It's no secret that hardening is very good for your health. The body of a seasoned child is better able to tolerate sudden changes in temperature, drafts and feet wet on a walk. However, many parents refuse reinforcing procedures, believing that for this it is necessary to pour ice water on the baby and run barefoot in the snow. And some, on the contrary, simply do not know how to harden a child.
Hardening is a complex of wellness procedures that help strengthen immunity. As a result, the children's body becomes more resistant to the adverse effects of various environmental factors. The basis of such useful procedures is the systematic training of the body by exposure to it of the same factors or their complex. Knowing how to temper the child correctly, you can very quickly achieve positive results. Regular strengthening procedures contribute to the gradual restructuring of thermoregulation processes, so that the baby’s body quickly adapts to environmental changes without harm to health.
How to start tempering a child?
First of all, parents need to try to ensure that the family has a friendly, relaxed atmosphere. Because quarrels and scandals in the presence of a child injure his fragile psyche, this can lead to neurosis. And this significantly weakens the body's defenses. No less important is the daily routine. If you do not observe the regime (allow not to sleep during the day, and play in the evening until late, replace outdoor walks with games in the room, overfeed with sweets), then the functions of all organs and systems of the child’s body cease to work properly. And this inevitably weakens the immune system.
Most parents wonder when to begin to strengthen the body, and not just how to temper the child. 1 year, 4-5 years and even 6-7 years is the age when you can still have a lot to do. Of course, those children whose parents were tempered from birth have strong immunity and are able to withstand various colds. However, age is not the main thing, the main thing here is regularity. Procedures that strengthen the immune system should be as natural a process as sleeping, eating, walking.
How to temper a child: basic recommendations
Hardening can be started regardless of the season.
A positive effect can be achieved only through systematic exercises. Without continued adherence to the regime, the results that have already been obtained are reduced.
A sharp increase in the duration and intensity of procedures is unacceptable, since hypothermia can only harm the children's body.
If the child is sick, hardening procedures can only be started after full recovery.
The most important thing: all procedures should bring the child only positive emotions.
Approximate schedule of procedures:
after waking up - air baths for 15 minutes, 7 minutes of them - gymnastics;
after - washing to the waist with water of 16-17 degrees, if you are just starting hardening - 27 degrees;
before and after morning washing - rinsing the throat with water: it is recommended to start from 36-33 degrees, reducing by 1 degree every 5 days, bringing the water temperature to 18-16 degrees.
The best time for sunbathing is 8-11 hours in the morning, the duration of exposure to the sun is 30 minutes. A hardened child can be washed with water with a cool shower. After a day's sleep, contrast foot baths are useful and can also be replaced by douche. At first, the water temperature should be 28 degrees, then gradually (reducing every 4 days) it should be brought to 16 degrees.
A good time for hardening procedures is morning and afternoon hours. During this period, children develop better reactions of adaptation to temperature fluctuations.
Systematicity, gradualness and caution are the main principles that will help both to temper the child and to establish his daily regimen.