How long before you can take a newborn out

When Can Newborns Go Outside? Safety and More

Hello, fresh air and sunshine! Exiting the hospital with your new baby can be a magical moment. Unfortunately, it may also leave you with a sense of panic as you realize that your little one is now entering into the real world.

You may have heard from a friend or family member that newborns shouldn’t be outside for the first couple of months of their lives. Is this true? Should you really keep your baby inside for the first 6 to 8 weeks after birth?

If your anxiety is rising just thinking about this, don’t worry!

We understand that being a new parent can be overwhelming, so we’ve gone through the research to help answer all your questions about taking your newborn out and about for the first time.

Most pediatric health experts agree that babies can head outside right away, as long as you use basic safety precautions. (More on those to come, so keep calm and read on!)

Generally speaking, there’s no need to stay inside with your little one for the first 1 or 2 months of baby’s life if you both feel up to getting out. In fact, some fresh air and sunshine can benefit you both, thanks to vitamin D and mood-boosting benefits.

One exception to keep in mind, though, is that some doctors prefer you wait a bit before taking your little one into crowded spaces where they may be exposed to high levels of germs — especially during COVID-19 surges.

It is true that your newborn’s immune system is still developing and may struggle to fight off infections.

There are precautions you can take, though — like hand washing and physical distancing — to minimize the chance of your little one developing an illness.

For most infants, taking typical safety precautions while outside is sufficient to keep them safe.

In rare cases where your child has a health condition that makes their immune system particularly susceptible to germs, your doctor may advise you to take extra precautions. These can include staying at home during periods of specific concern.

If you’re ready to take your little one outside, you’ll want to make sure to follow appropriate safety measures. These include:

Dress them in weather-appropriate clothing

Double-check baby’s outfit to make sure it’s weather appropriate. You’ll probably also want to have a spare outfit or blanket packed, in case of an emergency change or if extra layers are needed.

A general rule of thumb is to dress your baby for the weather and then add one extra layer. You’ll want to check to make sure they’re comfortable throughout the outing as well.

Have a sun-protection plan

A little sunshine can be nice, but baby skin burns easier, so you’ll want to make sure that it’s covered with clothing and a sun hat or hidden in the shade.

Because infants are at a greater risk of sunscreen side effects, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the American Academy of Pediatrics recommend keeping infants in the shade and out of direct sunlight. However, in a pinch it may be OK to apply small amounts of sunscreen to exposed skin. Just consult with your pediatrician first if your baby is younger than 6 months old.

Avoid crowds

Crowded places like malls, airplanes, or pools mean that there’s more chances for germs to spread.

Especially in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, many experts encourage parents to avoid these places with their newborns.

If possible, it’s also best to avoid places like the grocery store and indoor restaurants where ventilation may be poor and you might have trouble physical distancing from other people.

Wash your hands — and make sure others do, too

Ensure that anyone who touches your baby has washed their hands. No one showing any symptoms of illness should come in contact with your newborn.

You may even wish to teach young siblings to touch only baby’s toes or back and not their hands or face. This may help reduce the risk of spreading germs.

Limit visitors

It might be hard to say no when well-meaning family and friends want to visit baby, but it’s good to limit who is allowed around your newborn.

Again, because of COVID-19, many experts are suggesting restricting visitors around you and your newborn until the pandemic improves.

Use a baby carrier

Babies can be irresistible! But wearing baby in a baby carrier rather than using a stroller can keep your little one close and help prevent other people from touching (or kissing!) them.

There are some times when you’ll want to think twice before loading baby into their car seat or stroller. You may wish to stay inside your home if:

Extreme weather conditions are occurring. Mail carriers may brave wind, snow, sleet, and hail, but your newborn should avoid extreme temperatures and being outside in bad air quality whenever possible.
Your child has a medical condition. If your newborn has special medical needs that leave them particularly susceptible to germs, you’ll want to consult with their doctor before taking them out and about.
It’s peak sunlight hours. The middle of the day can be an especially hard time to find shade and protect your baby’s skin. For this reason, you may wish to avoid excessive time outside when the sun is at its strongest.

