Hardening a child is recommended at age. How to harden a child - increase immunity. Methods of hardening children of different ages

Maria Muraleva
Consultation for parents “Toughening up children 3–4 years old at home”

Consultation for parents

"Hardening children 3-4 years old at home".

To those whom parents began to harden them from the first days of life, undoubtedly, it will be easier to study, they will not have to miss classes due to frequent runny noses and sore throats. But having started hardening a child at three or four years old and even at five or six years old can accomplish a lot.

The child’s daily routine, with the same commitment as food, sleep, walks, should also include hardening procedures. We offer the following schedule.

In the morning - an air bath for 15 minutes; We recommend doing gymnastics for 6-7 minutes of this time.

After an air bath and gymnastics, wash up to the waist with water, the temperature of which is 16-14 degrees, and if water procedures have not been carried out before, 27 degrees.

Before and after washing, gargle. In the first days with warm water - 36-33 degrees; every 5 days, reduce its temperature by 1 degree, bringing it to 18-16. This procedure is especially useful for weakened and often ill children. The initial water temperature for them is the same, but it must be reduced more slowly - every 7 days. If the child is sick, do not stop rinsing, but the water temperature should not be reduced. It is even better to gargle with warmer water - one degree higher than before the disease.

The most favorable time for sunbathing is from 8 to 11 hours, lasting up to 30 minutes, but in two steps. The child lay down in the sun for 5-15 minutes, then rested in the shade and again in direct sunlight for 5-15 minutes.

Seasoned For a child, morning washing up to the waist can be replaced with a general douche or shower; or, getting out of bed, let him wash himself and wash himself to the waist, and douse himself after a sunbath.

Foot contrast baths - after a nap.

This procedure can be replaced by dousing the feet. The initial water temperature is 28 degrees, lowering it every 8-4 days (for weakened children - every 7 days, bring to 16 degrees.

All hardening It is better to carry out procedures in the morning and afternoon, around 9 and 15 hours. Research has shown that at this time of day, children Preschool children develop better adaptive reactions to temperature fluctuations.

Basic Rules hardening the child

1. Get started hardening possible at any time of the year.

2. Hardening effective only when it is carried out systematically; Without constant reinforcement, the results achieved decrease.

3. Do not sharply increase duration and strength. hardening effects. Violation of the principle of gradualness can cause hypothermia and illness in the child.

4. Hardening procedures cannot be started if the child is sick.

5. Efficiency hardening procedures increases if they are carried out comprehensively.

6. The child should like the procedure and evoke positive emotions.

Together with mom and dad

It is known that children love to imitate adults, and it will be very good if this child’s ability parents use it for to instill in him a strong habit of gymnastics and hardening procedures. Morning exercises for children and parents can do together!

Special observations have established that children that even only three times a week (dressed accordingly in autumn and winter) perform gymnastic exercises in the air, the activity of the bacterial flora of the nasopharynx decreases, in other words, they begin to be less threatened by acute respiratory diseases.

By the age of 4, the child is already noticeably more resilient than in the third. He can, for example, walk continuously for 20 to 40 minutes. Get him used to walking! A walk with mom and dad outside the city, to the park, will leave him with a joyful impression and will be very useful.

One of my favorite summer activities children this age - cycling. At 3-4 years old, children can easily master a three-wheeled vehicle, and from the age of 5, two-wheeled ones. The duration of continuous cycling is from 15 to 30 minutes.

in winter children always attracts sledding down the mountains. Very good! Let only the child, according to the famous Russian proverb, fall in love with the sleigh carry: Make sure he climbs the mountain with them himself! This way he won’t get cold, and physical training will be more effective.

Teach from 4-5 years old children go skiing; first, stand on them correctly, then walk without sticks, and only when they have mastered this skill well, can you hand them the sticks.

A 4-5 year old child can also be put on skates. At first he will get tired after 10-15 minutes, but the more confident he begins to feel on the ice, the longer he will be able to skate - 40-60 minutes each (with breaks every 20 minutes).

