Tempering of children is a useful practice, which not many parents do not dare to resort to, since they consider it to be extreme and do not know how to properly start this type of recovery. Conducted in time, competent prevention is the best way to protect the baby from seasonal diseases. But it is necessary to consider many factors: immunity, the state of health of the child, his age.
Principles of tempering children
The complex of measures that affect the body and increases its resistance to the external environment includes such natural factors as: solar heat, air and water. The contrast of temperatures underlies this process. Tempering children leads the body in readiness to withstand negative influences, respond faster to them and more easily withstand the influence of cold, heat, wind. Systematic procedures improve the performance of all systems:
- blood circulation is normalized;
- the nervous system is strengthened;
- metabolism is accelerated.
Tempering children makes them healthier, more energetic. Increases appetite and improves the condition of hair and skin. But in order to do everything correctly and not to harm the baby, it is necessary to take into account the main principles of hardening:
- Systematic. Activities should be held daily.
- Consistency and gradualness. Dosage increases with time.
When can I begin to temper the child?
The main rule concerns the period when it is possible to begin the healing procedures. The child should be completely healthy, and the body - fully strengthened. It is advisable to consult a pediatrician who will help to make a program based on the characteristics of the body. All new is introduced gradually. The sharp beginning of the tempering of a child is fraught with consequences, this moment must be considered in advance. Parents should discuss the time of carrying out the hardening measures, prepare them in advance for the baby, and ensure his optimistic attitude.
Body hardening - contraindications
Parents do not always have to be hardened by their parents, and there are restrictions for holding recreational sessions for children. They include:
- presence of chronic diseases;
- heart defects;
- intestinal disorders;
- a cold, SARS ;
- severe neurologic conditions;
- exhaustion;
- anemia (low hemoglobin level);
- presence of burns;
- sleep disturbance;
- languid or excited state;
- negative attitude towards health-improving measures.
As a rule, students and schoolchildren are tempered, not daring to resort to manipulation with babies. In fact, hardening of children up to a year is possible in the absence of contraindications and permission of the pediatrician. Such procedures are not recommended for severely premature children, too weak, at different stages of exhaustion. The rest can be tempered from birth, but with a reasonable approach. It is not necessary to immediately bathe the baby in ice water, you can use conservative methods of tempering children.
Kinds of tempering children
Medicine knows several ways of hardening. All of them are divided into non-special and special. The first include general actions to ensure the child the right nutrition and daily routine: exercise and walking in the fresh air, the presence of proper clothing (street and home), regular airing of the living quarters. Special methods provide for special events held at home and on the street. Kinds of tempering children:
- water;
- air;
- sunny.
Tempering of children with water
The most intensive procedure is water quenching, the rules of which are reduced to the same gradual and adequate actions. It is better to conduct water sessions in the warm season, to start after the morning exercise. The water temperature should decrease gradually, with a comfortable (33-35 degrees) decrease every day a couple of degrees. Available water hardening measures:
- Wiping. You can teach him a child with a half a year: with a soft damp sponge or mitten, rub one by one, limbs, back and tummy. Then the body is wiped dry.
- Dousing with water, cool or cold. Short sessions (no more than 5 minutes) can begin with 4-5 years, pour in hot weather on the street or after taking a bath. The water temperature decreases from 30-35 to 15 degrees.
- The contrast shower consists of alternating cool and warm water, the effect is achieved with a larger difference. At the first stages water should be comfortable temperature, and the session lasts no longer than a minute. Then alternating warm, hot and cool water.
- Foot baths, rinsing feet.
- Bathing in the pond in the summer. Combined with active physical activity.
Air quenching
Everyone is accessible and safe form - hardening by air, the rules of which are simple. All that is required for manipulation is fresh air. There are practically no contraindications, air baths are practiced in infancy (they briefly undress a child during swaddling), continue throughout life. You can name the following types of air baths:
- short stay without clothes in the air;
- charging on the street or with an open window;
- games, jogging with the wearing of notoriously light clothing;
- sleep or relax in the fresh air.