If you do need to go outside with baby for any reason, especially in warmer weather and for longer periods of time, be sure to bring plenty of breast milk or formula to keep them hydrated.

Most doctors agree that there’s no need to wait until your baby is 1 or 2 months old to take them out and about. However, you also shouldn’t feel pressure to do it before you’re ready.

Newborn babies can seem so delicate, you might want to put them inside a bubble of protection (or at least never let them see sunlight).

The truth is some sun protection, weather-appropriate clothing, and distance from crowds will probably be enough to keep them safe.

If you have any questions about taking your newborn outside or if your infant has special medical circumstances to consider, you should never hesitate to speak with your child’s pediatrician.

When Can Newborns Go Outside? Safety and More

If your anxiety is rising just thinking about this, don’t worry!

We understand that being a new parent can be overwhelming, so we’ve gone through the research to help answer all your questions about taking your newborn out and about for the first time.

Most pediatric health experts agree that babies can head outside right away, as long as you use basic safety precautions. (More on those to come, so keep calm and read on!)

It is true that your newborn’s immune system is still developing and may struggle to fight off infections.

There are precautions you can take, though — like hand washing and physical distancing — to minimize the chance of your little one developing an illness.

For most infants, taking typical safety precautions while outside is sufficient to keep them safe.

If you’re ready to take your little one outside, you’ll want to make sure to follow appropriate safety measures. These include:

Dress them in weather-appropriate clothing

A general rule of thumb is to dress your baby for the weather and then add one extra layer. You’ll want to check to make sure they’re comfortable throughout the outing as well.

Have a sun-protection plan

A little sunshine can be nice, but baby skin burns easier, so you’ll want to make sure that it’s covered with clothing and a sun hat or hidden in the shade.

Avoid crowds

Crowded places like malls, airplanes, or pools mean that there’s more chances for germs to spread.

Especially in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, many experts encourage parents to avoid these places with their newborns.

If possible, it’s also best to avoid places like the grocery store and indoor restaurants where ventilation may be poor and you might have trouble physical distancing from other people.

Wash your hands — and make sure others do, too

Ensure that anyone who touches your baby has washed their hands. No one showing any symptoms of illness should come in contact with your newborn.

You may even wish to teach young siblings to touch only baby’s toes or back and not their hands or face. This may help reduce the risk of spreading germs.

Limit visitors

It might be hard to say no when well-meaning family and friends want to visit baby, but it’s good to limit who is allowed around your newborn.

Again, because of COVID-19, many experts are suggesting restricting visitors around you and your newborn until the pandemic improves.

Use a baby carrier

Babies can be irresistible! But wearing baby in a baby carrier rather than using a stroller can keep your little one close and help prevent other people from touching (or kissing!) them.

There are some times when you’ll want to think twice before loading baby into their car seat or stroller. You may wish to stay inside your home if:

Extreme weather conditions are occurring. Mail carriers may brave wind, snow, sleet, and hail, but your newborn should avoid extreme temperatures and being outside in bad air quality whenever possible.
Your child has a medical condition. If your newborn has special medical needs that leave them particularly susceptible to germs, you’ll want to consult with their doctor before taking them out and about.
It’s peak sunlight hours. The middle of the day can be an especially hard time to find shade and protect your baby’s skin. For this reason, you may wish to avoid excessive time outside when the sun is at its strongest.

If you do need to go outside with baby for any reason, especially in warmer weather and for longer periods of time, be sure to bring plenty of breast milk or formula to keep them hydrated.

Most doctors agree that there’s no need to wait until your baby is 1 or 2 months old to take them out and about. However, you also shouldn’t feel pressure to do it before you’re ready.

Newborn babies can seem so delicate, you might want to put them inside a bubble of protection (or at least never let them see sunlight).

The truth is some sun protection, weather-appropriate clothing, and distance from crowds will probably be enough to keep them safe.

