Bathing the baby is not only and not just a hygienic procedure. It gives the child pleasure and psychological comfort, a small but useful physical activity, helps to establish contact with mom and the world, and also strengthens health and tempers. But this is if the water temperature suits the baby perfectly. What should be the optimum temperature for bathing a newborn baby, let's understand.
Hot or cold?
The skin of a newborn baby is still very thin and delicate, and thermoregulation is just forming, so children freeze and overheat so easily. Even an adult can become ill after overheating in a bath that is too hot, and even more so for babies. But if we can get out of the bathtub or adjust the temperature of the water, then the child cannot say anything about this, nor can he correct the situation. In addition, hot water helps to open the pores on the skin of the child and the infection gets there: children's skin is an ideal “gateway” for diseases to enter the body, because immunity, like thermoregulation, has not yet been formed in the child. (read on the topic: newborn's skin and proper care)
Too cold water is not much better. If the child is cold, there will be no pleasure from swimming. And this is also a risk to the urinary system: if it freezes, urinating will be painful.
Ideal water temperature
What should be the optimum temperature for bathing the smallest. Both pediatricians and mothers agree in one opinion: no higher than 37 degrees, but not lower than 34. For adults, such water may seem chilly, but the fact is that the child is used to such water even before birth: amniotic fluid has a temperature of 37 degrees, and It was in these conditions that the child developed before his birth. Water temperatures above 38 can lead to heart palpitations and overheating of the child. Too cold water from a habit can scare the baby and for a long time discourage him from any desire to swim and the child may start to be afraid of the bath. Important:What to do if the child is afraid to bathe in the bathroom.
Water of this temperature will prevent the penetration of infections and is beneficial for baby skin. In addition, the umbilical wound in a child heals faster with water at 37 degrees.
It's important to know. Until the umbilical wound has healed, the child needs to be bathed in boiled water. You can swim in the flowing from 10-14 days of life. By this time the umbilical wound is coming off.
Do not be afraid that the water will cool quickly and the baby will freeze, because the first baths last no more than 10-15 minutes. Even if the water cools down by one or two degrees during this time, this will not be critical.
It is also important to monitor the temperature during bathing.The child will definitely not like the big difference between the temperature of water and air, so the bathing room should not be overheated and it is better not to close the door to it.
So, we start swimming at a temperature of 34-37 and every 3-4 days we reduce the water temperature by 1-2 degrees. In general, the lower the temperature of the water, the better. But, no violence against the child, you need to see a measure.
Some children prefer warmer water, others - colder. How to understand if the baby is cold in the bath or hot? - If the baby is cold, he shrinks into a lump, his nasolabial triangle turns blue, after a while the child begins to tremble. If it is hot, the skin turns red and the child becomes lethargic. And in either case, the child will notify you by crying.
Interesting topic:
- In which water to bathe a newborn baby, boil water, add potassium permanganate?
- How to bathe newborns read in this article;
- Optimum air temperature in the room for a newborn baby: how to maintain temperature.
How to check the temperature? Thermometer or “elbow”
The easiest way is to buy a special bath with a built-in thermometer (see about types of baby baths) If this is not possible, you can use a special thermometer for water, which is sold in pharmacies. And finally you can use the "grandmother's method" - to measure the temperature with your own elbow. The skin on this part of the hand is especially delicate and sensitive to temperature changes. So, if you put your hand in the water of the temperature at which we used to swim, it seems normal. If you lower your elbow into it, the water will seem very hot. So it will seem to the child. If, when lowering the elbow, water seems normal, this temperature will be ideal for the baby.
We organize the optimum temperature
Making water perfect for swimming is a simple matter. It is enough to arm yourself with a water thermometer, and then everything is simple.
- Pour cold water into the bath. If the child is not two weeks old, it is pre-boiled and cooled for several hours.
- We put a thermometer in it.
- Add hot water gradually until the thermometer shows 36-37. It is in the cold you need to add hot!
- In order for the thermometer to tell the truth, you need to stir the water all the time.
To temper or not?
No one doubts the benefits of hardening and its positive effect on the baby's immunity. Some advise even the smallest to bathe at 25-26 degrees. In fact, this is not only not necessary for newborns, but also sometimes harmful: too cold water can harm the child and discourage any interest in water procedures. It is better to wait with hardening for a couple of months until the mechanisms of thermoregulation are formed. If you want to start now, you need to start from 36-37 degrees and cool the water by 1-2 degrees in 3-4 days. But in any case, the air temperature in the room where the baby is bathed should be at least 27 degrees so that the baby does not freeze.
But the most important thing in bathing is to listen to the baby himself, because his needs and opinions may not coincide with the theories of pediatricians!
The first bath is not scary!
Nursery Rhymes
Older children love to swim, but babies often protest when they are carried to the bath and lowered into the water. To calm the baby, in a quiet affectionate voice, hum him the amusement while swimming.
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Who will be the coupe,
Squelch-Squelch?
In the bath, quickly jump, jump, jump,
in the bath with the foot of a jerk, jerk, jerk!
Soap will foam
And the dirt is missing somewhere.
***
We swim, we splash
And we have fun in the water!
Leg up, leg down!
Knob up, knob down!
Twist the legs
And we swim like a whale!
Pooh Pooh! Bang bang!
Let's get out!
***
Gently and carefully lather the baby with a soft bathing mitten or sponge, singing a song or talking to a nursery rhyme:
We will go swimming
And splashing in the water
Squirting, frolic,
It will be a tiny wash.
We wash the legs
To our sweet baby
Wash hands
Lovely boy
The back and tummy,
Face and mouth -
That's clean
My dear son!
***
Aw, frets, frets
We are not afraid of water,
Wash your face
Mom is smiling.
Flowing water
The child is growing
With goose water -
From a child of thinness.
Water down
And the child is up.
***
Vodichka, vodichka,
Wash my face
So that the eyes look
To cheeks blush
To laugh mouth
To bite a tooth.
***
The fish lived in the lake,
Sailed to us with you. (At the same time, move your hand under the water, as if a fish were swimming).
Baby we will wash
We will catch a fish.
Water is not cold for us.
Where is the fish? There she is! (quietly spray some water on the baby)
We always bathe our baby at a water temperature of 36. In no case should we lower it below, the pediatrician told us that for the first 2 years only bath in that water.
About the faster healing of the umbilical wound at a temperature of 37 degrees - an interesting fact, I have not read such information yet. Otherwise, everything is obvious, I think. Even from mother experience was transferred
I always measured with the “grandmother's method” and even before lowering the baby in the bath, I wrapped it in a thin diaper, then gradually released the arms and legs. So addiction to water occurs more gradually.
For “hardening”, the pediatrician advised the child to pour cool water over him after six months, that is, alternating, warm-cool while swimming. And the child certainly wasn’t worse from this) Pediatricians are different)
The temperature of the bathing water varies slightly depending on the experience of bathing. At the very beginning - as soon as the navel of the baby has healed and you have already prepared for it the usual "adult" bath, the optimal water temperature for starting the procedure is 33-34 ° C.