Tips For Newborn Baby Care In The First Year Of Life

Tips For Newborn Baby Care

Children up to a year - fragile and defenseless, they do not know how to talk so they cannot say that they are hungry, their stomach hurts, their sleep is gone or they are just scared. Caring for a child up to a year is a very difficult matter. A loving mother should learn to understand her baby without words: when to start feeding a baby, put to sleep, give medicine or just calm down and be near the baby.

It is necessary to constantly observe whether a child is developing up to a year correctly, to compare growth, weight, and abilities with the development table by months. Moreover, it should be remembered that such tabular information is not an absolute benchmark, but only approximate information that needs to be taken into account, and not taken as a rule. Each child is individual and develops in its own way. However, it is still necessary to follow the development and start immediately after birth.

Basic tips for successful breastfeeding

First, let's talk about what breastfeeding is and what it begins with. The fact is that every woman has its own stereotypes of this concept, which, after the birth of a baby, begin to strongly influence how she feeds her breast. Few modern moms were lucky, and they had the chance to regularly observe the daily life of some baby.

Read -  9 Health Tips Of The Day

So, what awaits a woman who has just given birth? Yes, everything is very simple! She is awaited by her own baby, the one whom she has been raising all these months, for whose life so many changes have entered her own life. She will meet with this helpless and completely dependent creature, with his smile and the first gentle touch.

There is such a phrase that from the moment of birth for the baby the mother’s breast becomes an absolute replacement for the umbilical cord (physiologically and psychologically). And this phrase is absolutely fair.

Breastfeeding is not only providing the infant with the food and liquid necessary for him, but it is a continuation of the mother-child relationship that developed during pregnancy. They cannot interrupt or change dramatically in an instant. Any mother intuitively feels the need to "wear" on her arms, at her baby's breast for a long time after giving birth, because he is born not yet ready for a separate life from her. Without my mother's care, he would just die.

The baby had just lost a cozy place in her tummy, where it was so warm and comfortable, where he did not know either pain or hunger, where mom was always there. Moreover, he lost it for a reason, but after going through a difficult and painful process of childbirth, having survived what is called birth stress in psychology.

And so, after giving birth, he again looks for his mother (it is known that newborns find their breasts by smell - the smell of colostrums is similar to the smell of amniotic fluid). He is waiting for her to take him in her arms and put him to the chest - this new shelter in such a huge and yet unfamiliar world. Baby sucking breasts in tight maternal arms- this is an analog of the blissful state that he experienced while in the womb. For a long time, a very long time, he will need to return to this “place” and “state”. And not just to quench your hunger or thirst.

He will also need his chest in order to adapt painlessly to new conditions of existence and to establish himself in this world as an independent person. Thus, breastfeeding, organized with love and sensitivity to the needs of a small child, is the best mother can give to her baby.

Consider the simple tips that will help mom quickly adjust the feeding process and avoid unpleasant experiences.

Baby Care Tip-1

In the first half hour after childbirth, it is necessary to arrange an acquaintance of the baby with the breast. This is called first breastfeeding. It should be carried out at the moment when the crumb itself takes the initiative (it starts to open its mouth wide, actively turn its head from side to side, stick out the tongue and smack it).

The first one is the highlight of the mom's meeting baby after childbirth. Mom "captures" her child as an object of love and care for the rest of her life, and the baby receives an important signal that the birth is over, he is safe, and now all his problems will be solved by sucking the breast.

Thanks to the active sucking movements of the baby, the hormone oxytocin begins to be produced in the mother’s body, helping to prevent postpartum bleeding and promoting the effective separation of the placenta, and the hormone prolactin, which is responsible for the amount of milk. The first feeding should not be interrupted until the baby releases the breast himself. It is also necessary to ensure that the newborn took the breast correctly.

Baby Care Tip-2

After childbirth, it is very important to organize a joint stay of the baby and mother during the entire postnatal period - so that the baby can receive breast in response to any discomfort on his part. In this case, the baby will not have a reason to learn to cry, and inconsolable infant crying will safely pass your home.

Baby Care Tip-3

As already mentioned, you need to put the baby to the chest as often as he wants, and not to take the breast until he does not let her go. This rule is generally the most important thing for success in breastfeeding. The fact is that the amount of milk directly depends on how often and how long the baby sucks the breast.

