Optimal temperature and humidity for a newborn. Child and air humidity in the apartment

01.08.2019

With the advent of a newborn baby, happiness, joy and pleasant chores come to the house. The appearance of the long-awaited crumbs also adds to the number of controversial issues, one of which is the optimal temperature in the newborn's room.

In maternity hospitals, they often try to ensure that the air temperature in the wards for newborns is too high, at least 23-24 ° C. Young mothers maintain a similar temperature regime after discharge from the hospital. They know about the imperfection of the thermoregulation mechanism in newborns, but they interpret it only as advice to prevent hypothermia of the baby. In fact, insufficient thermoregulation means that overheating for a baby in the first months of life is no less dangerous than hypothermia.

In the first days and weeks, metabolism occurs very intensively in the body of a newborn, accompanied by the production of a large amount of thermal energy. Natural heat exchange takes place through respiration and through the skin. If the air temperature in the room is above 23 ° C, the child loses less heat through the lungs, and his body is forced to turn on the second mechanism of thermoregulation, cooling through the skin. At the same time, sweat is released, and along with sweat, salt and water, which are very necessary for the baby, are lost.

In a maternity hospital, it is very easy to determine that a newborn is overheated. The baby's skin has a bright red hue, diaper rash may appear in places where sweat accumulates. At home, parents carefully monitor the condition of the baby's skin, bathe him in time, lubricate him with caring agents, so it is more difficult to determine by the condition of the skin that the temperature in the baby's room is too high. You can understand that it is necessary to urgently eliminate the overheating of the baby by his well-being and behavior:

An overheated child has a stomach ache and swells - a lack of water in the body leads to an increased density of intestinal juices, which are unable to digest food normally.
When examining the oral cavity, thrush of newborns is detected. The cause of thrush in newborns is not only a lack of hygiene during feeding, but also too much thickening of his saliva, caused by the loss of fluid due to excessive sweating.
Difficulty breathing caused by the frequent formation of dry crusts in the baby's nose. The kid may refuse to eat.

Optimal temperature and humidity for a baby

The optimum temperature for a child in the first half of the year is 23 ° C, for children in the second half of the year, the temperature in the nursery should not exceed 19-20 ° C. Children from six months begin to move more actively, and overheating of a child at this age leads to the fact that in a hot room the baby becomes lethargic, passive.

The air humidity in the nursery also depends on the age of the baby. So, for a child of the first half of the year, the optimal humidity is in the range of 50 - 70%. If the baby is from 10 months to a year old, the air in the room should be slightly drier - within 40 - 65%.

Why is too humid or too dry air dangerous for a child?

Too high or low air humidity is fraught with a great danger to the health and well-being of the baby:

High humidity directly contributes to overheating of the child. If the air is too humid, the baby sweats, but the body's heat output is reduced.
Low air humidity leads to increased dryness of the mucous membranes of the upper respiratory tract, and the child is unprotected against infection.

How to maintain normal temperature and humidity levels in your baby's room

The optimal room temperature for a child depends on his or her age. You can maintain it within acceptable limits by regularly ventilating the room. Fresh air will cool the air in the room and humidify it to the required rate.

Air humidity in a room heated by heating radiators and heating devices is lower by an average of 30%. It is possible to increase the air humidity both with the help of household air humidifiers and by hanging wet cloths on the heating radiators.

The recommendations listed are suitable for healthy babies. If the baby was born prematurely, the air temperature in the room should be at least 24-25 ° C. Temperature control is carried out according to the doctor's instructions. In the future, you can follow the general recommendations for creating the optimal temperature in the children's room.

With the birth of a child in any family, the hassle is significantly added. Every mommy wants to create the most comfortable living conditions for a newly born baby. She must not only provide the baby with the necessary care, but also make sure that the humidity and air temperature in the child's room correspond to the parameters recommended by pediatricians.

The child does not care which manufacturer's crib he sleeps on or what color wheelchair he is taken out for a walk. But the temperature and humidity in his room are of great importance, since an uncomfortable environment contributes to the development of most diseases. In addition, non-compliance with the necessary parameters can lead to a deterioration in the infant's mood.

Therefore, for the prevention of diseases in newborns, it is very important to maintain optimal climatic conditions in the room.

