numerous functions are laid down in his body by nature, among which are also protective and thermoregulatory. Hardening is necessary in order to awaken these functions, improve and strengthen.

The mistake of many parents can be called the desire to constantly wrap the child, creating a hot and dry microclimate around him. Thus, the baby involuntarily turns into a greenhouse creature. But in this case, all the prerequisites for the atrophy of all defense mechanisms child's body. The baby remains defenseless against viruses, bacteria and other dangerous factors external environment. The child develops soreness and weak endurance.

The main methods of hardening babies

Air baths the baby is able to take different ways. The most common include:

1. Regular ventilation of the premises where the child is located;
2. Baby stay naked indoors with room temperature(20-22 degrees);
3. Regular walks in the fresh air, during which the baby is either awake or asleep.

Every mother dreams that her baby grows up healthy, strong, and does not know colds. The only way to achieve this is hardening. Of course, a newborn will not swim in an ice hole or pour cold water over it. by the most in a simple way hardening for a newborn can be considered air baths.

Photos from open sources

Air procedures for hardening

Air baths are commonly referred to as exposure of exposed skin to fresh air. Other options for hardening air procedures are airing and walking.

For the health of the child ventilate the children's room daily 2-4 times a day. At the time of airing the baby is taken out of the room. Wait until the temperature in the room drops by about 2 degrees. It's about 10-15 minutes. Entering the room, the baby is not put on extra clothing. Otherwise, the hardening effect will not work.

Every day baby must walk on the street. Walks are carried out from 2 weeks of age at any time of the year. Dress according to the weather, without overclothing. The first walks last 15 minutes. Gradually increase the time to 2 hours. It is optimal to walk one to three times a day. It is very useful to leave the baby outside while sleeping. Such a dream is usually calm, long. The main thing is to avoid hypothermia and overheating.

Air baths are carried out indoors or outdoors at air temperature not lower than 20-22 degrees. The first procedures are associated with changing a diaper or swaddling. The baby is undressed, washed if necessary and left to lie down for 2 minutes. At this time, you can talk with the baby, play, stroke, do simple gymnastics.

While the child is lying on his back, his tummy is stroked clockwise, the handles are twisted, they are brought together, pulled apart, and the knees are bent. Take by the hand and hold for some time in limbo. The same is done on one hand, then on the other. You can hold the baby by both legs upside down, but not more than 4 seconds.

Air baths are an excellent prevention of diaper rash. Inflamed skin recovers faster in the open air.

The child must lie on your stomach. This is necessary for the prevention of intestinal colic, to strengthen the muscles of the back and neck. Regular laying out on the stomach is necessary so that the baby learns to hold his head, and then crawl. In the same position, the baby bends the knees under the stomach and gives emphasis to the legs. The newborn has a reflex that mimics crawling. Let him push with his feet, it is useful for physical development.

Gradually, the duration of air baths for a newborn is increased, adjusted to 10-15 minutes. If the baby shows dissatisfaction, the procedure can be performed skin-to-skin with mom. For example, on my mother's knees or at the chest.

Carefully monitor that the child does not freeze. The procedure is stopped if the newborn trembles, goose bumps or marbling appears. You can not carry out air baths for a newborn when he is in a bad mood.

Regular air baths and light gymnastics will ensure the excellent physical development of the crumbs in accordance with age.