Here, the principle of "demand-supply" works 100%. The volume of milk drunk by a baby from one breast, approximately in 2 hours, is restored in the same breast by 70%! To produce milk, the breast needs constant stimulation. The number of attachments per day in a few days after delivery should reach the required minimum - 10 - 12 times.

Baby Care Tip-4

Decisive for successful lactation are nocturnal. You should never “wean” an infant from nocturnal awakenings for sucking. To facilitate night care for your baby and be able to attach it to your chest at the moment when he just started tossing and turning in his sleep on the bed (and not when he finally woke up and started crying loudly ...), put him to sleep next to you. Joint sleep with a child is useful from the point of view of the psychology of newborns, and from the point of view of elementary mother's convenience. Feed at night is better lying down.

Baby Care Tip-5

Immediately you need to stipulate that if you give the baby a breast as often as he needs, you will not need regular pumping.

Baby Care Tip-6

During feeding, you should not rush to offer your baby the second breast. It is necessary to wait until it is fully emptied first, otherwise, it will receive less high-calorie, fatty back milk, which is (with its small volume) the main food of the infant. In addition to other useful elements, the back milk also contains enzymes for the digestion of milk and substances that normalize the work of the baby’s intestines.

Baby Care Tip-7

There is also no need to wash the breast before each feeding: the milk left on the breast after the previous application and absorbed into the skin contains antibacterial substances plus small tubercles on the areola also secrete a protective bactericidal lubricant that protects the breast from cracks and infections.

The breast should be washed 1-2 times a day during the reception of a general shower (just with water, without soap and any other skin-drying cosmetics).

Baby Care Tip-8

Up to 6 months, the child does not need (and is harmful!) Any other food and additional liquid. This is due to the timing of maturation of the gastrointestinal tract of the baby and the formation of its enzymatic system. Any other food other than milk and additional liquid that have entered the body of a baby before this period leads to disruption of the intestinal microflora, the occurrence of dysbiosis and other problems.

Baby Care Tip-9

Try as early as possible to master the correct attachment to the chest

Why is it necessary for the baby to properly capture the breast with the mouth? Firstly, this is the main condition for uniform emptying of the mammary gland and, accordingly, the best prevention of such unpleasant phenomena as lack of milk and milk stagnation, leading to inflammatory processes in the breast (mastitis). Secondly, it is a guarantee of the mother’s nipple injuries. Thirdly, only with the correct seizure of the breast, can a baby be able to suck out the amount of milk it needs and eat.

The mouth of the baby is wide open; sponges turned out; his chin touches his mother's breast; the radius of capture of the areola circle (areola) is 2–3 cm from the base of the nipple; cheeks and nose tip touch mother's breast; except for swallowing, sniffling and even breathing, no other sounds are heard (smacking, etc.); Mom does not hurt.

What prevents the baby to learn to suck the breast properly? Use (at least once, at least short) breast substitutes: pacifiers and bottles.

Baby Care Tip-10

Never offer your baby to suck something other than the mother's breast! This almost always leads to the formation of the improper attachment, the appearance of a lack of milk in the mother and the unwillingness to suckle in the infant.

How to put the baby to the breast correctly?

1. It is necessary to find a comfortable body position for mother and child. Mom should be relaxed and able for a long time not to change the position of the body. When feeding, the baby’s head should be in the same plane as his body, i.e. the baby should NOT specifically turn its head in order to capture the breast.

Key points:

• Mom sits comfortably.

1. The head of the baby is located on the mother's forearm, the body is pressed against the mother's belly, the legs are extended diagonally along its body - the “Cradle” position.

2. Position “On the contrary” (or “From under the armpit”): for example, when sucking from the right breast, the baby lies to the right of the sitting mother, while his legs are directed behind her back, and the head is located strictly under the breast and lies on mother’s right palm

• Mom is standing.

The baby is either in the “Cradle” position or his body is located vertically.

• Mom is lying on her side - the baby is also lying on her side parallel to her body. His head is on his mother's forearm, his stomach is closely pressed to his mother.

Mom is lying on her back - the baby is lying on top, with her stomach on her belly.

2. Before giving the baby chest, you need to wait until he opens his mouth wide enough, and then with a quick motion to pull the baby's head to the chest. An important addition: the mother attracts the baby to her, and not vice versa - bends down to his face to put the nipple in his mouth (as is done when feeding on a bottle).

