Even before the birth of a child, parents think about where to equip a place for the baby, how to put a crib, what you need to buy. An important issue is the determination of the “correct” parameters of temperature and humidity in the room where the small child will be. Many will now think that it will be about buying a heater or plastic windows for insulation. On the contrary, we’ll talk about how important clean, moist and cool air is for a child, and the negative effect on the baby’s body of excessive dryness and heat.
The temperature and humidity in the apartment where the baby is located should be such as to enhance the health of the child from birth.
After spending several days in the hospital, my mother notices that the thermometer in the ward is at around 22, or even 24 degrees, no devices like humidifiers can be seen anywhere. From this, she concludes: the warmer and drier, the better. Arriving home, she immediately seeks to turn on the heater, close all the windows and dress the baby warmer, so as not to become too cold. Maternity hospital - a place where there are many mothers and children. And each mother has her own concepts and principles. If the temperature in the wards is 18 degrees, then almost every woman in labor will complain that it is cold in the hospital, so the baby can get sick. So the health workers are trying to please such mummies, so that later there would be no complaints.
In fact, warm and dry air very negatively affects the child and does not add to his health. Everyone knows that local immunity is mucus that is produced in the nose and upper respiratory tract. It contains antibodies that actively fight viruses and bacteria that enter the body. If the mucus dries, the immune system weakens, and pathogens penetrate. The correct temperature and humidity in the room will help prevent mucus from drying out.
A small child is afraid of hypothermia, but overheating prevents him even more. High air temperature makes the child unable to lose heat through the lungs, so this process occurs through the skin. As a result of this, the child sweats, which contributes to the loss of water and minerals that he needs. The optimal temperature in the room where there is a child is 18-20 degrees. It is better to dress the baby warmer and make the temperature 18 ° C - let him breathe cool air.
The optimum humidity in the apartment is an important factor in maintaining the health and immunity of the child. Children who breathe dry air get sick more often and harder. What humidity should be in the apartment? Normal indicators are from 50 to 70%, the minimum acceptable limit is 40%. From this it follows that in every house where there is a small child, there should be a device that measures the humidity in the apartment. This device is called a hygrometer. If the air humidity in the apartment is less than permissible, which very often happens during the heating season and in the summer, you must purchase a humidifier.
Humidifiers come in different shapes and sizes, different designs and with different functions. There are humidifiers with built-in sensors that show the temperature and humidity in the apartment, with the function of steam heating, with ionization and other parameters. There are fairly simple and inexpensive models whose only function is to humidify the air.
If you are planning on having a baby, then a humidifier, a thermometer and a hygrometer are a list of necessary purchases. Providing the child with comfortable conditions, you will strengthen his health and increase resistance to disease. Do not listen to grandmothers and girlfriends who advise you to close all doors and turn on the heater - be guided by common sense and concern for the baby. Clean, cool and moist air in the room where the baby lives will provide him with a healthy sleep and well-being throughout the day.