Bathing and swimming.

Swimming in open water is the most effective hardening procedure. Many parents now they are successfully teaching swimming in home bath for infants. Children Young children are taught swimming in the pools of children's clinics. But if your child isn't a swimmer, use the summer to teach him how to float.

Of course, the baby can start swimming at an air temperature of at least 25 degrees (if he hardened - not lower than 24, on windless days and only in a clean body of water, with a gently sloping sandy shore, where there are no snags, algae, or stones. Teach him to calmly enter the water and not be afraid to open his eyes in the water. Let him play with the ball, try to take a dip, and you, standing next to him, help him maintain his balance. And watch - is he cold? If appeared "goose pimples"- Go ashore now, dry yourself off and warm up in the sun!

After the first acquaintance with water, task games are already possible to prepare for swimming.

"Get it". The child must quickly find a toy or stone placed on the bottom (in shallow water, of course).

"Who is faster". Enter the water up to your waist, turn to face the shore and, on command, quickly run to the shore.

"Who is taller". Sit down and jump out of the water as high as possible.

"Hide underwater". Plunge headlong without covering your nose and mouth with your hands.

First explain to your child how to breathe properly in water. Let him, after taking a short breath, lower his face into the water and slowly exhale through his mouth, as if blowing on hot tea, but so that small bubbles form on the surface of the water. On account "once" inhale over the water "two three four five"- exhale into the water. After repeating this exercise 12-16 times, you can proceed to the next stage of preparatory exercises.

"Rinse clothes". Enter the water so that it is just below your waist, put your feet apart, bend over, put your hands in the water and move them left and right, back and forth.

"Mill". Row with your hands in water: One hand rows, the other flies through the air.

"Float". While standing in the water, take a breath, hold your breath, sit down, immersed under the water, clasp your knees with your hands, and press your chin to your chest. The water will push the baby to the surface.

"Jellyfish". After the baby learns to do "float" After completing this exercise, spread your arms and legs to the sides.

"Scissors". Sit near the shore in shallow water and move your straightened legs up and down.

If within a few days the child becomes comfortable with these exercises and does them with pleasure, try placing his chest on a rubber circle with his arms extended forward. By kicking the water from top to bottom, balance is maintained, and the child floats. At first, without immersing your face, then exhaling into the water, and to inhale, turning your face to the side.

The next stage is to learn to lie on your back. Let the child, standing with his back to the shore, slowly sit down so that his chin touches the water, maintain balance with his arms extended to the sides, then tilt his head back, plunging the back of his head into the water and gradually taking a lying position. Helping himself with movements of his hands, he will lie on the water.

If this doesn’t work out right away, it doesn’t matter; at first, lightly support the beginning swimmer.

All that remains is to learn how to slide on your chest. Having entered the water, the child should turn to face the shore, sit down, extend his arms with palms down and, after inhaling, push off from the bottom. Show him how to swim to the shore in a position resembling an arrow; then teach him to alternate rowing with his arms and quick movements with his legs.

The child’s thermoregulatory mechanisms are trained under the influence of both strong, but short-term cooling and relatively weak, longer-term cooling. In addition, the researchers found that hardening It is most effective when not only individual areas of the body are cooled, but the entire body. This means that contrasting foot baths or douses alone, for all their benefits, will not give the maximum effect. If you want your child to grow up strong, use the whole complex that we talked about!

If you temper the child is not the first year, we can recommend a combination of water procedures followed by air baths, first in the room, and in the summer and in the open air. After dousing or showering, do not wipe your child dry. Remove only large drops of water with light touches of a terry towel. Let it dry while remaining naked: As a result of evaporation of moisture, further cooling of the body occurs.

But you cannot allow the child to tremble. If he is cold, you need to give him a light massage, rub him with a towel. Over the course of several days, repeat the dousing followed by an air bath - and the child will get used to it, no additional warming will be required.