Baby Care Tip-11

It is recommended to feed the baby for at least 2 years. After 2 years, the basic processes of the formation of the nervous system and the brain of the child are completed, the substances for which they can safely flow only in breast milk; the last teeth come out as a sign of readiness of the gastrointestinal tract to digest and absorb adult food without the aid of breast milk; the word “I” appears in the baby’s vocabulary, which demonstrates his psychological maturity and readiness for separation from the mother. The mother's mammary gland, as a rule, also at this age enters the stage of lactation extinction.

Here are the rules, following which will help any woman to feed her child for a long time and without problems. We hope that this information will help you and support you in your choice to feed the baby with your milk.

These rules are taken from a program developed jointly by the World Health Organization and UNICEF (United Nations Children's Fund).

Baby hygiene

Daily bathing not only maintains cleanliness of the body but also stimulates the skin’s functions, blood circulation, develops the child’s nervous system and psychophysical motility.

To bathe your baby, you need to prepare: - a baby bath, a jug or rinse bucket, a water thermometer, a soft bathing mitten for soaping, a towel or a sheet, cotton wool, a clean diaper, children's hygiene products, clean baby clothes.

It is better to bathe the baby at the same time before one of the evening feedings. Make sure that the room where you will bathe your child is warm, without drafts, the water has a temperature of 37-37.5 ° C. The first bathing should be carried out very carefully, immersing the body of the baby in the bath, always supporting him with his hand so that the child does not slip out. Wash with the other hand, avoiding contact with the face and eyes, especially when washing the head. It is enough to wash the head once or twice a week.

The process of swimming in time should last 5-7 minutes. Rinse the child from the ladle with water of the same temperature.

After the first month of life, you can gradually reduce the water temperature by one degree. Remember frequent use when bathing baby soap can cause dry skin. If the child has a crust on the umbilical wound, add 5% solution of potassium permanganate (to a slightly pink color) to the water. If skin irritation can be added to the water chamomile extract, a decoction of oak bark. After bathing, the baby’s body should not be rubbed but soaked with a soft towel or sheet. Then lubricate the folds of the skin with baby lotion, baby cream or sterile sunflower oil.

In addition to bathing, the child must be daily hygienic procedures.

Facials start with eyes. To do this, use a piece of sterile cotton dipped in warm boiled water. A separate cotton swab is used for each eye to prevent possible infection transmission. 

Eyes are flushed from outside to inside corner. Nasal passages are cleaned with cotton flagella, moistened also in boiled water. It is necessary to wipe the yellow-orange discharge, which accumulates in the visible part of the ear, with a cotton swab with a limiter. Nails on hands and feet should be cut as they grow.

It must be remembered that girls and boys are washed away in different ways.

We wash away the girl:

Remove used diapers and diaper. Remove residues of feces from the skin of the child using moist baby wipes or wet gauze. Carefully wipe the crotch area with a piece of cotton wool with baby lotion.

With another piece of cotton with lotion (or just dipped in warm boiled water) carefully wipe all the folds in the inguinal areas. To remove the remnants of moisture, use baby powder - sprinkle a little on the palm and evenly distribute on the skin of the child (do not sprinkle directly on the body).

Raise the feet of the child and wipe the genitals from front to back with a clean piece of cotton to prevent germs from entering the anus into the perineum. DO NOT wipe the labia inside.

Wipe the anus with a clean piece of cotton wool. To remove excess moisture from the buttocks, also use baby powder. After that, wash your hands.

In order to protect the skin of the child from various irritations and rashes, use baby cream. Baby oil will also prevent irritation and dry skin.

The girl has always washed away, directing the stream of water from front to back. Sometimes the girl appears mucous or bloody discharge from the genital slit. This is the body's reaction to its release from the maternal hormones. In the presence of discharge from the genital organs of a girl, it is necessary to especially thoroughly wash it with a weak pink solution of potassium permanganate or a weak solution of chamomile. They wash away several times a day and always after a chair.

Wash the boy:

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Removing used diapers, linger for a few seconds - just at this time the boys often urinate. Remember that outdoors urination of a boy can occur several times in a row, so keep on hand a special diaper so that you do not have to repeat the whole procedure first.

Remove residual excreta from baby’s skin with wet baby wipes or wet gauze, then wipe the entire area with a piece of cotton wool and baby lotion.