If you have any questions about taking your newborn outside or if your infant has special medical circumstances to consider, you should never hesitate to speak with your child’s pediatrician.

When can you walk with a newborn and what time is it

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When can you walk with a newborn if he was born in the summer?
When to start walking with a newborn if he was born in winter?
When can I go for the first walk with a newborn if he was born in spring or autumn?
How long can you walk with a newborn?
What are the dangers of walking with newborns?
How to dress a baby for a walk?
How to make sure that the baby is comfortable on a walk?

Many mothers imagine how they will walk with their baby even during pregnancy. And they have everything ready for this: a stroller is waiting, a lot of tiny clothes have been bought for all occasions, routes have been chosen. It remains only to understand when you can go for the first walk with a newborn and how long it should be. The answers to these questions depend on the season and some other factors.

At first glance, this question seems strange and illogical. "What do you mean why? It's useful!" many will exclaim. But what exactly is the benefit of going outside with a tiny child? Let's deal with this, and it will become easier for us to decide on the main thing - when to go for the first walk with a newborn.

Is it true that on a walk the baby gets new impressions and broadens his horizons? Yes, but not in the first month of life, when the child understands little, sees poorly and sleeps almost all the time. Maybe the street hardens the body of the crumbs? Also not: the thermoregulation of the newborn is imperfect ¹, and he does not know how to adequately respond to the challenges of the external environment. It turns out that walking with newborns has only one benefit - to breathe fresh air. But can't you ensure fresh air in the apartment by regularly airing the children's room?

What temperature for a baby to maintain at home - read here.

Walking in the first month after the hospital does not give the baby any advantages for physical and mental development. Perhaps, the mother, who is tired of sitting within four walls, is more interested in them, she wants to get a little distracted from the domestic routine. So the question is not at what age the baby needs to walk, but when his mother will finally be able to go outside without worrying about the child's health.

If you don't want to go for a walk in the first month, you don't have to. But if you can't wait to arrange a debut "going out" for your baby, we will give you some recommendations.

When can you walk with a newborn if he was born in the summer?

Summer is the most favorable time for walking. It's warm and sunny outside, so I really want to introduce the baby to the world. When, finally, can a newborn walk after the maternity hospital, if the weather is wonderful outside? Take your time, wait at least 7 days before the first exit to the street.

In the meantime, settle down at home and set up a schedule. How to create home comfort for the baby, we tell here.

Good to know

Drive away annoying flies and mosquitoes from the body and especially from the open face of the baby. If insects are very annoying, use a mosquito net. Some strollers already have it in the kit, for others you can buy it separately.

Remember that the bright summer sun, which pleases the baby's parents so much, can be dangerous for him ² . Do not go out for a walk during the day when the air is very hot and the walls of the stroller instantly become hot. Go for the first walk with your newborn in the morning or in the evening when it's not so hot outside. And for now, make sure that direct sunlight does not fall on the skin of the crumbs.

When to start walking with a newborn if he was born in winter?

The answer to the question on what day they walk with a newborn in winter depends heavily on the weather. Firstly, you should not go outside if the thermometer drops below -10 °C. It is desirable to take into account both humidity and wind, i.e. pay attention not only to the actual temperature, but also to the “feels like” item in the weather forecast. Secondly, do not go for a walk if there is heavy snow on the street, especially with a stroller: rolling it along uncleaned paths is still a pleasure. Thirdly, wait out the ice at home: you should not tempt fate when there is a risk of falling yourself and dropping the child.

Good to know

Often, on winter walks, mothers cover their babies' faces with a scarf. This is the wrong decision: the moisture in the exhalations of the crumbs condenses on the tissue, which makes it cold and wet, and the skin can freeze faster. Do not worry, the respiratory system of the baby is able to cope with frosty air.

If the weather is favorable to you, you can go outside with your baby a couple of weeks after arriving from the hospital. But if it goes bad in the next days, stay at home. Walking with newborns is not a training course that cannot be interrupted.

