When to start doing air baths. Air baths and fresh air. The benefits of air hardening for the baby’s body

The benefits of air hardening for the baby’s body

Hardening is not a treatment method, it is a preventative action, but if you adhere to this method of combating various colds, then parents can safely expect that their children will have high endurance and a strong immune system.

The specificity of the method of hardening a baby from a very early age with air procedures leads to the development by the body of a stable protective factor in relation to various types harmful bacteria and infections.

Method of air procedures for newborns: how and for how long to harden?

Experts advise that before carrying out hardening procedures for infants, you should familiarize yourself with the basic principles of their effect on the child’s body. Before starting the course, doctors advise you to Special attention on the following factors:

• Individual characteristics and approach.
• Sequence of procedures.
• Systematic implementation with a gradual increase in impact factors.
• Mixing general principles hardening with local ones.
• Gradual adaptation to new types of loads during hardening of newborns with air baths.

Airing the apartment

The beginning of the hardening course for newborns is the ventilation of the rooms in which they are located. If the baby does not have individual prohibitions, regardless of the season, the room should be systematically ventilated. If it is too cold outside (from -100C), you only need to use the window, opening it for 15-20 minutes, monitoring the air temperature in the room. Experts advise ventilating rooms in the following format:

• For newborns whose doctors have declared them absolutely healthy, ventilation of the premises should be carried out 3-4 times a day with an increase in procedures up to 7-9 times.
• For children who have minor health problems, ventilation is performed 2-3 times a day. After the child’s health is fully restored, the number of procedures increases.
• For babies who have colds with the threat of becoming chronic, hardening is carried out in a gentle manner: at the time of ventilation, the baby is taken out of the room, and returned when the window (window) is closed. In the future, the number of procedures is gradually increased and with obvious improvements, they are brought to the standards that apply to healthy children.

In all cases, initially, during ventilation, the temperature drop in the room where the newborn is located should not fall by more than 3-4 degrees. Later, if the baby responds well to the technique, the premises are ventilated for a longer period.

Babies who begin this type of hardening from birth have virtually no problems with hypothermia in the future. When entering nurseries, kindergartens, schools and other children's institutions, where special attention is paid to ventilation, hardened children suffer from colds much less often than the category of children who are usually called “greenhouse children”.

Indoor naked air baths

Gradually, moving on to other procedures with the help of which the child’s body is hardened, specialists pay special attention to air baths, when the baby is completely undressed and allowed to remain in this position for some time. What are the benefits of such procedures and why this particular method of hardening is recommended for infants from the very first days after birth:

• The baby becomes less susceptible to infections and colds.
• Thermoregulation in children who are hardened by taking naked air baths is noticeably improved: children do not become capricious when the temperature changes, their behavior is calm, after the procedures the child remains active, but at the same time his sleep is calm.
• The baby's skin has better protection in relation to lesions of the dermis and diseases that bother babies during this period: prickly heat, diaper dermatitis and others.
• Children are calm, nervous breakdowns are not noticeable in their behavior, and they are more active in their development.
• Children have a good appetite.

Initially, naked hardening comes down to briefly undressing a newborn at the time of changing diapers. As a rule, 2-4 minutes is enough for the child to get used to such procedures within a week. Further, the child can be undressed more often, played with him, and performed gymnastic exercises to develop the muscular and skeletal system. After the first three months, the duration of procedures can be increased to 15 minutes, with the room temperature lowered to 18-200C.

Winter walks

Babies born in the summer are allowed to walk in the fresh air almost from the first days of birth. The main condition for mothers is the correct selection of clothes, ensuring that the newborn is not too hot, but at the same time, he is not exposed to drafts.

In non-frosty winters, when the temperature drop does not exceed -50C, already in the 2nd week of life, mothers can take their babies outside for short walks in the fresh air. The first winter walks should take place in places where there are no strong drafts, accumulations of dust and other aggressive factors, for a period of no more than 15 minutes. Gradually increasing the time spent outside, already in the first 3 months of life, the baby can be in the fresh air from 30 to 50 minutes.