With another piece of cotton wool with lotion or soaked in warm water, carefully wipe all the folds in the groin and around the genitals. Then use powder to remove excess moisture, especially gently around the testicles.

Using a clean cotton swab dipped in warm water, wipe the testicles and penis to remove urine and feces. Be careful not to damage the delicate skin. When clearing the penis, DO NOT push back the skin on the head.

Wipe the anus and buttocks with a clean piece of cotton wool with lotion or dipped in warm water. After that, don't forget to wash your hands.

In order to protect the skin from irritation and rashes, apply the baby cream on the entire cleaned area - around the penis (but not on the penis itself), testicles, buttocks. After the baby has been lying naked for some time, you can put a clean diaper and wrap the baby in clean diapers.

Some babies see fluid discharge from the nipples - both in boys and girls. They may have enlarged or swollen mammary glands. No treatment is needed, as this condition will pass by itself. However, if you notice any redness in the puffy areas, notify the doctor.

The use of disposable diapers is an effective way to isolate and retain urine and feces. Diapers help to keep the baby’s skin drier, reduce the frequency of diaper dermatitis, are comfortable for the baby, practical and easy to use. Reports that the use of disposable diapers for boys creates an unfavorable climate under the diaper, has a negative impact on the testicular infrastructure and suppresses spermatogenesis, do not have any scientific evidence and constitute only speculation and assumptions.

When choosing diapers, the weight of the baby must be taken into account. If the diaper is large, it will leak. Disposable diapers should be stored in a dry, cool place since increasing humidity can have a negative effect on the absorbent material of diapers.

Ten rules of comfortable sleep

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It is easy to grow a single child and turn cultivation into hard work, yourself into a mother heroine, and family life is a feat. To do this, just need not get enough sleep.

Therefore, understand and remember the most important thing: healthy childhood sleep is a dream when it's sweet and comfortable for everyone, both adults and children. The organization of children's sleep is the organization of a healthy sleep of all family members. 

The simplest thing in the aforementioned organization is to get a quality disposable diaper, and this is, in fact, the only friend of a child’s sleep that really exists without your parental participation — it was already invented and made for you and for you. Everything else is solely in your hands.

Sleep is closely connected with other components of the lifestyle - with food, walks, air parameters, clothing, hygienic procedures, etc. Proper nutrition, outdoor games, cleaning, bathing, a soft, clean, dry bed - all this takes time, desire, knowledge, and skills.

Rule 1. Set priorities

The family is full, happy and efficient when parents have the opportunity to sleep 8 hours a day. More than anything in the world - more food and drink, more sleep and fresh air - the child needs a healthy, rested and loving each other mom and dad.

Rule 2. Decide on sleep mode

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From the moment of birth, the child’s regime should be subject to the family’s regime. Get ready for a night's sleep in advance and prepare a child for it. Determine the time when the night's sleep begins, and let it be a convenient time for you! From 21.00 to 5 in the morning? You are welcome! From 23.00 to 7 in the morning? To health! Chose? Now try to comply.

Rule 3. Decide where to sleep and with whom

Three options are theoretically and practically possible: a cot in the parents' bedroom — optimal for children in the first year of life and acceptable for up to three years; Baby cot in the children's bedroom - ideal for children over the year; sleeping in the same bed with parents is a fashionable hobby, the majority of pediatricians are not encouraged and not related to healthy children's sleep.

Rule 4. Do not be afraid to wake up

If you want your child to sleep well at night, do not allow too much sleep during the day. Unclear? Now we explain.

The average daily need for sleep in children is as follows: up to 

Baby Age	Sleeping Hours
3 Months	16–20 Hours
6 Months	14.5 Hours
12 Months	13.5 Hours
2 Years	13 Hours
4 Years	11.5 Hours
6 Years	9.5 Hours
12 Years	8.5 Hours

So, we all know that a child at the age of 6 months sleeps approximately 14.5 hours a day.

If we want to sleep peacefully 8 night hours, then no more than 6.5 hours remain for the daytime sleep. And if you sleep through 9 during the day, then 8 hours of sleep at night is unlikely. Do not be afraid to wake Sonya!

Rule 5. Optimize feedings.

In the first three months of life, a baby can eat 1-2 times during the night. At the age of 3-6 months, single night feeding is possible. After 6 months, the baby does not need a biological feeding at night. The child may want to handle, the child may require communication, sucking, hissing, swinging and demanding more and more, longer and more often as requirements are met. 

