Author Bio:- A brainchild of IIT alumni Vipin, Abhishek and Garima,Care24 offers professional care from trained caregivers that help the patient recuperate at home. Care24 has been in operation since 2014 and has successfully helped 40000+ families heal at home in Mumbai and Delhi.
Having a new, little member at home can be an exciting phase as much as it can be an anxious one. While you try to spend most of your time with them enjoying their company, you are equally worried about ensuring that they do not face any problem whatsoever. What makes baby care even more difficult, is the fact that they cannot tell you what is troubling them.
Every parent wants to give the best possible environment and comfort to their children and ensure that they are healthy always. This leads many parents to worry about every small detail of their child’s wellbeing. Whether it is the clothes that they wear or the food they eat, whether they should take the child out or let them stay indoors till they are old enough. Every small action that you never paid attention to earlier, becomes a point of contention.
This anxiety may be further heightened as the season changes and winter approaches. Whether they are warm enough? Or are you overdoing it and making them feel too hot? What kind of clothes should you dress your baby in? There are too many questions and you wish you could get a handy guide for making the right choices. Here it is then, your guide to taking care of your precious little one in the harsh winters, while still making sure they get to experience the weather.
1. Tips On How To Care For a New-born Baby In Winter – Newborn baby care in winter is a tricky task. On one hand, you want them to experience the cold and build their immunity. On the other hand, you want to save them from falling sick or catch a cold.
It is no surprise that a newborn child is extremely sensitive, especially if it is their first winter. Their body and its functions are still developing and hence they are not yet fully prepared to face the weather on their own. Obviously, as a parent, this will be a cause of concern. So, what can you do to help your child not just grow and develop their body functions, but also stay healthy in this weather? Following is a list of some simple steps you can take to ensure that your bundle of joy is snug and comfortable even in the cold winters.
a. Warm Water Bath For Baby – The simplest and almost intuitive step is to ensure that you use warm water for your baby’s bath. Coldwater is obviously a no, but you should also ensure that you do not use hot water as it increases the body temperature. And since their body’s temperature regulation is still developing, they may be at risk of exposure. Also, make sure the room is warm even before taking your baby for a bath. This helps maintain a consistent temperature avoiding sudden temperature change exposures.
b. Warm Clothes – Again as much as you would love to, do not burden your child with clothes that make them too hot. This will cause more discomfort for the baby than benefits, since their body temperature cannot cool down on its own, making them sweat and have difficulty in breathing. Instead, ensure that they are wearing warm clothes and keep their heads and feet covered at all times. This will ensure there is no heat loss and your child is comfortable. The warm clothes also mean that they are not directly exposed to the cold weather.
c. Good Moisturizer – Just as adult skin needs extra moisturizing during the winters, so does the baby’s skin. Always use a good baby care product and moisturizers designed for infants. Ask your doctor for a recommendation. The moisturizing helps your baby’s skin remain hydrated and soft even during the harsh weather conditions. If you are wary of using any baby care products available in the market, you can even use the regular options available at homes like milk cream or ghee. These areas are beneficial for infants as they are for adults.
d. Dress Baby In Layers – A good way to avoid the child being either too hot or too cold, is to dress them in layers. You can make them wear different layers of clothes like maybe a onesie or a shirt with caps, mittens, and booties. On top of the same, you can make them wear long-sleeved shirts or warmer clothes. This will give them adequate protection against the cold. Also, once the temperature is regulated a bit and the child is warmer, you can take off one of the layers to help them acclimatize, instead of taking a thick woolen cloth off at once. Thus, layering is a much superior option of baby care during winters.
e. Oil Massaging – This is wisdom passed down over generations and is as relevant today as was back then. Giving your child a good massage with a suitable oil, every day, ensures proper blood circulation and maintaining the body temperature. Using oils like olive oil or coconut oil makes sure the oil is soft on the sensitive skin of the child. Also, the increased blood circulation helps develop the immunity level of the child. This means that the simple act of an oil massage, not just helps your little one immediately, nut also helps them become more immune to diseases over a period of time.
f. Include Soup in The Diet – This is applicable only if your baby has started consuming food items and solid foods. In that case, it is the best opportunity to introduce a tasty world of taste and health to them. You can make healthy and simple soups for them with the various vegetables and other options available during winter. This has a dual benefit. The child gets adequate protection against the cold weather with the warm soup as well as they get introduced to new flavors making them enjoy their meals.
g. Maintain Warm Temperature – As much as you try to protect your child with the warm water bath or covering up from head to toe, it is important to remember that as soon as you remove a piece of clothing, the child will be exposed to the cold weather. To avoid this, it is important to maintain a warm temperature at home. You can do this with the help of heaters but do not forget to use humidifiers, to keep the temperature-controlled and the moisture maintained, for your little one. Make sure they are not exposed to sudden temperature changes that may lead to exposure and cause them to fall sick.
Avoid Using Heavy Blankets – This particular point follows from our previous point of using layering, instead of one heavy blanket or cloth. What is important to understand for baby care during winters is the fact that as soon as you remove the heavy blanket or jacket, your child is at risk of sudden temperature change causing them to fall sick as their body temperature regulation is not fully developed yet. Thus, avoid this altogether and use multiple layers of clothes as well as bedsheets to give them better protection. It is better to wrap them up in warm clothes instead