Comfortable temperature in the baby's room

Most pediatricians agree that the optimal temperature in a newborn baby's room should vary between 18 and 22 C˚. They consider this temperature to be comfortable for the normal health of the baby and its further development.

Dr. Komarovsky, widely known today, claims that in the room where the newborn baby is located, the temperature should be within 18 - 19 degrees. In his opinion, this is the optimal temperature regime for a baby.

Compliance with the temperature regime in the room in winter is much more difficult. This is due to the fact that during the heating period, the supply of heat to dwellings does not depend on us in any way. Therefore, even in winter, it is necessary to maintain the temperature no higher than 23 degrees.

Another important condition for the well-being of the baby is maintaining the necessary temperature indicators at night. If the room is too cold or hot, then the baby's sleep will be restless, with frequent waking up and whims. The ideal temperature for a restful baby sleep should not exceed 22 degrees.

It is necessary to select the optimal temperature regime for the baby, taking into account his individual characteristics. Mothers must determine for themselves at what temperature their baby sleeps more peacefully.

Remember that normal air circulation is not possible if a canopy is hanging over the crib or bumpers are used to decorate the crib.

Temperature regime while bathing a baby

During the water procedures, it is also necessary to maintain the appropriate temperature parameters of the air in the room. Most parents are convinced that the temperature in the baby's bathing room should be kept at a higher level than usual. However, they are deeply mistaken. If you bathe your baby in a warmer room, then at the end of the water procedures, returning to the usual climatic conditions, he will certainly freeze.

This means that, when going to bathe the crumbs, you do not need to additionally heat the bathroom. The baby should bathe at his usual temperature. Just after bathing, you need to wrap the baby in a warm towel for a short time. If parents want to temper a child from infancy, then immediately after water procedures, they should arrange air baths for him for several minutes.

Thus, there is no need to additionally heat the room at night and while the baby is bathing. The room temperature must be kept constant at the same level.

Temperature for premature babies

It should be noted that the above room temperature standards are applicable exclusively for children born on time. For a premature baby, other conditions of detention must be observed. For him, the optimal temperature regime, which ranges from 24 - 25 C, since their own thermoregulation in such children is often impaired.

Hazards from overheating or hypothermia in an infant

Overheat

Specialists in the field of pediatrics have long noticed that overheating of a baby is more dangerous than hypothermia. During metabolic processes, which are much faster in babies than in adults, a certain amount of heat is accumulated in the body. Excess heat is released either through the surface of the skin or during breathing. The release of excess heat through breathing becomes much more difficult at high indoor temperatures. Then heat transfer occurs at an increased rate through the skin with the help of the sweating system. The baby sweats, he has redness, his pulse becomes more frequent, and breathing is difficult.

All this increases the child's tearfulness, makes him lethargic and deprives him of calmness. It can also cause dermatitis and metabolic processes and heat transfer are disrupted. In this regard, the temperature norm in the children's room must be strictly observed by the parents.

Hypothermia

Hypothermia of a newborn baby is no less dangerous. Excessive coolness can provoke the development of colds in a child, which is fraught with the appearance of a number of dangerous complications.

Therefore, the temperature in the room for the newborn must be strictly observed in accordance with the existing norms and recommendations of pediatricians.

Ways to maintain the temperature in a newborn's room

Before you set the optimal temperature in the room, you need to decide which temperature regime is most comfortable for your child. It is quite easy to find out the optimal room temperature for the baby:

the child has good health and restful sleep;
the baby does not have redness and prickly heat;
so-called "goose bumps" are not observed on the baby's skin, and his legs and arms are warm;
the child's breathing is not difficult, the pulse is not quickened.

In the event that the temperature parameters in the room do not correspond to the norms, some steps should be taken to regulate the air temperature.

At elevated temperatures in the child's room, regulation is carried out using an air conditioner or room ventilation. It is better to go for a walk with your baby at this time. The air conditioner must be installed in the room next door, or in the same room, but far from the child. Heating radiators should be covered with a thick blanket or blanket.

At a low air temperature in the children's room, you can maintain optimal temperature indicators by turning on the heaters.

Can't control the room temperature?