Tempering by the sun
One of the varieties of air baths is exposure to the sun. This is useful, because under the influence of ultraviolet in the body produces a bone useful for vitamin D. Tempered child is a healthy child! But it is important to dose the time spent under the Sun, avoiding overheating. The rules are as follows:
- Thermal baths start at a comfortable temperature (22-28 degrees), from direct exposure to sunlight it is necessary to hide in the shade.
- The ideal time is the morning (from 9 to 11) and evening (from 16 to 18) hours.
- The child should not be completely stripped completely, the presence of the headdress must be on the head.
- When the baby has a sunburn, you can undress him to panties and increase the time spent on the Sun (no more than 40-45 minutes at a time).
- During the heat baths, one should not forget to replenish the water balance in the body.
- Bath and sauna - as a kind of thermal baths - are not recommended for young children. They are difficult to tolerate temperatures above 41 degrees.
How to properly temper the child?
Common mistakes parents who try to accustom the child to a healthy lifestyle: to begin active hardening without preparation and forget about the permanence. To relieve the body of stress, it is important to adapt it to new conditions. How to temper the child correctly? Gradually, regularly and consistently. It is necessary to grow every day, starting with simple manipulations: washing with cold water, walking barefoot, walking on the street. Extreme temperatures are already a test for the body, and not a healing procedure.
Tempering a child - where to start?
The success of the event depends on a competent approach: a proper start and a systematic continuation. How to begin to temper the child?
- With air procedures. Air baths are the safest. With them it is desirable to begin tempering children of any age, especially toddlers.
- From comfortable temperatures with a gradual decrease (or increase, when it comes to finding the sun).
- In the warm season.
The pediatrician must approve the tempering of young children. From birth, the mother makes such simple manipulations as morning exercises, washing the bath, air baths in the process of changing clothes, evening bathing. In consequence, you can begin to pour your feet with cool water, practice wiping, teach your baby to fall asleep with an open window or on the street.
How to temper a child with weak immunity?
Hardening strengthens weakened immunity , but an illiterate approach can cause deterioration of well-being and disease. Parents are worried about the question: how to temper often sick children? The contrast of temperatures affects well the weakened immunity. It is important to properly dress the child: do not wrap it in the cold season, dress almost like yourself (a couple of layers warmer). Walking on the street in any weather - excellent gymnastics for the body. In addition, we must not forget about sports and balanced nutrition.
How to temper the child's throat?
Knowing how to properly temper a child at home, you can make it healthier without much effort and expense. From the age of four it is useful to teach him to rinse his throat first with water at room temperature, and then cool. The duration of the session is increased from one to 2-3 minutes. You can practice a contrasting rinse, like a shower. This is a good prevention of throat diseases. Another option for such a procedure is to eat ice cream (in a warm room, on the street) or to dissolve ice cubes.
Tempering of children in winter
In the cold season, parents are afraid to "freeze" the child, so they postpone all the manipulations for tempering for the spring and summer. Indeed, the extreme temperatures, diving in the ice and walking on snow is dangerous for an unprepared organism. But the tempering of the child's body can be carried out at any time of the year, including in winter. Charging in the fresh air, active games and walks, regular airing and water activities at home help to protect the weakened immunity.
Tempering of children in summer
Summer time of the year gives more opportunities for health procedures: a favorable temperature of the air, plenty of sunlight, warm water in the reservoirs. In summer, children can spend a lot of time outdoors and in the water, sunbathing, actively moving, getting vitamins from food. This is a good basis for strengthening immunity. Tempering children of school age during the holidays allows them to prepare for the training period and winter.
If you approach responsibility with responsibility, tempering children will bring a lot of benefit to them and to their parents. Adapted to external negative phenomena, infants are less likely to get sick and are more likely to endure viral infections. Methods of hardening can be diversified, from one to another. Regular wellness procedures (water and air) must become a habit that the child will carry with him into adulthood.