We remind you that this is a strong procedure, and start with it hardening is not possible.

Caution, gradualism, systematicity - three principles that must be strictly adhered to, hardening the child.

Our expert is a senior researcher at the Laboratory of Hygiene in Training and Education of the Research Institute of Hygiene and Health Protection of Children and Adolescents of the Scientific Center for Children and Adolescents of the Russian Academy of Medical Sciences, Candidate of Medical Sciences Nadezhda Berezina.

From morning to evening

Where to begin? From everyday hardening. This means: the child’s morning should begin with exercise. After it - proper washing. At first, wash your child with warm water, and when he gets used to it, wash it with cold water (room temperature or lower, focus on the child’s reaction). For a child over 3 years old, after a month or a month and a half, extended washing with cool water is recommended: face, arms to elbows, neck, upper chest.

From the age of 3, teach your child to rinse his mouth, and from the age of 4–5 to rinse his throat: you need to start with warm water (not lower than 26 °C), duration – 1 minute; gradually increase the duration of the procedure to 2-3 minutes and reduce the water temperature (to room temperature and below). The same thing is repeated in the evening.

The child should walk as much as possible, while actively moving. And do not forget that hardening should continue during sleep (the temperature in the nursery at night should be 2-3 degrees lower than usual during the day).

Important! An effective way of hardening is contrasting dousing of the feet and legs. The child’s feet are alternately doused with warm and cool water several times in a row. Repeat 3-4 times. If the child does not have chronic diseases, the series of douches ends with cool water. If the baby’s body is weakened, then the procedure should be completed with warm water.

To the country house or to the sea?

The optimal rest option for a frequently ill child is in the middle zone: firstly, there is less contact, and secondly, there is no need for adaptive restructuring, for which the body spends a lot of effort.

The more time the baby spends outside, the better. Children under 3 years old definitely need a playground with a sandbox under an awning.

After three, use active games and walks: in the morning, while it is not hot, you can go with your baby through the surrounding meadows, but after 11 am, forest walks are preferable.

Don’t forget about the right clothes: at an air temperature of 22–24 °C: panties, a cotton T-shirt with short sleeves, shorts, socks, sandals. If the baby is thin and not at all hardened, wear a long-sleeved T-shirt and long cotton trousers. When the air temperature is 25 °C and above, you can limit yourself to only panties and shorts (or a light sundress for girls), without socks.

Light-air baths should be taken only from 9 to 12 noon. You can start swimming when the water temperature is not lower than 24–25 °C, and the air temperature is 24–26 °C.

And another great country procedure is walking barefoot. On the lawn, paths. And the most useful thing is the dew.

Start with 15–30 minutes, gradually increase the duration of the “training”. It is useful to combine barefoot walking with foot baths: if it is hot outside and your feet are warm, use water at room temperature; and after running through puddles, your feet need to be warmed up and then doused with cool water.

To be continued

But what to do if the child still gets sick? It depends on what. For example, with a mild form of acute respiratory infections, in the absence of fever, you can continue daily water procedures: extended washing, rinsing, washing your feet (leaving the water temperature at the same level). As for special hardening methods (contrast shower, dousing...), whether they can be continued during illness must be decided with the attending physician.

If the child’s fever lasted no more than three days, you can return to hardening after 7–10 days; if longer, 2 weeks after recovery. But after bronchitis or pneumonia (and other serious illnesses), the terms of “return” must be discussed with the pediatrician. If the break in hardening was 10 days or more, you need to start all over again. The water temperature must be reduced again gradually, but faster than the first time - by one to two degrees every day.

If the break in the procedures is less than 5 days, then the hardening scheme continues as if it had not been interrupted. And during a break of 5 to 10 days, the water temperature should be 2–3 °C higher compared to the temperature of the last procedure.

The air condition in the room should not be changed during illness. Ventilate the nursery more often, just make sure there is no draft.