Is it possible to use mom not for feeding, but to meet the need for sucking? Is it possible for a dad, who, by the way, is going to work tomorrow, to rock the baby half the night and still sing? If you think that you can - please, but you can forget about a healthy childhood sleep. 

Try to underfeed slightly in the penultimate feeding and feed as much as possible immediately before bedtime. Remember: hunger is far from the only reason for crying, and do not plug your children's mouth with food at the very first squeak. Over-feeding is the main cause of abdominal pain and related sleep disorders.

Rule 6. Have a good day.

Live actively - walk, sleep during the day in the fresh air, encourage knowledge of the world and outdoor games. Physical activity (without extremism) definitely contribute to a healthy childhood sleep. Limiting evening emotional stress has a positive effect on sleep. Calm games, peaceful reading of good fairy tales, watching already familiar cartoons and, finally, my mother's curious song - what could be better for preparing for bed until the morning.

Rule 7. Think about the air in the bedroom

Clean cool humid air in the bedroom is an immutable rule. Ventilation. Wet cleaning. Humidifier. Thermometer and hygrometer. Regulators on radiators. The optimum air temperature is 18-20 ° C, provided that this is a children's room (i.e. a place where the child not only sleeps but also lives); if we are talking about a children's bedroom, then the optimum is 16-18 ° C. Optimum relative humidity of air - 50-70%.

Rule 8. Use the possibilities of swimming

Evening bathing - in a large bath, in cool water - is a great way to get tired physically, get hungry pretty, then eat with appetite and fall asleep until the morning. Massage and gymnastics before bathing, hygienic procedures and warm clothes after - all this reinforces the benefits of bathing itself.

Rule 9. Prepare the bed

The mattress is dense and even - the baby’s body weight should not lead to his bending. Up to two years no pillows. After two years, the pillow is quite possible (the standard size of a children's pillow is 40 × 60 cm, and its thickness should be approximately equal to the width of a child’s shoulder). Bed linen made from natural fabrics, washed using special children's powders with a thorough rinse.

Rule 10. Take care of a quality diaper.

Disposable diapers - the most effective of all the inventions of mankind, related to sleep. It is disposable diapers that are able to qualitatively improve the sleep of all family members. A good diaper for the night is the law, this is the most accessible and easily implemented rule of the 10 rules of healthy childhood sleep. Do you want the child to have a gentle, smooth butt, while you were sleeping the whole night? So you need a good diaper - quality, comfortable, reliable, proven, effective and safe.

Child up to a year in the kitchen and bathroom: safety rules

The house is initially considered the place where the child is safe. This is a fatal delusion: it is here (especially in the kitchen, in the bedroom and in the bathroom) that 80% of accidents happen to children up to one year old; in addition, it is the accidents that occurred at home that are the main cause of death at this age. The danger increases with the growth of the mobility of your baby and his insatiable curiosity about everything that surrounds him.

Three tips:

Talk to the baby! Already at 9-10 months, the baby begins to understand the meaning of the word "no." Be sure to accompany the ban with explanations: talk to the child, looking into his eyes, so that he concentrates on your words; use simple words and accompany them with clear gestures: “No, do not touch the knife, it is sharp. You can cut yourself, and you will be very pained. " Even if the baby does not yet understand the exact meaning of your words, he will appreciate that you strive to talk with him on an equal footing.

Put yourself in his place. Inspect the house regularly. On knees. Such a comical position will allow you to discover all the dangers lurking in your house. This is the only way to find out about what the child sees around him and to identify all the dangers that await him (oven, table corners, pots, ladders, toxic substances, electrical wires, etc.).

Never leave a child at home alone.  This requirement does not tolerate any deviations. Day or night, the baby sleeps or is awake, it is sick or completely healthy, it plays in its arena or sleeps in the crib - never leave it unattended.

Dangers lurking child:

Pets. Never leave a baby alone with a dog or cat, no matter how cute and harmless these pets may seem. In no case should not exclude the behavior caused by jealousy, or suffocation - if, for example, the animal lies on the child. As early as possible, teach your child to respect your common four-legged friends, do not pull their tails and do not poke their fingers in their eyes.

Sharp and cutting objects, doors.  Hide from the child's kitchen knives and sharp objects (scissors, razors, pins). In addition, remove from it objects that can be broken: glasses, cups, plates, dishes ...