Parents are not always able to maintain the desired temperature in the room in which the child is. In this case, it is necessary:

give the baby more water if the room is stuffy and the air temperature is high;
the baby should be dressed based on the temperature in the room. If the temperature is higher than normal, then it is enough to put on only panties. If the room is cold, then you will certainly need sliders, socks and a vest made of warm material.
bathing the baby should be guided by the air temperature in the room. In a hot room, the bathing procedure can be repeated several times throughout the day.

The creation of optimal climatic conditions in the room for a newborn baby will have a positive effect on the well-being of the baby, his state of health and mood.

Many generations of children have grown up as gentle people, afraid of drafts and not fond of frost and wind. The conditions in which the baby grew up play an important role in this. Almost all parents are terrified of drafts and cool air in the room. Upon the return of the mother and baby home, the heater is on the list of the main items that are bought. For some reason, parents are sure that in an ordinary apartment the baby will freeze, he needs greenhouse conditions for growth. This is far from being the correct opinion.

What should be the air temperature in the nursery

Most importantly, it should be understood that in infants the thermoregulation of the body is not yet sufficiently developed, therefore it is important that the same temperature is observed in the nursery. A kid with negation refers to sudden changes in temperature.

It is best to maintain 18-20 degrees in the room. However, such conditions are suitable for a full-term and healthy baby. If it appeared ahead of schedule, you can increase the air index to 24 degrees.

It is easier to keep a constant room temperature in cold weather than, for example, in summer. If it seems to the mother that it is hot in the room and this is proved by the reading of the thermometer, which should always be at the baby's crib, it is best to ventilate the room. To do this, be sure to take the baby out of the nursery and leave the window open for a few minutes. Ventilate if necessary 5 times a day. The key to the health of the newborn is to create the best temperature conditions for the baby.

But in the summer, many families prefer to use air cooling systems to maintain optimal temperatures. However, there is no need to talk about the benefits in this case, since the air conditioner creates an ideal environment only in a certain space, outside of which there is a completely different temperature. And we have already explained that the baby has a negative attitude to a sharp change in temperature, but it is almost impossible to keep him always in the same nursery. It is better to abandon the split system and accustom the baby to those conditions that are typical for your area. This will be the best option for adapting it.

There are several ways to help your child regulate heat exchange:

To put on a minimum of clothes on the newborn, in summer it can be a shirt made of cotton and thin panties.
You can bathe your baby more often, avoiding the use of various detergents, the temperature indicator of the water may be slightly less than what you usually use for bathing.
It is necessary to give the baby more ordinary water to drink.

Overheating is worse than hypothermia

Many parents fear that their baby will freeze and try to place him in an environment that his body does not accept. Before you rush to heat the room to 30 degrees, you should understand what the child really needs.

The metabolism of the baby's body occurs quite intensively, while a lot of thermal energy is released. The kid is forced to remove its excess, he does it through the lungs and through the epithelium. And now let's imagine that the temperature in the room is ideal for him - plus 18 degrees.

When a newborn inhales air and in the lungs of a small person it is heated to body temperature. Then the baby exhales this air with a temperature of 36.6 degrees. All the child's strength is spent on heating the air from 18 degrees to body temperature.

Provided that the air in the nursery is more than 20 degrees, heat exchange in the baby's body follows a different path: through the epithelium. But by sweating, the little man gives away the salt and water that are important to him. And this condition is called overheating. Parents immediately understand that the baby is uncomfortable due to diaper rash that appears in the child, thrush in the mouth, gas in the tummy, and dryness forms in the baby's nose, which irritates the baby and makes it difficult for him to breathe.

What should be the humidity in the nursery

But the temperature of the room where the newborn is located is not the only indicator that should be adhered to. It is important to observe the correct humidity. This parameter, like temperature, affects the thermoregulation of the baby. If the air in the nursery is dry, the baby is forced to spend more liquid on moisturizing it, and this is unacceptable for the baby's condition.

The humidity characteristics of the air should be monitored all year round.
During the period when the heating is turned on, the dryness in the apartments increases. And if heaters are used, then the humidity drops altogether.
From dry air, the baby may develop problems with the condition of the mucous membrane of the respiratory organs, for example, the child coughs, sniffs with his nose.
Skin diseases are not excluded, blood thickening is possible, etc. This is why you should maintain the correct humidity in your baby's room.

Experts emphasize that the humidity indicator in a residential building should be maintained at a level of 50-70%. This can be achieved using the means at hand. So, in the room where the baby is, it is imperative to carry out regular wet cleaning.