When can I go for the first walk with a newborn if he was born in spring or autumn?

The weather in the off-season is deceptive, and this is its main danger: when you left the entrance, it was warm and sunny, until you reached the park - the sky was overcast, and the wind picked up. Walking with newborns at this time requires special preparation. Dress your child so that you can quickly remove one layer of clothing if it gets warmer. Take a blanket with you in case it suddenly gets cold. The first exit to the street can be planned in a week and a half after the birth of the baby.

Good to know

There are special rain covers for prams, and this is a very useful invention for walking in the off-season. But remember: a raincoat is just an emergency measure against unexpected bad weather, which will allow you to run to the entrance. you can’t walk for a long time under a raincoat - it creates the effect of a greenhouse in the stroller, increasing the temperature, humidity and limiting the flow of fresh air.

Evaluate the weather soberly! don't go for a walk if it's nasty autumn rain outside. Stay at home if spring streams are flowing along your favorite walking paths. Remember that you need to take care not only about the well-being of the baby, but also about the health of his mother. If you miss a few exits to the street, nothing bad will happen. But if you go for a walk against all the elements, and then get sick, many things can be at risk, in particular breastfeeding.

How long can you walk with a newborn?

You should not immediately go outside for a long time. The first walk with a newborn should last no more than 15 minutes in summer or in good weather in spring and autumn. In winter, it is better to start with 5 minutes. Gradually increase your walking time by 10-15 minutes.

Good to know

At first, your exits to the street will be very short. You can spend more time rolling out and preparing the stroller, putting the baby in it, and then putting it back "into the parking lot" than on the walk itself. To solve this problem, temporarily abandon the stroller and take the baby outside in a sling.

Do not listen to advice that there is a minimum duration of walks that must be observed. Walk as much as you feel comfortable! some mothers go out with the baby for only an hour, others make a couple of exercises a day for a total duration of three hours or more. Choose a mode that is comfortable for you and your child.

In bad weather, walks with newborns can be transferred from the street to the balcony. For the first few “walks”, do not leave the baby, later you can start leaving him alone on the balcony under the supervision of a baby monitor. When the child learns to roll over, walks on the balcony should be stopped - he may fall out of the stroller.

What are the dangers of walking with newborns?

Thinking about the benefits of walking, many mothers forget that they carry a number of dangers:

Subcooling or overheating. Due to the wrong choice of clothes, a sudden change in weather and other factors, the baby may freeze or overheat. Be sure to check how your baby is feeling every 10 minutes.
Sleep disturbance. During walks, children often sleep. Quite crumbs fall into "anabiosis" due to unusual temperature and increased oxygen concentration, but later the baby may develop a conditioned reflex: sleep requires a street and a slight swaying. This situation is potentially dangerous in that it will be difficult for the child to be put to bed at home, and he will begin to give you sleepless nights. Make sure this doesn't happen. When walking with a grown-up little one, communicate with him more, and strictly observe the sleep schedule at home.
Difficulties with feeding. Newborns often want to eat, and doing it outside can be problematic, especially in winter. Plan walks between feedings, and if you fed the baby right before going out, do not forget to give him the opportunity to burp.
Difficulty changing a diaper. Changing a diaper on the street today is not a problem. Just tear the side seam, remove and close the used diaper, wipe baby's skin with wet huggies, then put on a new diaper. But this scheme only works in good weather in summer. You can't change your baby's clothes when it's cold outside!

If during a walk you see that the child is naughty, crying, feels bad, do not torture the baby and return home. Even if they didn’t walk until the allotted time.

How to dress a baby for a walk?