To prevent the baby from pinching fingers, equip windows and doors with stoppers. Install lockers and cabinet doors in the furniture system. Install protective covers on the corners of tables and other furniture. Put sharp objects (cans, shards of broken dishes) deep into the bin that is easily accessible to the child.

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Stairs.  If your house has stairs, install protective barriers at the top and bottom of each of them. Do not use sliding barriers: a child may stick his arms or neck into them and get stuck. It is best to use barriers with horizontal bars.

Changing table.  Even when the baby is just born, even if it seems to you that he is behaving very calmly, always hold him with your hand while he is lying on the changing table.

Window.  Equip windows with stoppers. Do not place furniture near the windows or under the windows that a child can climb; Explain and repeat to your child as soon as possible that he is forbidden to climb the window sill.

Electrical appliances. Do not leave hanging wires from electrical appliances, remove extension cords. Turn off all appliances when not in use. Make sure that the child could not reach them. Install in-house sockets with covers or equip all sockets with protectors.

Kitchen. Never carry your baby in a sling or child seat while you are cooking: he can put his hand in a pot of boiling water, he may be scalded by cooking-splashing products.

Turn the pots and pans with a handle to the middle of the stove, teach yourself to put in the sink still utensils that have not cooled down.

If the oven is low enough, and the handle of its door heats up while cooking, install a protective grill. Get a fire extinguisher for the kitchen and always keep it close at hand.

Bathroom. Always check the temperature of the bath water, preferably with a thermometer (the temperature should be 37 ° C). If you do not have a thermometer, lower your elbow into the water: when the water reaches the desired temperature, you will not feel the heat (or cold).

Small items. Do not allow your child to play with small objects (balls, buttons, beads, cogs). At this age, he will certainly pull them into his mouth. Until he is two or three years old, do not give him nuts, hard candies, and dried fruits. Keep plastic bags away from the child and do not allow him to play with them.

Medicines and toxic products. Make sure that the child does not have access to medicines or toxic products (bleach and other household chemicals). Never use food containers to store such products. Do not keep poisonous plants (or plants with sharp or spiny leaves) in your home.

Pool, bath, and ponds. Never leave a child alone in the bath! A baby can drown in water just a few centimeters deep, without any noise and in just a few seconds. While bathing, do not get distracted by phone, oven timer or doorbell.

Practical hardening tips for young children

The appearance in the family of a newborn child is a great joy for parents. Watching the baby grow, we experience happy moments, seeing his progress and achievements. But, unfortunately, there will be periods of grief associated with the child’s illness. Practically all children are ill - someone strongly and often, and someone rarely and briefly. How to make children’s illnesses grieve their parents as rarely as possible?

It is believed that any disease is easier to prevent than to cure. It is necessary to try to strengthen the child's body so that when exposed to the external environment (hypothermia, overheating, contact with infections, etc.), the body "turns on" all its protective reserves and does not allow the disease to develop. To do this, there is hardening  - increasing the body's resistance to the adverse effects of environmental factors through systematic coaching metered effects of these factors.

It must be said that the positive effects of tempering procedures have been known since ancient times. The first handwritten works on this topic belong to Hippocrates. USA doctors of the 18th and 19th centuries developed a cold hardening system for central Russia, rightly believing that hardened children suffer 3-4 times less often than unhardened ones.

From the very beginning, one should pay attention to a number of important points.

Tempering procedures can be started from any age, almost from birth.

You can harden and often sick children. At the same time, it is worth starting the procedures only during the period when the child is healthy.

For the procedures, you can use all environmental factors (sun, air, water).

Hardening can begin at any time of the year. It is desirable that the procedures are carried out systematically throughout the year, then they will have the maximum effect.

It is necessary to gradually increase the strength of the stimulus and the time of its impact on the child's body.

All tempering procedures will be effective only against the background of positive emotions!

Hardening of the child's first month of life.

The first tempering procedure for a newborn baby is air baths. You can and should carry them out daily after returning from the hospital. They consist in the fact that during the disguise of a child, before feeding, he is kept naked for 1-2 minutes at an air temperature in the room 22-24 ° C.

A very important tempering procedure at this age is the daily bathing of the baby.