Walks in the fresh air should gradually increase in length of stay: for 6-month-old infants, 2-3 outings per day from 1 to 1.5 hours is the norm. During walks, mothers should provide their children with a comfortable stay in the fresh air: choose the right clothes, if necessary, use a blanket and other things so that the child does not freeze, but at the same time he does not feel too hot.

How can you determine that a newborn has the right set of warm clothes and that he benefits from walks in the fresh air:

• The child is not capricious and actively reacts to toys suspended in the stroller.
• The baby quickly falls asleep, his breathing is even.
• After returning from a walk, all the baby’s things are dry, the baby’s skin is not sweaty and at the same time pink.

The question: how long can you walk with a baby is quite difficult to answer. If during sleep a child develops a bluish color under the eyes and on the cheeks, the nose becomes cold, the child constantly tosses and turns - all the signs of hypothermia are on the face.

Sleeping in the fresh air

The most useful moment of walking in the fresh air for a baby is napping. That is why, for the first months of the baby’s life, parents are recommended to buy strollers of a format in which the baby can feel comfortable while sleeping during walks.

Young mothers often ask children's doctors the question: why does the child spin around indoors during sleep, often roll over, and during walks falls asleep almost instantly and at the same time, his breathing is even, his complexion is pink, and the newborn himself is active and cheerful after such rest. Fresh air, especially if walks are carried out in places where there is no dust, no loud noise, for example in a park, gardens, squares, it is very beneficial for the body. At the moment of sleep, the baby is fully rested: his breathing is even and at the same time the child practically does not react to extraneous sounds. If opportunities for walking are limited, experts recommend using balconies and loggias, putting the baby to bed for a nap, opening one of the windows completely, while making sure there are no drafts. In this case, the walking procedure should be regular and at approximately the same time.

Contraindications for taking air baths for infants

Despite all the advantages of air baths, there are a number of contraindications that temporarily or completely prohibit such procedures.

• The presence of elevated temperature during the acute stage of colds.
• Negative reaction of the baby.
• Infectious diseases.
• Deterioration of the baby's health: loss of weight, loss of appetite.
• The presence of genetic diseases that have become chronic.
• Prematurity.

If positive changes occur in the baby’s body with age, then only after specialists give permission can you gradually accustom the baby to the change temperature regime by hardening method.

The hardening procedure using air baths has been known for a long time. It's lightweight and effective method increase protective forces your body and strengthen weakened immunity.

Fresh air helps everyone relieve fatigue, gives strength and energy, so taking air procedures is very beneficial for a person. Air baths contribute to the hardening of not only children’s but also adults’ bodies. Short-term effects on bare skin sunlight and air has a beneficial effect on health. Today there is treatment with air baths according to different methods. This method is so effective that it is recommended even for a newborn baby.

The air is saturated with oxygen, phytoncides and other substances, and the skin happily absorbs all these useful elements when we take baths. IN modern world There are always layers of clothing on the skin, between which a layer of air with a certain temperature is formed. When people take air procedures on outdoors, then the body temperature changes, which contributes to effective hardening.

Proper intake of air baths

They take air baths to harden and invigorate themselves, but during the procedures you must follow the basic rules:

• create cozy place for taking them outdoors;
• It is best to completely remove clothes;
• You can take baths in a shaded, quiet place, for example, under a wide tree.

Air baths according to air temperature are divided into cold, cool, warm temperature and hot. For such procedures, the body is exposed gradually, and for the first time you need to take warm look baths, not lower than 20°C. If you perform a healthy ritual of taking a bath in the fresh air every morning, the results will not be long in coming.

The first session should last no more than 10 minutes, and then the time is gradually increased, even up to two hours. After such an aeroprocedure it will be very effective regular bath, contrast shower, as well as swimming in a river or pool in the warm season. The time of the preventive or therapeutic measure is gradually increased to 30 minutes.