Important! For chronic kidney and heart diseases, water procedures with a decrease in temperature (foot baths, douses...) are prohibited. It is necessary to select the temperature regime of water procedures for nervous diseases very carefully.

Children with decompensated heart defects and endocrinological diseases are limited in their exposure to the sun. For any chronic disease, specific recommendations for hardening should only be obtained from the attending physician.

Hardening is an extremely useful procedure that can help a child get rid of annoying colds. Only very important. First of all, so that hardening does not cause a negative reaction, you must consult with a specialist.

How to properly harden a child

If your child gets sick often, you need to take action. Prevention of colds is very effective, especially hardening, which strengthens the immune system and helps maintain health. When hardening children, it is important to follow several principles.

1. Firstly, this is systematic. To achieve an effect, hardening procedures must be carried out regularly, every day. In this case, laziness and various excuses are unacceptable, especially if you have just started hardening activities. Even with a mild cold, the hardening of a 6-7 year old child continues, but the temperature of the water and air in the nursery does not decrease during the procedures. You need to stop at the level that was before the symptoms appeared. An exception is an increase in body temperature in a child.
2. Secondly, you need to gradually increase the time of the procedures. You can’t start hardening abruptly, especially since long-term exposure to low temperatures on a child’s body is unacceptable, as you will only harm your baby. In order for the body to adequately respond to hardening procedures, it needs adaptation to new conditions.
3. Third, In order not to cause a negative reaction from the child, you need to start the procedures in the form of a game and always in a good mood. Remember that no sudden temperature changes should be allowed. If you decide to harden your baby, you should start with air baths and always in the summer. It is unacceptable to start procedures if the child has a respiratory disease.

How to harden a frequently ill child

First, The most important rule is to start any hardening procedures after consulting a doctor, who will determine the need for activities for your child and also help you choose individual methods. Your task is to ensure the safety and usefulness of hardening procedures.

You need to start putting down a 6-7 year old child in warm weather, in the summer. In winter, you can maintain the health of a child who is often sick with regular walks in any weather and air baths in a room at a temperature of about 18 degrees. At the same time, the baby's hands and feet should be warm.

In the summer, you definitely need to sleep in the open air, take air and sun baths, which are especially effective in the morning, walk barefoot, and you need to choose a route away from the road, where the child will not hurt his feet with glass or rusty nails. It is ideal to walk on pebbles, grass, gravel or sand. There is no need to wear tights or socks in the summer, even in the evening. must be open to avoid overheating.

For a constantly ill child, the most ideal, effective method would be to harden the legs.

To do this, you need to arrange a contrast shower for your legs every day. In this case, hot water, the temperature of which should be about 40-42 degrees, no higher, so as not to burn the child, must be changed after a minute to barely warm, with a temperature not exceeding 30-32 degrees. In this case, every week, the lower temperature limit must be reduced by 1 degree. When you reach 22-25 degrees, you can switch to a general contrast shower using the same scheme.

The room where the child sleeps must be ventilated at least twice a day. Ideally, the temperature in the baby's bedroom will be about 17-18 degrees. This will provide the child with healthy sleep, which is especially important for a schoolchild.

The procedures should be carried out regularly; a break of more than 5 days requires starting all over again. In this case, the rules of hardening apply, as for beginners.

Hardening is an extremely useful procedure that will help your child strengthen his immune system. It is very important that hardening activities are carried out regularly, and there is no need to focus on just one of the factors. Remember that your helpers in this are air, water and sun at any time of the year.

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How do you feel about hardening children? What hardening methods do you use - share in the comments!

When a child is born, he finds himself in a new environment. Nature has endowed the baby with many different adaptive and protective mechanisms so that he can survive and begin to develop in this environment. For example, a child has thermoregulation mechanisms that prevent overheating and hypothermia. By wrapping a child and creating greenhouse conditions for him, we “deprive” these mechanisms of work. Having become unnecessary, they can gradually atrophy, and then even a light breeze will pose a threat to the child - a defenseless baby can easily get sick.

