Hardening is a way of health promotion, tested over the years and confirmed by scientific theories and research. The body of newborns has a high adaptability, so hardening of young children is most effective.
How to begin tempering a child?
The essence of hardening is a constant change in the temperature of the environment, which contributes to an increase in the adaptive abilities of the body. The systematic hardening of newborns gives the following positive results:
- the formation of conditioned reflexes that contribute to the adaptation of the organism to changing environmental conditions;
- improvement of metabolism, circulation;
- high resistance to diseases;
- good appetite, healthy sleep.
The favorable effect of hardening can be achieved only with scrupulous observance of the rules of tempering children:
- Individual approach . Tempering of children under one year should be carried out especially carefully. Start the appropriate procedures should be started only when the child is absolutely healthy. You should also take into account the emotional state of the baby, do not get nervous yourself, support him in every way and distract him with songs and nursery rhymes. Calm state and cheerful mood of parents will be passed on to the baby. If the child responds to all attempts at tempering with a violent cry and other signs of discontent, the beginning of the health procedures should be postponed.
- Graduality . Before you begin to temper the child, you should familiarize yourself with the basic methods and principles of the procedure, following the sequence. Do not immediately dip the baby in the icy water or take out under the rays of the scorching sun. The expected result will only give a gradual change in the temperature of water and air.
- Regularity . Effective only will be daily tempering, regardless of the season. If the termination of hardening for a period exceeding 5 days, the conditioned reflexes responsible for adapting to environmental conditions change, first weaken, and then completely disappear.
Before you begin to temper a newborn, you should make sure that he has no contraindications to such procedures. These include:
- sleep disorders;
- disorders of the digestive system;
- respiratory diseases;
- elevated body temperature.
Methods of tempering children
1. Tempering of children by air . The procedures for air quenching include:
- walking with a newborn. To begin to walk with the kid it is possible after reaching the age of two weeks at a temperature of at least 10-12 ° C. The walk time should be increased exponentially, starting from 15 minutes a day. Later, when the child is accustomed to cold air, you can walk with him in almost any bad weather;
- sleep on the air. In the open air the newborn quickly falls asleep and sleeps more tightly. The main thing, with wind and precipitation, securely cover it with a blanket, protect the wheelchair with a hood.
Up to 6 months, the child can sleep at temperatures down to -10 ° C, after half a year - at -15 ° C.
Wearing a newborn for a walk, it is important not to allow not only hypothermia, but also overheating. So, up to six months to dress a child you need the same way as yourself plus one layer, after six months - just like yourself. In the cold, the child should be put in a stroller in a special warm walking envelope or wrapped in a wool blanket.
- air baths. It can be carried out both indoors and outdoors, but with the condition of finding the child in the shade and good protection of the wind.
2. Quenching with water . Its advantage is that such hardening can be carried out without looking at the weather conditions, changing only the temperature of the water. Begin toughening the newborn with water should be from two months, gradually - 1 degree every two days, lowering the temperature when washing and washing.
Then you can go to rubbing the baby, from 9 months to dousing.