We take air baths while sitting, lying down or standing. You can start a useful session outside in warm weather, but no more than half an hour. It is best to gradually harden yourself at home, and when your body gets used to it, go out into the fresh street air.

It is recommended to lie quietly on a hard surface for 10 minutes after taking a bath. When the first appointments are completed and the body gets used to the new procedures, you can combine them with morning exercises. If we take baths constantly, our immunity will increase and we will have more strength for everyday worries.

It is best to take air baths in courses over three months. For effective treatment of some diseases, experts advise using health measures for one year. All hardening methods are calculated on average, so it is important not to forget about your inner feelings and emotions. If weakness suddenly appears, then you need to stop the hardening session.

Contraindications

1. Air baths are prohibited during acute periods of illness, when high temperature body, weakened patients, with lung diseases.
2. If it is foggy or raining outside, there is also no need to do aero procedures.
3. Air prophylaxis is not recommended for women during menstruation.
4. If a person feels unwell or becomes weak when exposed to fresh air, he should stop taking baths.

But if " goose bumps“or slight dizziness should not be alarmed, because the body usually reacts this way when we take air procedures for the first time.

The benefits of air baths for newborns

Simple and at the same time effective method is taking baths for newborns. From the first day a child is born, parents have the opportunity to carry out hardening using this method. The air temperature should be maintained at least 23°, but over time it can be lowered. At one year old, children can safely undress at 20°C. We take baths outside or in another convenient place, but it is better to first harden the kids inside the living room.

You need to carefully monitor the temperature, and if it increases, then ventilate the room where the baby sleeps.

When the newborn’s body gets stronger and the first hardening measures are completed, you can take a walk at the same time as taking air and sunbathing. The baby may be wearing clothes that will not interfere with the health procedure. You should start walking with a few minutes winter time, and in the summer, walk in the fresh air for about 30 minutes twice a day.

The weather should be warm, without wind and scorching summer sun. Long walks in the sun are prohibited for young children, and it is still better to take baths in shaded places. It is necessary to ensure that the babies stop crying and being capricious at this time, otherwise the procedures are stopped.

Such hardening of a newborn with air procedures is the easiest and most accessible action aimed at strengthening the immune system. Children take baths with pleasure and then sleep much more peacefully.

Benefits of taking healing baths

Fresh air affects the skin nerve endings by changing temperature, and through it, all systems of human internal organs, especially the respiratory and cardiac systems. The elasticity of the skin increases, and at the same time its functioning and thermoregulatory functions are improved.

Air baths are very relaxing after everyday life, as well as after a tiring mental or physical labor. You need to take baths to instantly lift your mood and cheer up your spirit.

One of the main functions of the procedures is hardening, which increases resistance to various infectious diseases. For excellent prevention of colds, people of all ages take them. If you add rubdown to them cold water and regular physical exercise, their effectiveness will increase significantly.

>>> Air baths and Fresh air

Some scientists compare the importance of air for humans with the importance of water for fish. There is a lot of fairness in this comparison. Neither a person can live without air, nor a fish without water. Based on this, according to some biologists, air baths are much more beneficial for humans than bathing in cold water. If you want to know more about this, read our article.

Air baths perfectly regulate work nervous system. If you come home from work in a tense and irritated state, take an air bath. You will be surprised, but in a few minutes the tension will pass, your mood will improve, and you will sleep better at night. It also turns out that air baths normalize blood pressure and help improve the condition of the heart and blood vessels.

What is the secret of the healing qualities of air? By taking an air bath, we allow the skin to breathe. It is very important. After all, for days on end the skin is hidden under many layers of clothing, with virtually no oxygen being supplied. And everyone knows that the skin also absorbs oxygen.

In addition, under clothing the air temperature is almost the same, it is approximately twenty-seven degrees. When you take off your clothes, your skin suddenly experiences lower temperatures. This is a wonderful exercise for blood vessels.