For the previous nine months, the baby lived in a warm and, most importantly, constant climate. He had nowhere to practice thermoregulation, and now it is difficult to cope with temperature changes from room to street. So you have to help him with this. When going for a walk with a newborn, follow the following rules:

Dress your baby in layers, and it is always better to choose two thin ones instead of one thick one. If the child overheats, simply remove the outermost clothing. And in case the baby gets cold, take a blanket with you - it will become a spare layer.
Don't wrap your baby too much. To ensure the necessary comfort on a walk, follow a simple formula: the child should have one layer more clothes than his mother. Do not forget that the envelope and the stroller cover also count.
Going for a walk with a newborn, some mothers carefully dress the baby, and then begin to pack themselves. Do not do this: when the baby lies in street clothes in a warm apartment, he quickly overheats.

How do you make sure your baby is comfortable on a walk?

Many mothers and, it seems to us, all grandmothers without exception are very afraid that the baby will freeze. At the same time, they usually do not have the fear that the baby will be hot. But in vain: overheating is more dangerous for the child's body than hypothermia.

On the first and subsequent walks with the newborn, periodically check how he feels. It is completely pointless to touch the nose or forehead of the crumbs - the temperature of open areas of the body is highly dependent on weather conditions. There is a more reliable way: put your hand under the baby’s clothes (if it’s cold outside, warm your hand first) and touch the back of his neck:

Cabbage Rule

Dress your baby in layers, and it is always better to choose two thin ones instead of one thick one. If the child overheats, simply remove the outermost clothing. And in case the baby gets cold, take a blanket with you - it will become a spare layer.
+1 layer rule

Don't wrap your baby too much. To ensure the necessary comfort on a walk, follow a simple formula: the child should have one layer more clothes than his mother. Do not forget that the envelope and the stroller cover also count.
"Mom gets dressed first" rule

Going for a walk with a newborn, some mothers carefully dress the baby, and then begin to pack themselves. Do not do this: when the baby lies in street clothes in a warm apartment, he quickly overheats.

Links to sources:

Warmth and Temperature Regulation. Link: https://www.chop.edu/conditions-diseases/warmth-and-temperature-regulation
Sun-Safe Babies. Link: https://www.skincancer.org/blog/sun-safe-babies/

Let's go for a walk! - articles from the specialists of the clinic "Mother and Child"

WHY SHOULD YOU WALK?

Purely theoretically, all parents understand that walking means fresh air and health, but let's look at what gives us the exit from a warm apartment or house. By and large, any walk is a contact with nature (unless, of course, walking not along busy streets, but at least in a park) and an attempt to get away from the harmful factors of civilization. What does it mean? Each city apartment (and a country house too) accumulates a huge amount of harmful substances. First of all, it is dust and a variety of allergens (particles of household chemicals, varnishes, paints), which are always found in furniture, books, carpets and, in general, in any items of our house. Plus all that street rubbish that flies through the windows if it's a city apartment. But there is no or very little fresh air in our homes, because in winter it is difficult to keep the windows open and constantly ventilate the room. There is no sunlight in our homes - useful UV radiation, which is necessary for the growth of all living things. And finally, sitting at home, we sharply limit our physical activity. Therefore, it is clear that everyone, including children, needs to go out into the fresh air and walk. Of course, walking in summer is more pleasant than in winter: it's warm, the birds are singing, the grass is green, the flowers are blooming, it somehow becomes immediately clear that walking is both pleasant and useful. What about in winter? Cold, snow, monotonous landscape - all this is uncomfortable, so what is the use of winter walks?

WHAT A WINTER WALK WILL GIVE A CHILD:

1. Health. In cold weather, the air becomes cleaner and more oxygenated, and all the dust is trapped in the snow. Fresh air will cleanse the lungs of everything that the baby inhales in the apartment, the mucous membranes of the respiratory tract will begin to work better, and the blood and, accordingly, all organs will be enriched with oxygen. Walking, the child will grow better and physically develop.

2. Hardening. The air temperature during a walk in winter is significantly different from the air temperature in the room - all this will harden the baby's body.

3. Vitamin D. In winter there is very little sun and a walk is the only opportunity for a child to get a "portion" of ultraviolet radiation. Namely, under its influence, our body produces vitamin D, which is necessary for the prevention of rickets. Of course, in order to prevent rickets, it will be necessary not only to walk, but still it is worth taking advantage of this simple and natural “medicine”.