For this, you can use various decorative types of humidifiers - a fountain or place an aquarium, just put a container of water on the table. It is best to use a conventional household humidifier, either steam or ultrasonic. The latter do not create noise and are safe.

The main mistakes of parents

Analyzing the conditions in which, in accordance with the opinion of pediatricians, a baby should grow up, it should be said that for many spouses being in a room with a temperature of 18 degrees is not comfortable. We are accustomed to the traditional 24-27 degrees, then we feel comfortable.

It is clear that a mother who is accustomed to such conditions thinks that the baby is freezing and if the baby has slightly cold hands, the mother sounds the alarm, trying to wrap the baby up, protecting it from the cold. You cannot panic, it is enough to recall the recommendations of pediatricians who are unanimous in their opinion about the temperature regime in the nursery. Better take a closer look at the baby, he is energetic and satisfied, this indicates the correctness of creating conditions for his growth.

Experts recommend dressing a baby in the same way as parents are used to dressing. For example, if your house is comfortable enough and you put on a T-shirt, then you should not wrap your baby in blankets, but it is better for him to put on a light blouse. If he freezes, you will know about this by his condition, the baby will let you know that he is not comfortable.

Some parents, while the baby is awake, transfer him to the common room, where they play with the baby. But as soon as the time for sleep comes, he is taken to the nursery, where there is always one temperature - 18-20 degrees. And this option is certainly acceptable. But after the mother put the newborn in the crib, he immediately cries. This is because the baby is uncomfortable in the crib after mother's warm hugs. The situation can be corrected by ironing the diaper with a hot iron, on which the newborn is then laid. Another warm diaper should be placed on his tummy, it will warm the baby, and he will sleep for a long time.

If the baby does not sleep in his crib, waking up every time his mother puts him there, use my trick. Carry a diaper on your breast for several hours in a row, it will absorb your mother's smell, so dear to every baby. And when the baby falls asleep, put the diaper next to him and cover the baby warmly. The scent of mom will now be with him, and the fact that he is warmed with a blanket will make the baby sleep long.

All children differ in their physiological perception of the world, just like adults. Some people like the heat, others cannot stand it - so do children. It is important in the first days after returning from the hospital to take a closer look at the baby, his appearance and mood will make it clear in what clothes he is comfortable, at what air temperature he sleeps better. Many parents are afraid of drafts, but a light breath of breeze will not have a negative effect on the newborn, moreover, it will temper his body. It is important not to overdo it in this matter. Be sure to regularly ventilate the room and use air baths for the baby, which are shown to him daily.

Even before the birth of a child, parents think about where to equip a place for the baby, how to put a crib, what 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, let's talk about how important clean, moist and cool air is for a child, about the negative effect of excessive dryness and warmth on the baby's body.

The temperature and humidity in the apartment where the baby is located should be such as to strengthen it from birth.

After spending several days in the hospital, my mother notices that the thermometer in the ward is at around 22, or even all 24 degrees, no devices, such as humidifiers, are nowhere to be seen. 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 warmly so that she does not get overcooled. A maternity hospital is 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 mothers so that there are no complaints later.

In fact, warm and dry air has a very negative effect on 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 against viruses and bacteria that have entered the body. If the mucus dries up, the immune system will weaken, and pathogens will penetrate inside. The correct temperature and humidity in the room will help prevent the mucus from drying out.

A small child is afraid of hypothermia, but overheating prevents him even more. The high air temperature prevents the baby from losing heat through the lungs, so this process takes place through the skin. As a result, the child sweats, which contributes to the loss of water and minerals that he needs. The optimum air temperature in the room where the child is is 18-20 degrees. Better to dress the baby warmer and make the temperature 18 ° C - let him breathe cool air.

Air 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 more heavily. What humidity should be in the apartment? Normal indicators are from 50 to 70%, the minimum allowable limit is 40%. It follows from this that in every house where there is a small child, there must be a device that measures the air humidity in the apartment. This device is called a hygrometer. If the air humidity in the apartment is less than the permissible level, which is very often the case during the heating season and in the summer, it is necessary to purchase a humidifier.

Humidifiers come in different shapes and sizes, different designs, and different functions. There are humidifiers with built-in sensors that show the temperature and humidity in the apartment, with the function of heating steam, with ionization and other parameters. There are quite simple and inexpensive models, the only function of which is to humidify the air.