The body's endurance and its resistance to changing environmental conditions increase under the influence of HARDENING - air, water, scattered sunlight: the child's immunity to various diseases increases, thermoregulation mechanisms are improved; hardening promotes proper metabolism, has a positive effect on the physical development of the child, on the adaptation of his body to new living conditions. Hardening is the leading method of increasing the resistance of a child's body.

However, to obtain a positive effect from hardening, a number of GENERAL RULES must be followed:

Systematic use of hardening procedures at all times of the year without interruption

Breaks in hardening lead to a weakening of adaptation mechanisms formed under the influence of hardening procedures. Even in adults, 3-4 weeks after the cessation of hardening procedures, the developed resistance to the effects of cold is sharply weakened. In children in the 1st year of life, the disappearance of the adaptation effect occurs in an even shorter time - after 5-7 days. As conditions associated with the seasons change, procedures must be varied without canceling them completely. For example, a summer shower in winter can be replaced by dousing your feet.

It is possible to ensure systematic implementation of hardening procedures throughout the year only if they become firmly established in the child’s daily routine and are combined with normal activities carried out at different times of the day (washing, walking, sleeping, playing, hygienic bath, etc. .).

Gradual increase in the strength of the irritating effect

Hardening is based on the body’s ability to gradually adapt to unusual conditions. Resistance to low temperatures must be developed consistently but continuously. The transition from weaker hardening procedures to stronger ones (by lowering the air and water temperatures and increasing the duration of the procedure) must be carried out gradually. This is especially important for young children and weakened children (premature, suffering from malnutrition, rickets, exudative diathesis or other allergic diseases).

Taking into account the age and individual characteristics of the child

For any hardening activities, it is necessary to take into account the age and health status of the child and the individual characteristics of his body. With age, the load should be gradually increased. The weaker the child, the more careful one must approach the hardening procedures, but it is imperative to harden him! If your child does get sick, consult your doctor to see if at least some of the procedures can be continued with reduced force; if this cannot be done, you will have to start all over again after recovery.

Carrying out hardening procedures against the background of a positive mood of the child

Any hardening event should be carried out after first creating a good mood for the child. Crying, feelings of anxiety or fear should not be allowed before hardening procedures. If by the time the procedure is performed the child is upset about something and cries, it is better to postpone the procedure to another time or cancel it completely: it will no longer be possible to obtain a positive effect from this procedure.

Compliance with the temperature regime of the skin

During hardening, be sure to check the condition of the child’s skin: the procedure can only be carried out if his nose and limbs are warm. If the child is cold and already has vasoconstriction, it will not be possible to develop a positive reaction to hardening; you can only get the opposite effect. Overheating is also harmful: it increases the moisture content of the skin, which changes its thermal conductivity, as a result of which even moderate exposure to cool water or air can lead to significant hypothermia in the child’s body.

Air hardening

Method I - ventilation of the room. Air hardening begins with this. The best way to ventilate is through, which can be done in the absence of the child. The hardening factor when ventilating a room is to lower the temperature by 1-2O C. In autumn and winter, it is necessary to ventilate the room 4-5 times a day for 10-15 minutes. In summer, the window should be open, the optimal air temperature in the room where the infant is located is +20-22 C. Studies have shown that at higher room temperatures, the growth and development of the child is delayed.

Method II - a walk, including sleeping in the air. It is advisable to spend as much time as possible outdoors. In the summer outside the city, it is advisable to take meals, sleep, gymnastics, and games into the fresh air. It’s good to go for a walk at any time of the year, just don’t forget that you need to dress according to the weather. Don't wrap up your child! Children from 2-3 weeks of age in the cold season, at an air temperature not lower than -5 O C, must be taken outside. The duration of the first procedure is 10 minutes, in the future the walking time should be increased to 1.5-2 hours and walked twice a day. In the warm season, walks with the child should be daily, 2-3 times a day, 2-2.5 hours between feedings.

