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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 is 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 motor 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? nine0005

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. nine0005

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. nine0005

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! nine0005

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 they 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 go for walks 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 inhale the 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. nine0005

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. nine0005

Actually. An apartment will not protect against illnesses - dad, grandmother, mother herself can bring a 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. nine0005

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. nine0005

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. nine0005

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. nine0005

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). nine0005

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. nine0005

How to dress a 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. A cotton helmet is put on the head, on top of it - a woolen or the same fleece (or you can put on a “2 in 1” helmet). On the feet - socks, on the hands - mittens. Who is very scared - take a blanket (just in case). If the child is already walking, everything is the same, but instead of an envelope there will already be overalls and plus winter children's shoes. And no extra buttons, ties and everything that irritates both mother and child. Sleepsuits with comfortable buttons, jumpsuits (envelopes) with zippers, instead of a stuffy scarf, a hat-helmet will cover your neck, prickly wool is replaced by soft and pleasant fleece - you can get ready for a walk in such comfortable clothes, like in the army, in a few minutes! Before you go for a walk, you must first collect all the necessary things (napkins, nipples, toys), then get dressed yourself, and last but not least, dress the child (otherwise he will quickly become hot). nine0005

As you can see, walking in winter is easy and even very useful. So dress properly and go – towards nature and health!

How to walk with a newborn in winter

Features of thermoregulation in a newborn

Thermoregulation is the ability of the body to maintain a constant normal temperature. In newborns, this process becomes stable towards the end of the first year of life, and in the first months it works differently than in adults. nine0122