So the baby got sick, but canāt say anything. Just whimpers, eats badly. And sleeps the same way. Moreover, all the hot. What to do? We will talk about this in the article.
No panic!
The baby fell ill - this is already clear. Sluggish, moody, flushed ... Some mothers measure the temperature literally at the slightest hint of the malaise of the baby. Others simply press their lips to his forehead - and so determine the temperature. It turns out very approximately, of course.
But I wonder what body temperature in infants is considered normal? As such, it is customary to call numbers from 36.3 to 37.3. If the boy or girl is 37 and does not change for a long time, but there are no obvious indicators of the disease (the baby sleeps well, eats just fine), then do not panic. Several months will pass, and the thermoregulation of the child will begin to "work" correctly. Temperature will take a normal indicator.
The smallest
Here you brought your miracle from the hospital. Stacked in the crib. And he suddenly began to hiccup, his arms and legs turned blue. What is it? Just froze. In newborns, regulation of body temperature has not yet been established at all, because heat transfer prevails over its production. That's why babies are not at all difficult to overheat or to subcool.
The body temperature in infants (1 month old) should be 37 or 37.5 degrees. And in just a few days, she can start jumping from 36 to 37. Do not be alarmed. The familiar, ātraditionalā in 36.6 will appear in the child only by the end of the first year of life.
Thermoregulation in infants is still incomplete, so it instantly responds to all changes in air. Both in the apartment, and on the street. That's why the body temperature of the baby (2 months) is unstable until it reaches the age of three months. The child quickly overheated - and she jumped, then cooled - fell.
And there are several reasons for this (in addition to colds). Here the baby cried for a long time and became hot. Or his mother wrapped too warmly - again the thermometer shows above the norm. Or a baby who is less than one month old has colic, plus gas in his stomach. Here you have the temperature again.
While the small organism has not yet adapted to life outside the motherās tummy, it cannot cope with thermal stresses.
Another moment. If the baby is constantly swaddled, wrapped, and does not allow the calf to breathe at least a little in lightweight clothing, then the mechanisms of its heat exchange do not start. He, as they used to say, does not harden, it becomes unstable even to the slightest colds. For babies you need the most usual care: do not wear it either excessively warm or very easy. The golden mean is important here.
Do not part with a thermometer
Up to six months old, the baby needs to take temperature every day. This is certainly ideal. But hardly anyone will follow our advice - to run to the bed with a thermometer every morning. But you should not pay attention to anything either.
One young parents must understand: your immunity from your new family member has not yet gained strength. The thermal mechanism has not yet been fully formed. That is why the baby (up to six months) overheats so easily and quickly. And always - with an active game or a strong cry. A little breeze will blow, a draft will fly through - it is already supercooled.
But if you notice that the babyās lowered body temperature , for example, it dropped to 35, then the cause may be antipyretic drugs that you gave the baby the day before during the illness. And their effect just after recovery lasts for some more time. After all, the body of the kids is not the same as in adults.
Rare case
A similar symptom is not frequent. And although the low body temperature of the baby does not necessarily say that he was very ill, parents are obliged to pay attention to this anyway.
You also need to know that this can be seen in premature babies. Or in the children of the first two months of life, which can quickly cool off when the air is cold.
Also, the temperature tends to change over a cycle of 24 hours. A slight decline - at night, somewhere in 2-4 hours, when everyone is fast asleep.
In a situation where the baby was ill for a long time and seriously, the general weakness of his body also gives a decrease in temperature. Add here and anemia with vitamin deficiency. They also affect the thermoregulation of babies.
Itās different for everyone
To the question of what is the norm of body temperature in infants, there is no definite answer. It cannot be the same for all children, for each is individual. Indicators "float" from 36 to 38 degrees.
They also depend on where the temperature is measured. Other factors that are characteristic of both the development and physiology of a particular child also affect data.
If you want to know what your childās usual temperature is, youāll have to measure it several days in a row - in the morning, in the afternoon, and in the evening.
What does it depend on?
As we have already found out, normal body temperature in infants is usually from 36 to 37 degrees. And scientists, meanwhile, have established: even each organ has its own! So, in the liver - the highest. For other organs - a little lower. But the skin in the armpits is usually the hottest: (36-36.8 degrees).