Doctors call air baths the most in a gentle way hardening It is recommended to be used even for hardening newborn babies. Such procedures cannot cause any harm, and they are easy to perform. To take an air bath you don’t need anything at all.

You can take an air bath completely naked, then it is a general air bath. And if you expose only your torso or legs, then it will be a partial air bath.

Air baths are divided by temperature. They can be lukewarm - more than twenty-two degrees, cool - from seventeen to twenty degrees and cold - below sixteen degrees.

You can take air baths while lying down, sitting or moving. Most useful way– this, of course, is in motion. To get results from an air bath, you need to take off your clothes very quickly. As soon as you feel that you are shivering, if your skin turns blue or becomes pimply, get dressed immediately.

After an air bath, you should immediately put on clothes that are a little warmer than you usually wear in such weather. Clothes should be slightly warmed up, but under no circumstances should you allow yourself to overheat or sweat. In addition, it is useful to lie down on a hard surface with a cushion under your head for a few minutes.

It is preferable to take air baths immediately before sunrise. But if you like to sleep longer, try to complete the procedure before ten o’clock in the morning. The course of procedures is one month daily, then three days of rest, and then again repeat a month of procedures. This treatment should be carried out for up to three months in a row, but if you have a diseased liver or other internal organs, then perhaps you should take more air baths long time. If you are relatively healthy, then the duration of the first procedures can be up to half an hour at a temperature of fifteen to twenty degrees. You can add ten minutes every day until you reach two hours.

It is not advisable to carry out air baths in windy weather. This can trigger colds. Especially if you have just started hardening. It is very easy to get sick if you take air baths at low temperatures, and even at high humidity. In case of precipitation or fog, as well as strong wind Air baths should not be performed outdoors.

If you carry out air baths indoors, then these are so-called contrast air baths. First you undress and open the windows - this is the cooling phase. During the warming phase you must close the windows. This should be alternated several times.

Sometimes, at first, air baths may make you want to itch or, for example, have pain in the abdomen, or other unpleasant phenomena. This is just the beginning. With time everything will pass. Don't do anything and don't stop practicing.

If you want to harden your child, be very careful. In babies, thermoregulation is still very weak. How younger child, the worse his thermoregulation. Before starting hardening, talk to your doctor about this.

First, teach your child to breathe fresh and cool air. Let the temperature in the room not exceed nineteen degrees. Don't bundle up your baby. Neither at home nor on the street it should resemble a cocoon. Walk for at least three hours a day, whatever the weather. Enrich your child’s diet with special children’s vitamins and dietary supplements (dietary supplements).

Air is the most universal remedy hardening Its influence on human body varied: this is the effect of air temperature, humidity, wind speed and aerosols - various liquid and solids, crushed into tiny particles.

Air baths

Air baths– the most favorable and common means of hardening. By helping to remove vapors and gases from the surface of the skin, air baths have a certain hygienic significance for the body. In addition, air baths, due to thermal irritation of the skin, have a physiological effect on the body. This is expressed primarily in the reflex narrowing and expansion of blood vessels with subsequent improvement in the functioning of the extremely delicate and complex mechanism of thermoregulation (heat generation and heat transfer), increased muscle tone and endurance of the cardiovascular system, an increase in the content of hemoglobin and red blood cells in the blood and many other favorable changes in organism.

The main factor affecting humans is air temperature. Everyone knows that the face and hands are least protected from the cold. And although they often get very cold, a person avoids colds and remains healthy.

An air bath can be either general, if the entire surface of the body is exposed to air, or partial (local), if only a separate part of it, for example, the hands, is exposed. Hardening effect in in this case This is primarily due to the difference in temperature between the air and the surface of the skin. Air gap between the body and clothing usually has a constant temperature of about 27-28 ° C. The difference between the temperature of a clothed person's skin and the surrounding air is usually small, and therefore heat transfer is almost imperceptible. As soon as a person is freed from clothes, the process of heat transfer becomes more intense. The lower the external temperature, the more cooling we are exposed to.