In the first 1.5 years of a child’s life, daytime naps in the air are recommended. At the same time, quick falling asleep, restful sleep, even breathing, pink complexion, lack of sweat, warm limbs upon awakening indicate that the child is dressed correctly, that is, is in a state of thermal comfort. When cold or overheated, the child sleeps restlessly. Blueness of the face, cold nose, cold extremities are indicators of sudden cooling. A sweaty forehead and damp skin indicate that the baby is hot.

Method III - air baths. Under the influence of air baths, oxygen absorption increases, heat exchange conditions change significantly, and the state of the child’s nervous system improves - he becomes calmer, eats and sleeps better.

For children 1 year of age, air baths begin with swaddling. It is useful to leave the child undressed for some time during each swaddling and changing of clothes. You need to take your time to undress and dress your child. The air temperature during the air bath should gradually decrease to +18-20 ° C. The time of air baths should be gradually increased, and from the age of one month the air bath should be combined with massage and gymnastics.

During the second half of the year - 2 times a day for 15 minutes, daily increasing the duration of the bath by 2 minutes.

During and after the air bath, the child should look cheerful and be in a good mood. Make sure that children do not cry during this time and have the opportunity to move. Don't miss the signs of hypothermia: if goose bumps appear, you need to dress the child, stop the air bath, and then reduce its duration. It is always necessary to pay attention to the child’s sleep and appetite: their disturbance may be a sign of the adverse effects of an air bath.

In summer, air baths can be combined with solar ones.

Hardening by sun rays

It must be remembered that the sun's rays are a powerful remedy. For young children, exposure to direct sunlight, as well as sunbathing, is not recommended. Hardening should begin in diffuse sunlight. It is better for the child to be in the so-called “lace shadow”. At first, he should be dressed in a shirt made of light, light fabric at an air temperature of +22-24 O C. In the middle of the child’s wakefulness, he should be undressed and left naked for several minutes, gradually increasing the hardening time to 10 minutes. The baby needs to put a Panama hat on his head. It is useful for him to move freely at this time in the arena, on the playground, playing with toys.

In good general condition, if the child tolerates being in the lacy shade of trees well, you can expose him to direct sunlight, first for half a minute, and then gradually increase the time spent in the sun to 5 minutes. This procedure must be performed in the morning (before 10-11 am) or in the evening (after 5 pm). Care must be taken to ensure that the child does not overheat. If the face becomes red, irritability or excitability appears, you should take it out of the lacy shade of trees or out of the direct rays of the sun into the shade and give it cooled boiled water to drink. If the child is weakened by diseases, sun hardening should be carried out very carefully, under the supervision of an adult who is always nearby; it is also necessary to periodically consult with the attending physician or exercise therapy doctor, who will authorize and dose the procedure.

Water hardening

One of the most effective natural hardening agents is water. People who are not too familiar with hardening methods are often amazed by the fact that washing and showering, which we are accustomed to since childhood, can serve not only hygienic, but also health-improving purposes, but this is exactly the case. With proper organization of water procedures, correctly selected temperature conditions, and a gradual increase in the time of exposure to cool water, the habitual performance of simple morning and evening toilet actions can have an unexpectedly strong healing effect.

Hardening procedures are extremely useful for children in the first year of life, but with two caveats. Firstly, there can be no talk of any hardening until the end of the adaptation postpartum period (i.e. up to 1 month), when the child’s body, which has experienced significant stress during the transition from intrauterine existence to life in the outside world, adapts to new conditions for it. conditions. Secondly, before you start carrying out hardening procedures with your child, you must consult a doctor.

For children in the first year of life, water hardening procedures can be local (washing, rubbing) and general (hygienic baths, rubbing and dousing, and sometimes showering). At the same time, for hardening, you can use both daily hygiene procedures - washing your hands before eating, washing your feet before going to bed, regular bathing, and various games with water. The effect of water hardening is based on a gradual decrease in water temperature and an increase in procedure time.