On the neck - always lower than the norm of the body temperature in the baby. Only 34 degrees. This should also be remembered, because parents, it happens, take into account the one that was measured here, in the fold of the skin.
Very few degrees show the feet and hands of babies (24-28). In the mouth - a little higher compared with the armpit and rectum.
Also, the temperature fluctuates during the day. In children, the lowest occurs in the early morning (4-5 hours). And the highest is in 16-17. She jumps after eating, especially if there were meat dishes on the plate.
A well-fed, very excited peanut, always in motion, a few tenths of a degree, is always hotter than a child of apathetic, who does not like noisy games.
In healthy children (the first years of life), energy is in full swing. If they do not sleep, then they do not sit a minute in place: crawl, spin, run. And they accumulate a lot of heat. And they have a problem with heat dissipation. So they sweat a lot.
When to measure
Knowing what is the personal norm of the body temperature in the baby, parents can not abuse its measurement so often. This despite the fact that the baby does not have any hints of the disease. But if you see that the baby has subsided, eats poorly, is pale, his hands are chilly, shivering, then this is a signal that the temperature must be urgently measured.
Some mothers apply the lips to the forehead of the baby in the old, folk method. Of course, the method is proven, but very subjective. And with a chill, the baby does not say anything at all. Here we need an effective tool.
Most often, the situation when the norm of the body temperature in the baby is violated is the first sign of a cold or some kind of inflammatory disease. This means that a pediatrician should be called home immediately.
Thermometers are needed
To find out if the body temperature is normal in infants or not, parents most often use a traditional thermometer (mercury). Its main plus is accuracy. But the error is small - only 0.1 degrees.
There are also disadvantages. First of all, time. It must be kept for 7 minutes in the armpit and 5 minutes. - in a children's ass, which is a lot for a little egoza. He cannot stand such a long stay in stillness.
This thermometer is also unsafe. It is filled with mercury and requires very careful handling. So itās difficult to use it for a little man.
The electronic device is very convenient. In this case, you can measure the temperature in the mouth, armpit (but here the most inaccurate data) and rectally. It will take three minutes. In addition, there is a signal about the end of the measurement.
Such thermometers are also in the form of a dummy. Suitable only for babies who are still passionate about the pacifier.
The downside is that the electronic thermometer is slightly more erroneous compared to the mercury. Up to one degree. And also in it the battery needs to be changed.
The latest infrared is a good invention. It can be both non-contact and ear. The first instantly gives out how many degrees the patient has, it is only necessary to bring it to the baby. But he cannot boast of high accuracy. However, it is convenient if the child is moving.
And with the help of an earplug, you can quickly and simply see what the body temperature of infants is. Just five seconds is needed while the baby is sleeping. There is only one drawback - the thermometer is expensive.
There is also a disposable thermometer. It is presented in the form of stripes. They need to be applied to the babyās skin or taken under the tongue. Time is only a minute. True, their accuracy is not high. But they are essential on a trip.
How to do it
If the baby has already learned to sit a little, then take him to his knees. Place a thermometer under your arm. Hold the handle of the baby. Knowing what the body temperature of the baby should be, compare with the one on the thermometer.
If you have a baby, then you can put a thermometer on it only when it lies on its back. Lift its handle and then press the thermometer firmly against the body. After seven minutes you can watch.
Rectally also measure the temperature of the baby, many. Just do not forget to grease the tip of the thermometer with petroleum jelly or baby cream. Enter it very carefully, and no further than two centimeters. Slowly clean. Be sure to sanitize later.
And in the childās ear is also a good measure. Carefully enter the thermometer (ear), while slightly pulling back the earlobe and a drop - up. Insert the probe into the canal. Then take it out slowly.
Only calm!
Remember that you can measure the temperature of a tiny baby when he is calm. If before this the baby was actively moving, you swaddled him or he cried, then wait a bit. Let it calm down. And then - please do all the manipulations.
Do not forget that in the evening the temperature always rises slightly in any person. Therefore, if you know what the normal body temperature of the baby is, and in the morning it was just that, but you still suspect that the baby is sick, then be sure to measure it both during the day and before bedtime.
Do not show the child that you are very worried. Kids, including the smallest ones, always feel the motherās mood and adopt it. They will start acting up more, feel even more discomfort.
Be sure that everything will work out. The baby will recover if he is sick, and everything will be fine with you.