Depending on the air temperature, air baths are divided into very cold (below 0°C), cold (0–8°C), moderately cold (9–16°C), cool (17–20°C), indifferent, or indifferent (21–22°С), and lukewarm (over 22°С). This division, of course, is arbitrary: in well-hardened people, the feeling of cold occurs at a lower temperature (Antropova M.V., 1982).

Start reception air baths recommended in a pre-ventilated area. Then, as they harden, transfer them to the open air. The best place for an air bath - shaded areas with green spaces, remote from sources of possible air pollution with dust, harmful gases. Take baths lying down, reclining or moving. You should undress quickly, so that the air bath immediately affects the entire surface of the naked body and causes a quick and energetic reaction of the body.

The time of day for air hardening is not of fundamental importance, but it is better to perform the procedures in the morning, after sleep, in combination with morning exercises. It is recommended to take air baths on an empty stomach or at least 1.5 hours after meals.

At air hardening In addition to its temperature, it is necessary to take into account humidity and speed of movement. Relative humidity is the ratio of absolute humidity to the highest humidity at a given air temperature; it is expressed as a percentage. Air, depending on its saturation with water vapor, is usually divided into dry (up to 55%), moderately dry (from 56 to 70%), moderately humid (from 71 to 85%) and very humid (over 86%). It has been established that at high relative humidity air is colder for a person than at low temperatures (Antropova M.V., 1982).

No less important has the speed of air movement. So, in cold, but calm, windless weather, a person is warmer than in warmer, but windy weather. The fact is that the layer of heated air near our body (the so-called boundary layer) is constantly changing, and the body heats more and more portions of air. Consequently, when there is wind, the body expends more heat than in calm weather. Wind causes an increase in heat transfer from the body. At high temperatures (up to 37 ° C) it protects a person from overheating, at low temperatures - from hypothermia. The combination of wind with low temperature and high humidity air.

Aerosols also have an effect on the body. They constantly “bombard” the skin of the body and the mucous membranes of the respiratory tract. The composition of aerosols is varied: for example, in air flows coming from the sea, sodium, iodide, bromide and magnesium salts predominate. The wind from large green areas carries tree and flower pollen and microorganisms. It should also be taken into account that the content of aerosols in the air is uneven.

Exercise is essential during cool and cold baths. In damp and windy weather, the duration of the air bath is reduced. In case of rain, fog and air speed above 3 m/s, it is better to move the procedures indoors.

In winter, air baths are carried out indoors and combined with gymnastics and subsequent water procedures. For the youngest children (up to one year), they are combined with the process of swaddling and changing clothes. At this time (from 2-4 to 10-12 minutes) room air, the temperature of which should not be lower than 20 and higher than 22 ° C, unhinderedly affects skin receptors.

Air hardening you can start at any age. From the end of the second month of the child’s life, massage and gymnastics are performed during one of the swaddlings. For children aged one year and older, the room temperature during an air bath is gradually reduced to 18°C. An air bath is combined with morning exercises (5-7 minutes), the child does it in a T-shirt, shorts and slippers. Children 4-7 years old remain in shorts and slippers for 10-15 minutes, of which 6-7 minutes do gymnastics (Antropova M.V., 1982).

In summer air baths carried out outdoors, mainly in the morning, in places protected from direct sun rays and harsh wind. Children must remain half-naked for a certain period of time. The body is exposed as directed by the doctor in a certain order: first the upper and lower limbs, and then the torso. Hardening of children with air baths begins in the summer in calm weather at an air temperature of at least 20°C. During air baths, it is recommended to play games or do some active activities. The duration of the first baths should not be more than 15 minutes, then it is gradually increased.