It is difficult to overestimate the importance of staying in the fresh air for an infant since a growing organism needs oxygen more than an adult. In the summertime, a newborn can be taken out for a walk almost immediately after birth (if its weight is more than 2500 g), first by 20-40 minutes a day, gradually increasing the time to 6-8 hours a day at one-month-old. In winter, in central Russia, you can walk with your child from 7 days old at air temperatures down to -10 ° C in calm weather, starting from 5-10 minutes a day, bringing your stay in the fresh air to 1.5-2 hours per day.

A positive effect on the growing body of the child to sleep in the fresh air, being not only a tempering factor but also strengthens the nervous system. In the summer, the baby can constantly sleep not in the house, it is only necessary to protect it from the direct action of ultraviolet rays and from strong winds. In winter, you can put your baby to sleep in the fresh air from 2 weeks of age for 25-30 minutes at air temperatures down to -10 ° С.

Age from the first month to the first year

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After the age of 1 month, children become more resistant to environmental factors such as hypothermia or overheating, so the duration of the procedures can be gradually increased.

Air baths from 2 minutes at the age of 1 month can be gradually lengthened to 10-15 minutes at 6 months and 20-30 minutes at 1 year. At the same time, the air temperature can also gradually decrease from 22 ° C in 1 month, then 21 ° C in 3 months, and to 20 ° C in 1 year.

Bathing gives children positive emotions and is still a powerful tempering factor. Shared baths in the first half of the year are carried out daily, in the second - it is possible every other day. 

The water temperature should be 36-37 ° С, the duration of bathing is up to 10-15 minutes at 6 months, and up to 20-25 minutes at 1 year. After bathing, the baby is doused with water 2-3 degrees lower than that in which he bathed.

Children under 1 year old cannot be bathed in open reservoirs, it is better to use plastic baths or inflatable rubber pools for this purpose, where you can regulate the temperature and depth of the water being poured.

Ultraviolet rays have a positive effect on the immune system of the body, but you need to know that the direct effect of ultraviolet radiation on the skin of an infant can adversely affect her condition since there is still little melanin in it - a protective pigment that protects the skin of older children from burns. Therefore, the stay of an infant in direct sunlight is strictly prohibited.

From one to three years

At this age, children are quite resistant to many adverse factors, especially if hardening was carried out from birth. Therefore, you can use more contrasting methods.

It is possible to carry out general rubdowns with a decrease in water temperature to 26-28 ° C. From one and a half years, you can use a shower, which has a stronger effect, since, besides the temperature factor, there is also a mechanical effect of the water flow on the baby’s skin, which has a massaging effect. From one and a half to two years, the child can be allowed to swim in open water. 

Here the combination of hardening factors (sun, air, water, movement, positive emotions) will be favorable. I want to remind that children up to 3 years old should be allowed to swim in open reservoirs at a water temperature of + 21 ° C and at an air temperature of + 25 ° C and more. 

The first swimming  1-2 minutes, then a break of 10-15 minutes. It is very important not to scare the child - do not drag him into the water, let him go himself.

Children older than 1 year can gradually spend sunbathing. The air temperature should be from + 20 ° С to + 30 ° С (but not more!), Start gradually in the sun 5-10 minutes to 30-40 minutes. 

The best time for a sunbath in the central world in the morning hours from 9 to 12 hours, in hot weather, you can sunbathe from 16 to 18 hours. Do not forget to wear a Panama or a cap made of lightweight light fabric on the child's head - this will save the baby from sunstroke. Carefully observe the skin of the child - at the slightest redness, sun exposure should be stopped for 1-2 days.

Children under 3 years old do not want to conduct contrasting tempering procedures (cold shower, sauna, USA bath), since the child is not yet able to assess his or her well-being, and it will be difficult to determine the line between the beneficial effect of this method and the negative one.

Basic rules for hardening -

• Systematic use of tempering procedures at all times of the year, without interruption.
• The gradual increase in irritant dose.
• Accounting for individual and age characteristics of the child's body.

All tempering procedures should be conducted against the background of positive emotions, delivering great pleasure and good health to you and your children.

Final Word

To grow a healthy and happy child is a real profession, requiring not only extensive theoretical knowledge but also the availability of practical skills. You should never neglect new information, adding to your knowledge through reading articles about mother and child. Mastering the care of children up to a year or older in practice will help grandparents who already have experience in education. In some cases, it makes sense to turn to specialists who teach all useful techniques and skills. But be that as it may, remember - no one feels your child as well as a loving mother. And no one will take care of him better.