4. Physical activity. Walking in winter, when we are wearing a lot of clothes, especially if we move actively, we spend more effort and energy. The baby also spends it, even if he just moves his legs along the road, digs snow, rolls over a snowdrift or rolls down a hill with his parents. So a winter walk willy-nilly gives us physical activity, and it in turn stimulates the work of the cardiovascular and immune systems. It turns out that again there are health benefits.

5. Development and socialization. On the street, the world is completely different than in an apartment or house familiar to a child. It is full of all sorts of amazing things for children: it is snowing or the sun is shining, a dog is running, a crow is croaking, a car is passing by. Moreover, all this changes very quickly: the baby sees a new picture all the time and receives new information, studies the properties of different objects. While walking, children learn to establish different connections: the dog barks, the bird flies, and the snow is white and beautiful. Plus communication with other children and new contacts. Well, yes, in the warm season there are more street entertainments, but do not sit in the apartment until the snow melts!

Of course, not all of these factors will work on every walk: the sun does not always shine, and as for infants, they often sleep outside and do not have any movement and special acquaintance with the outside world. But winter walks give health and hardening for sure, unless, of course, walking in the fresh air, and not along gassed streets or shops full of people.

WHY THEY DO NOT WALK

True, no matter how much they talk about the benefits of winter walks, anyway, at this time of the year, many mothers and fathers with their children do not walk or walk rarely or for a short time. Adults understand that this is wrong, but the reasons for staying at home seem convincing to them. What Parents Assure Themselves:

The child will get sick in the cold. This is a typical horror story, which is especially loved by mothers and grandmothers: they say that the child will breathe air in the cold and he will start coughing, runny nose or sore throat . But cold air does not cause illness - this is a myth.

Actually. A person gets sick from bacteria or viruses, not from cold. On the contrary, many viruses die in the cold, so walking in sub-zero temperatures is safer than in positive ones. Another thing is that hypothermia (frozen feet, for example) can contribute to the fact that a virus or microbe that has entered the body begins to develop. Well, it (hypothermia) simply should not be allowed.

There are only infections in the street . Now, when a flood of various negative information has hit us, in particular about all sorts of viruses and diseases, many anxious mothers are generally afraid to go outside with a small child once again. Especially in the first weeks and even months after childbirth if the child was born in autumn and winter. It is believed that a baby can be sneezed on the street, or a virus will remain in the entrance after a sick person, and the child will pick it up. The endless media horror stories about new and horrific strains of the flu, the daily news about severe complications from illness, and other horror stories only add fuel to the fire. So mothers with a child sit at home all winter and walk only on the balcony.

Actually. An apartment won't protect you from diseases - dad, grandmother, mom herself can bring the virus into the house: a family does not live in complete isolation from the world. But a walk in the fresh air, on the contrary, will strengthen health and immunity.

Walking in winter is so difficult and boring. In winter, you have to dress for a long time: first by yourself, and then dress the child in several layers of clothing. And you need to dress according to the weather, otherwise you will quickly freeze and have to return. The question is: why did they leave at all? And you also have to not forget anything (the same mittens), otherwise, again, you have to return home, and this is always inconvenient with a small child. In addition, many babies do not tolerate the dressing process well: they scream so much that it is easier to spit on a walk and stay at home. It’s cold in winter, you can’t sit on a bench with a stroller, you can’t read a book, you have to walk all the time. Plus, many parents are generally bored with walking with a stroller or by the hand with a child, even if the weather is good and the baby is calm.

Actually. These are all excuses and banal laziness. Today, there are so many high-tech and comfortable clothes (for both adults and children) that you can dress for a walk easily and comfortably. Children very quickly get used to the process of dressing or simply put up with it. If you try a little, then even in a walk with a stroller you can find something interesting (listen to audio books, music, communicate in the company of the same mothers).

The child will freeze or overheat . In winter, you need to put a lot of clothes on the baby, and it’s difficult to understand exactly whether the legs are cold or, on the contrary, whether the baby has mated.