To hardening children school age begin at an air temperature of at least 16-18°C, initially for 5-10 minutes, and then gradually increase the duration of the procedure to 25 minutes. They also gradually move on to hardening at a lower temperature, but not lower than 12°C, while reducing the duration of the session to 10 minutes and combining it with physical exercise. In spring and summer, it is recommended that half-naked children stay in the shade in the fresh air for up to 3-5 hours a day, depending on the weather (Antropova M.V., 1982).

When carrying out air baths, the health status of children and adolescents and their individual reaction are taken into account. Children, especially weakened ones, should not be allowed to become cold, trembling, goosebumps, or cyanosis should occur.

First air baths for healthy people aged 18 years and older should last 20-30 minutes at an air temperature of 15-20°C. Subsequently, the duration of the procedures increases daily by 5-10 minutes and is thus brought to 2 hours. The next stage is air baths at a temperature of 15-10 ° C for 15-20 minutes. At this time, it is imperative to perform vigorous movements. Only well-seasoned people can take cold baths and only after a medical examination. The duration of such baths should not exceed 5-10 minutes. Cold baths should be completed by rubbing the body and a warm shower (Antropova M.V., 1982).

At air hardening You can’t bring yourself to the point of chills. At the first signs of severe cooling, you need to jog and do some gymnastic exercises.

Dosage of air baths carried out in two ways: a gradual decrease in air temperature or an increase in the duration of the procedure at the same temperature. The latter is more convenient, since the air temperature largely depends on the weather.

The impact of air baths on a person is usually assessed by the amount of heat given off by the body during external environment during the period of procedures. This takes into account the number of calories released from 1 m2 of skin surface.

In table 2.1.1. The characteristics of air baths are given depending on air temperature. For example, you need to take a moderately cold bath at an air temperature of 13-16 °C for the fourth time. Using the table, we determine that the duration of the procedure in this case should be 8 minutes, the fifth time – 10 minutes, etc. (Laptev A.P., 1986).

Table 2.1.1

Dosing of air baths

In order to strengthen positive influence air baths, it is recommended to carry out any water treatments. Therefore, air baths, like solar ones, are organized near bodies of water, and in their absence, rubdowns or douches are carried out.

In addition to special air baths, walking in the fresh air in any weather and sleeping with the window open throughout the year are very useful. Both increase the resistance of the upper respiratory tract to cooling. A certain hardening effect is also observed when wearing lighter clothing that allows air circulation underneath.

Great opportunities for hardening the body are provided by year-round training in the open air, practicing all types of sports associated with the hardening effect of air (Table 2.1.2).

Table 2.1.2.

Duration of air baths with waist-deep exposure in calm cloudy weather in minutes

Literature

1. Ivanchenkov V. A. Secrets of the Russian temper. – M.: Young Guard, 1991.
2. Ivanchenkov V. A. Accelerated hardening course. // Soviet Russia, 1983, January 9.
3. Kolesov D. V. Physical education and the health of schoolchildren. – M.: Knowledge, 1983.
4. Laptev A.P. ABC of hardening. – M.: Physical culture and sport, 1986.
5. Laptev A.P. Toughen up for health. – M.: Medicine, 1991.
6. Laptev A. P., Minkh A. A. Hygiene physical culture and sports: Student for the institute of physics. culture. – M.: Physical culture and sport, 1979.
7. Marshak M. E. Physiological bases of hardening of the human body. – L.: Medicine, 1965.
8. The World of Childhood: Teenager / Ed. A. G. Khripkova; Rep. ed. G. N. Filonov. – M.: Pedagogy, 1982.
9. Polievsky S. A., Guk E. P. Physical education and hardening in the family. – M.: Medicine, 1984.
10. Sarkizov-Sarazini I.M. Fundamentals of hardening. – M.: Physical culture and sport, 1953.
11. Soviet encyclopedic Dictionary. – M.: Soviet Encyclopedia, 1981.

