DAD-Chronicals : Good with the baby through the summer

bembelmaniac (65)in #dad-chronicals • 6 years ago

Good with the baby through the summer

For new parents, summer is an ambiguous time. On the one hand, the newcomer does not need to be hidden in snowsuits when the temperature is warm, but on the other hand, the sun can really bother babies and sometimes even their mothers. The following article reveals how to bring your baby happy and healthy through the summer.

Basically, infants are lighter in the cold than in the heat. Because when a baby gets too cold and uncomfortable, it screams. On the other hand, it reacts to excessively high temperatures with laxity and apathy. It falls asleep and the parents find it difficult to determine if it is too warm or if the fatigue strikes. For a good feeling and baby's health, it is therefore important in the summer to protect against overheating and to ensure pleasant temperatures.

What do I just put on my baby?

The clothing question for newborns is difficult and simple in the summer. The clothes should be as thin as possible and still consider most of the body. The delicate skin of infants has nothing to oppose the sun and should therefore be well covered. Rompers with a foot should be avoided - ankle socks are better in summer, because they can be taken off easily if it gets too warm. The clothing should be breathable and definitely made of natural materials. Cotton and linen in organic quality are ideal, synthetic materials hold back the heat and ensure rapid sweating and nasty heat pimples. The ultimate test in a baby is child's play: your child is properly dressed when the skin on the neck is warm, but not damp.

Not only the right clothes, also a headgear is a must in summer. Ideal are lightweight cotton hats with the widest possible brim. This not only protects the scalp, it also shadows the face and eyes. However, it may be that slightly older children are not satisfied with every hat, then you just have to test several models.

Never in the blazing sun!

The top rule for the newborn summer baby is: Never into the blazing sun. Your baby's skin has nothing to oppose UV radiation, and sunburn can have serious or life-threatening consequences. It takes several years for the acid mantle to develop fully. A shady spot and effective sunscreen are therefore extremely important for babies and toddlers. In particular, they are protected from the late damage that can cause early sunburns on and in the skin. The following rules should be considered in direct relation to the sun:

Babies should not be exposed to direct sunlight.

Every outside walk requires sunscreen. Depending on the active system, the protective creams and lotions must be applied for up to 20 to 30 minutes before sunbathing. Pay attention to baby-friendly products with a mineral filter.
Sunscreen does not last forever, so you need to be re-creamed for longer stays. This is especially true if the baby has contact with water or sand or sweats heavily.

The right temperature in the nursery

Not only directly in the sun can be exhausting. The high temperatures reach the interiors too quickly and often make falling asleep difficult. Babies should sleep as cold as possible. This is also true in the summer, but then it is often hardly possible. Especially at lunchtime, it is in many cases oppressively hot. Perhaps you will find an airy spot in the shade for your child to hold his afternoon nap in the stroller.

The nursery itself can be kept as cool as possible by various measures:

Keep the windows and doors closed during the day and darken the windows when the sun is shining in.
Before going to sleep, you should briefly and thoroughly air again. If it is still too hot outside, postpone the airing to the cool night hours.
If you are not in the heart of the city at a busy intersection, an open window at night will keep you cool. + An insect screen protects your baby from unwelcome visitors.
Do not forget to darken the window, otherwise your baby wakes up with the first ray of sunshine and in the middle of summer, he can already blink into the room at half past four.

Drink, drink, drink!

Normally, nursing children are provided with sufficient fluids in their first months of life via the breast milk, additional drinking is superfluous. In many cases this also applies when it is hot, but then babies usually want to be breastfed much more often and the mothers have to pay attention to adequate hydration. On particularly hot summer days, the amount of liquid is not sufficient in every case. In addition, water or unsweetened tea should be added to quench baby's thirst. The drinks should not be ice cold, by the way, this is generally true for drinks on hot summer days: "the hotter the outside temperatures, the warmer the drinks" is an ancient wisdom.

Insects and other pests

Summertime is insect time and you should definitely protect your baby from it. So that it does not suffer from insect bites, a sturdy insect net should be stretched over the stroller as well as at the nursery window or over the baby cradle. However, you should not rub your baby with insect repellent. Even for infants suitable products contain stressful substances that can penetrate directly through baby's skin into the body.