Actually . Usually, parents dress the child so warmly that he definitely does not freeze. Even if the baby is in the stroller, you can always feel his arms and legs and determine if they are cold. Much more often, a child is hot on a walk, and you can find out about this by his appearance and behavior. The baby's face turns red, he begins to worry (naughty or crying), asks for water. Then you need to put your hand behind the baby's collar and feel his back (whether she was sweating).

The child will want to eat, but in winter you will not breastfeed . Therefore, it is better not to go out for a walk, especially since if you go out, you still won’t leave for a long time.

Actually . The child can be fed before the walk. Then you are guaranteed to have 1–1.5 hours to go outside and get some fresh air. And this is quite enough for a winter walk. In general, on the street in winter, children quickly fall asleep and then sleep for a very long time. So there is usually enough time to walk between feedings.

Bad weather in winter - if not a blizzard, then ice, if not frost, then slush.

Actually. Bad weather in winter, if a person does not really live in difficult climatic conditions, still happens infrequently. Blizzards do not sweep all winter, and severe colds are replaced by a light and pleasant frost, so most often the same parental laziness is hidden under the words “bad weather”. Or the lack of habits of a healthy lifestyle and walks in particular. Plus, at home we are anchored by the usual benefits: a soft sofa, TV, computer.

It turns out that there are no particularly serious reasons not to walk in the winter with a child. But here, too, it is necessary to observe the measure. You don’t have to perform feats and walk for the sake of the baby’s health if you don’t have the strength, the food for yourself or your husband is not ready, the weather is bad outside, or something just went wrong today. Nothing bad will happen if the child stays at home for one or even a couple of days. But as soon as the weather improves and strength appears, we must go outside. But what about the balcony? To be honest, everyone understands that a walk on a balcony is not the same as a walk in a park or forest. This is a way out for those who live in a house without an elevator, who don’t even have a public garden nearby, if it’s very cold and bad weather outside, their mother feels unwell or is very busy with household chores or work.

GOING OUTSIDE

When to start. If a child was born in winter or cold spring or autumn, then in the first days after birth, he does not need to walk. And not only because it's cold outside, it's just that the baby needs to first adapt to the outside world, and he and his mother need to enter a new rhythm of life. In general, the opinions of pediatricians about when to start walking with a newborn differ. Some doctors believe that a healthy child can be taken outside in winter already a week after birth, others recommend walking from the 10-14th day of life, and others generally advise waiting up to three to four weeks. Here it will be necessary to look at everything: the weight of the child (underweight children are advised to start walking later in winter), his condition, the weather, the possibilities of the family (mother may not have the strength, dad works, and there are no grandmothers nearby).

At what temperature and how long to walk. Here, too, you need to focus on the weather. Doctors recommend taking a newborn out for the first walk if the temperature outside the window is not lower than minus 5 ºС. At first, you can not even go outside, but “walk” with a dressed baby in a room with a wide open window or sit on the balcony. Then go out with the baby from the house holding him in his arms, and then walk in the stroller.

Every day the walk is increased by about 5–10 minutes, and it turns out that after going outside for an average of 10 days, by a month a child can already walk for an hour, and then 1.5–2 hours. But here again it is necessary to look at the climate. It can be 0 ºС or even plus on the street, but a strong north wind will blow - walking in such weather is unpleasant and not necessary. Or maybe the frost is below minus 15 ºС, and the day will be sunny, the weather will be mild - then the numbers on the thermometer will not interfere with taking a walk in the fresh air.

How to dress your child . As mentioned earlier, with clothes now everything is simple. Woolen leggings that still need to be pulled on, numerous handkerchiefs under a hat, heavy children's fur coats, one socks, and on top of the second socks, scarves so as not to blow, and other grandmother's tricks for warmth are a thing of the past. It's simple: a child walks in a stroller - cotton overalls (slip) to the body, fleece on top, and then overalls or an envelope with insulation.