All parents have certainly heard about how beneficial hardening is for the health of their child, starting from a very early age. Many people imagine hardening in the form of an extreme dip in an ice hole, taking a contrast shower or dousing ice water. In fact, in the case of infants, these can be daily habitual procedures: walks in the air, doing gymnastics, air baths, bathing, water baths etc. The entire hardening process occurs with the help of air, water and sun.

Air procedures have practically no contraindications and are equally useful for all children, however, consulting a doctor and determining with his help the optimal hardening strategy will not be superfluous.

In fact, these baths are one of the most effective techniques hardening of newborns at an early age. They pose absolutely no danger to the health and life of the baby, and are very easy to perform. It is enough to leave the child naked for a certain time.

The main goal pursued by this procedure is to activate the protective functions of the body of newborns, which will help cope with all the dangers in that hazardous environment, into which they find themselves after birth. Protective, thermoregulatory and other functions of the child’s body are laid down at the stage of intrauterine development. To awaken, improve and strengthen them, hardening is required and, as one of the methods of this complex concept, air baths.

Many parents make mistakes by constantly wrapping up their child, immersing him in a hot and dry environment and creating a hothouse creature out of him.

At the same time, they may not even realize that they are thereby creating the preconditions for the atrophy of all protective functions of their baby’s body and leaving him completely defenseless against external viruses, bacteria and other dangers. So the child remains sick and weak for the rest of his life.

Basic methods of hardening

The baby can take air baths different ways. The most common are the following:

• air ventilation in the room;
• finding the baby naked indoors;
• walks in the fresh air: wakefulness and sleep.

As for room ventilation, the best option cross ventilation is considered. In this case, the baby must be temporarily taken out of the room. To ensure free circulation of air from the street, you can open the window and door at the same time. When the room is filled with fresh air and the temperature in the room drops a couple of degrees, the child can be brought back in. It is not worth dressing him in warmer clothes, as the entire effect of airing and taking a fresh bath will be lost.

The regularity of airing a child’s room in winter should be at least 4 times a day. The duration of ventilation in the cold season should be 10-15 minutes.

Walking in the fresh air should be done regularly. In this case, the time of year does not matter at all, since you must always go for a walk, dressing your baby in accordance with the weather conditions, but don't mess around.

You can start taking your newborn out into the fresh air at 2-3 weeks of age. Be sure to ensure that the air temperature is not below -5 degrees. The duration of the first walks should be 10-15 minutes. Gradually this time can be increased, gradually increasing to 2 hours. It is best to take walks outside regularly 2-3 times a day in between feedings.

Babies under 1.5 years of age are recommended to sleep in the fresh air. During daytime sleep on the street, you will notice how calmly and at ease he will rest, breathe evenly and what pink tone facial skin will gain. All this indicates that the baby is comfortable and good at receiving air procedures. Discomfort will be signaled to you by restless behavior that acquires blue tint skin (if it's cold), as well as damp, sweaty skin (if it's hot).

Relatively last method hardening the child - taking a bath naked, it should be noted that in this way the following happens to the baby:

• heat exchange conditions are improved;
• oxygen absorption increases;
• the well-being of the nervous system improves;
• The baby sleeps well, eats and behaves calmly.

Babies under 1 year of age can be left without swaddling for some time. The room temperature should be normal from +18 to +20 degrees. It is very appropriate to combine this procedure with gymnastics, and in the summer with sunbathing. The regularity of performing air baths is initially 2 times a day for 3 minutes, gradually increasing the time to 10 minutes.

It is very important not to ignore signs of hypothermia in a child, such as the appearance of goose bumps. At the first suspicion that the baby is cold, the procedure should be stopped.

Important hardening rules

The durability of the positive effect will be maximum if you follow the basic rules of hardening:

• carry out regularly and systematically;
• consistently lower the air temperature during hardening;
• It is best to carry out procedures when the child is in an excellent mood;
• it is necessary to exclude the possibility of hypothermia.

Thus, with the help of simple and very effective procedures, can be increased protective functions the child's body.