If you are planning to have a baby, then a humidifier, thermometer and hygrometer are your shopping list. Providing your child with a comfortable environment will strengthen their health and increase their resistance to disease. Do not listen to grandmothers and girlfriends advising you to close all doors and turn on the heater - use common sense and care for your baby. Clean, cool and humid air in the room where your baby lives will ensure healthy sleep and well-being throughout the day.

Colds and acute respiratory infections are very frequent "guests" in childhood. Unformed immunity, imperfect defense systems, multiple contacts with carriers of viruses or patients in large children's groups are factors that explain the high susceptibility of children to diseases. In search of the ideal prevention option, parents try all sorts of methods, ranging from simple fortified supplements to such extreme hardening as winter swimming, for example. But few people think that the first steps in solving the problem are extremely simple, cost nothing, and they begin with the correct microclimate in the room where the child is on a daily basis. The optimal temperature for the baby in the room and sufficient air humidity play an important role in reducing the incidence of illness.

Optimal room temperature for a newborn.

Young parents, under the "sensitive" guidance of not such young grandmothers, are zealously trying to protect their baby from colds from the first days of his life. The temperature in the house is 25 degrees, the windows and doors are tightly closed, the child is dressed as "cabbage" and covered with several blankets. Well that's it! Now no virus can get here! Only the effect is, alas, the opposite. And one of the main reasons is that the optimal temperature for the child in the room is not chosen correctly.

The thermoregulatory system of the newborn is not yet fully matured. It can very easily both overcool and overheat. But overheating is much more dangerous for him. In infants, all metabolic processes are much faster and more intense than in adults, so their body produces a lot of heat. It is necessary to get rid of it, and the child has two ways for this.

Heat exchange during breathing: inhales air, for example, 20 degrees, exhales, warmed up to a body temperature of 36.6. Some of the heat is thus lost.
Through the skin when sweating.

The first option for a baby (and for adults as well) is the main one, since it is the most physiological and harmless. Heat exchange during breathing takes place without hindrance at an air temperature not higher than 22 degrees. Therefore, most pediatricians are inclined to think that the optimal temperature for a child in a room should be between 18-22 degrees. These figures are reached by regulating heating (if possible), and ventilating the room. In the cold season, ventilate 4-5 times a day for 15 minutes. In addition to lowering the temperature, in this way the oxygen saturation of the air is also increased, which is quite important, because the child's need for it is two and a half times higher than that of an adult. And viruses and bacteria are not "friendly" with fresh air. Do not be panicked by the movement of a cool air stream (draft). Unless the child is warmed up, sweating or just from a warm bath.

If too caring mothers considered the best air temperature in the children's room to be above 22 degrees, then they achieved the following results:

most of the heat loss occurs through the skin;
with then fluid is lost (the child is dehydrated) and salt (loses the necessary trace elements);
the delicate and sensitive skin of babies is not ready for such a test, which is manifested by prickly heat and diaper rash;
dehydration is accompanied by the accumulation of gas in the intestines, bloating and colic;
drying out of the mucous membranes of the upper respiratory tract disrupts their protective function, which prevents the penetration and spread of pathogenic microorganisms;
mucus in the nose dries up, forming crusts that interfere with breathing, cause snoring in the child and disturb sleep;
an insufficient amount of saliva (due to the same dehydration) is accompanied by the onset of thrush.

As you can see, the consequences of overheating for young children are very serious. But hypothermia should also not be tolerated. A newborn cannot yet produce warmth through muscle tremors, so the optimal temperature for a child in a room should not fall below 18 degrees. Prolonged exposure to low temperatures is fraught with inflammatory diseases of the respiratory and urinary systems.

Optimal room temperature for older children.

Despite the fact that the mechanisms of thermoregulation in children after a year are more perfect, the above recommendations on the temperature regime remain relevant for them. Unless the upper limit can be safely lowered to 20 degrees. But if a child grew up, say, up to 5 years old in greenhouse conditions (the air temperature is not lower than 25 degrees, not familiar with drafts), then the change in the microclimate in the room should occur gradually. Otherwise, unadapted systems will not cope with the task assigned to them, and the transition to the correct parameters will end with a cold.