How to walk with a newborn in winter

Walking in the fresh air is a prerequisite for the harmonious development of the child. They contribute to the development and maintenance of immunity, good sleep, appetite. Regularly walking with a child is necessary regardless of the season, but in winter young mothers are most often afraid to go out with a newborn, for fear of harming his health.

Walking in the winter with health benefits

Staying outdoors in the winter has its advantages over warm days. Cold air is much cleaner, and even during the spread of infectious diseases, it is practically impossible to get infected from other people on the street: viruses cannot live at low temperatures and in conditions of high humidity. By the way, this is why with the beginning of the heating season it is very important to often ventilate the room and try not to warm it above 20 degrees.

Winter walks also contribute to the formation and strengthening of the immune system, activate metabolic processes in the body, improve the sleep of a newborn.

But it is worth the thermometer's column to drop below 0 ° C, and the young mother has doubts about the safety of winter walks. The fear that the baby will get sick because of hypothermia is so great that you have to refuse to stay in the fresh air before the onset of warmer days.

However, it is not worth it because of unreasonable doubts to deprive the child of the benefits that winter walks carry. The main thing is to approach them responsibly.

Winter walks: when and how much

A newborn baby can be taken to fresh air for about 8-9 days of his life. The first walk, especially the winter one, should not be long. The baby is still adapting to this world, so you should not overload its body.

In winter, the first exit of the newborn to fresh air should be limited to 10 minutes of being outside. The next day, this time can be increased by 5 minutes, and so gradually bring it 40-60 minutes. Then you can add a second, and even a third walk with the same duration.By acting in this way, you will be able to bring the total time spent by the child in the open air to 1.5-3 hours per day, which is sufficient in winter.

Of course, this mode of walking is not very convenient, because Mom and baby will have to dress and undress several times during the day, but it will help avoid the risk of hypothermia and provide the child with enough oxygen.

The main factor determining the duration of a child’s stay in the open air is, of course, the weather. On warm days, children can walk almost all day, but in winter the total length of walks is reduced to 1.5-3 hours per day. In the case of a fall in air temperature below -10 ° C, it is better to stop walking

However, in some regions with high levels of humidity or windiness and higher temperatures do not contribute to prolonged exposure to fresh air, therefore, focus not only on the readings of the thermometer, but also on the climatic features of the area in which you live. So, in Sochi, due to the increased humidity, the temperature of -5 ° С is more difficult to tolerate than -15 ° С in Irkutsk.

Dress correctly

Getting ready for a walk,Do not forget about a very important rule: first a mother dresses up, and then a baby, otherwise the child risks sweating while still at home, which can lead to a cold.

Although young mothers are usually afraid to overcool the baby, overheating is no less dangerous for the crumbs. Therefore, try to be guided by the recommendation “plus one”, i.e. Dress the baby like yourself, but add another layer of clothing.

Swaddling and careful wrapping before walking is undesirable because this makes it impossible for the child to move. In addition, the baby, "bound" by the hands and feet, will shake much faster.

The face of the child should always be open. Cheeks and nose when walking can be cool, this is normal. If the face of a newborn is reddened, the cheeks and neck are hot, then most likely he is hot, and the next time you should wear a crumb easier. But the unusual paleness and cold surface of the skin in the neck suggests that the baby is cold.

When choosing clothes for a walk, first of all, wear a cotton long-sleeved bodysuit and sliders on your child: natural fabric absorbs sweat and is breathable. The next layer can be a suit or a jumpsuit on a fleece.Then the baby can be dressed in outerwear: an envelope or overalls on a heater.

Do not forget to protect the head of the baby, as well as the arms and legs from cold. It is enough to put on a thin cotton cap and a warm hat on your head. If the outerwear of the crumbs is equipped with a hood, then wear it too.

Buying a suit for the baby, try to get the model in which the child’s arms and legs do not look out. Then you do not have to wear extra mittens, socks and shoes.

Do not rush to buy popular membrane overalls. Yes, they keep warm and, compared to normal outerwear, they are very thin. But the membrane is suitable for children who are already actively moving on a walk: run, jump, climb on the playground. A newborn lying motionless will most likely be cold in it.

Balcony or street

If, for any reason, the mother does not manage to go outside with the child, you can alternatively use the balcony, putting the crumb to sleep in a stroller. While the newborn is sleeping, you can do household chores or devote time to caring for yourself.

Such a dream can be equated to a walk, provided that your balcony does not go out onto a busy and crowded street.Otherwise, the very purpose of the "balcony" sleep - finding the child in the fresh air, becomes unattainable. It is better to sleep in the house than in polluted air. In addition, you must be sure that there are no unauthorized or dangerous objects from the street, the roof, the upper floors to the balcony or the stroller.

Leaving the child alone during sleep is safe until he begins to sit down, hold on to the support, or stand on his knees. A kid who has mastered such skills can fall out of the stroller, because cradle design usually does not provide seat belts.

Do not miss the time of the child's wake-up, a baby monitor can help. Of course, if you are in the room from which there is direct access to the balcony, you will not need it, because you will hear the baby as soon as he wakes up. However, if you plan to spend time, for example, in the kitchen or cleaning the bathroom, you will still need a baby monitor.

You should not deprive the child of walks in the winter. Clean air remarkably fills the body of the newborn with oxygen, necessary for the harmonious development and proper functioning of the body of the crumbs.Compliance with simple rules will allow you without the risk to the health of the baby to extract the maximum benefit from walking on cold winter days.

Video: how long and under what conditions you need to walk with a newborn