29.03.2024

The first bath of the newborn

The water temperature for bathing newborn babies is quite significant. The older generation is accustomed to thinking that better water will be warmer than colder, afraid to catch a child.

But the perception of water temperature in babies is very different from that of an adult. By making bathing water as warm as yourself, the chance of harming the baby is greater than the other way around. The main thing is not to overheat the baby.

It can be quite difficult for an adult to perceive, since we are used to the idea that the bath should be hot and only in this case it can be fun. But the water, which will be pleasant for an adult, for a child will be burning hot.

Optimum temperature

Many people think that a baby should be washed only in boiled water, or with the addition of potassium permanganate (in other words, potassium permanganate), as our mothers did. But here it is increasingly dependent on your water supply. If you think that there may be some kind of harmful infection in it, then you should still boil it; in other cases, this is not necessary.

In addition, potassium permanganate dries the skin quite strongly, and if it gets into the eyes of a child, it can cause a burn. The best option is to add an infusion of herbs when bathing. If the baby’s skin is dry, then an infusion of chamomile is suitable, if the skin is with a sweatshirt, then an infusion of succession.

For the first bathing of the baby, the water temperature is suitable equal to 36.6 degrees. It is very easy to measure by lowering the elbow into the water, as the fingers are less sensitive. But it’s better to buy a special thermometer for bathtubs to be sure of the temperature of the water.

Water temperature is an individual matter. You need to pay attention to how your baby reacts to water. After all, inappropriate temperature can serve as a reason for the vagaries and crying of the child. And water procedures should not cause negative emotions.

For a newborn, the bathing temperature is considered acceptable in the range from 27 to 37 degrees. When bathing the baby, the priority is not to simply wash off the dirt, the procedure itself is important. The child should not completely relax. But he also should not experience severe discomfort. The thing is that exposure to cool water causes the skin to increase blood flow in the muscles, activates the heart, and also increases the body’s resistance to infections.

Submerging a child in water above 36 degrees, he will have absolutely no incentive to move. Such a bath will not cause discomfort, because although it is small, but still a person, and therefore naturally lazy. But such bathing is completely useless from the point of view of health. In addition, the child is very easy to overheat. And this is much worse than hypothermia. Imagine your condition after a sauna or bath, where you are paired up and you feel bad. In this state, I don’t want anything at all, and the main idea is to leave the steam room soon and lie down. A child may experience a condition at a temperature that seems slightly warm to you.

On the other hand, it is impossible to say with one hundred percent accuracy what bathing temperature is definitely suitable for all newborns, we can only say in general and approximately. After all, all people are different from birth.

When bathing a baby in water with a temperature below 30 degrees, a child can show negative emotions, and this does not mean that he is cold, he just does not want to move to keep warm. But if the child begins to shrink, and then tremble, then this is a sure sign that he is cold.

No need to worry if the first time you can’t guess the “right” temperature, because you can always easily fix it and make the water pleasant and comfortable for the baby.

Is it worth tempering a baby?

Today you can hear a lot about hardening. And they advise at the same time that the temperature of the water for bathing the baby is no more than 27-30 degrees. Nevertheless, it is worth sticking to the “golden mean” so as not to discourage the child from swimming at all. And too cold water and too hot can do this.

Do not worry that the water can cool during water procedures. During the time it takes to swim, the temperature will not be able to drop critically. And on the contrary, if it is difficult for you to immediately psychologically bathe your baby in cool water, then gradually cooling it will have an excellent hardening effect and at the same time will not lead to overheating. At least until the water has cooled by more than 2-3 degrees, you should not worry, although for you the water may seem cold.

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