You can start hardening with the usual washing of the child. The initial temperature of the water should be close to the temperature of the skin of the exposed parts of the child’s body - approximately + 28-26 ° C.

The next stage of hardening with water should be wiping. You can start with water at a temperature of +34°C and over 10-15 days gradually (by 0.5-1° per day) reduce the temperature to +26-23°C.

Rubbing is done as follows: with a terry cloth mitten soaked in water or a terry towel folded several times, the child is wiped with quick movements: the first week - only the upper half of the body (see photo 1), and after a week - the whole body (see photo 2). The directions of movement when wiping should be as follows: the child’s hands should be wiped from the fingers to the shoulders, the chest in a circular motion clockwise, the back - from the middle of the spine to the sides, the legs - from the feet up to the pelvis, the stomach in a clockwise direction, the buttocks - without spreading them . Each movement is repeated 2-4 times.

Along with wiping with regular cool water, wiping with a solution of sea salt (1 teaspoon per 1 glass of water) is useful.

The hardening method proposed by Swedish doctors has proven itself well: a terry towel is moistened with “sea water” (1 tablespoon of sea salt per 1 liter of water, water temperature +22 ° C) and the child (starting from 6 months) is lowered for 2-3 seconds on a towel; the child “jumps” and “dances” (see photo 3). Without wiping your feet, move on to other elements of the toilet. After 2 weeks, if the child feels well, you can increase the load: the child is lowered onto a damp towel for 2-3 seconds, which is first placed in a plastic bag and placed in the refrigerator.

After wet wiping, you need to rub the baby’s skin until it turns pink and dress him.

Attention: those areas of the skin that are subjected to rubbing and subsequent rubbing must be absolutely healthy - if there is diaper rash, any rashes, etc. on the skin, this procedure should be postponed.

After 2-4 weeks of systematic rubbing, you can move on to dousing with water (it is better to discuss the temperature regime with your doctor). It is necessary to start dousing from the legs, then add the buttocks to them, then the chest and stomach and end with dousing the left and right shoulders (see photo 4). This procedure can begin at 9-12 months (and even earlier for more seasoned children).

Of the local douches, foot douches are recommended first (see photo 5). Such procedures have not only a local, but also a general effect on the body, and this is due, in particular, to the fact that cooling the feet is one of the possible ways to stimulate the activity of the adrenal glands, which play an important role in the body’s adaptation to adverse conditions and in the functioning of the immune system person. The hardening effect of this procedure can be due to either a gradual (1° per day) decrease in temperature, or the use of contrast dousing. In the latter case, the feet are first doused with warm water (+36°C), then cold (+24-20°C), and finally warm again (+36°C). This method is recommended for children who are often ill or suffer from allergic reactions, since they have a tendency to spasm of capillaries (small vessels).

Foot baths (“tramming” in water) are very useful. You can start them at a temperature of +35°C. This procedure is carried out as follows: pour water into the bath slightly above the level of the ankles. The child must walk through the water (with or without your help) 5-6 times. Then pour water 2-3°C colder (see photo 6). After the bath, wipe the child’s feet and put him to bed (you don’t have to wipe the feet).

Attention: you should not pour cold water on your feet or “trample” them in water if your child has cold feet! The skin temperature of the feet should be several degrees higher than the water temperature.

This hardening option is also possible: general dousing with cool (+28-22°C) water after a hygienic bath.

A powerful means of hardening is the shower (see photo 7), as a rule, it is resorted to when the child is already one and a half years old, however, a physical therapy doctor can prescribe it earlier for any indication (a shower is often prescribed for lethargic children, especially those with poor health). appetite).

And in conclusion of the article, we would like to remind you that water hardening does not cancel other types of hardening (air, sun) - airing, walking, sleeping in the air, which we described in detail in the previous issue, should be carried out regardless of water hardening procedures.

Many people know that a child’s health and the functioning of his immune system are determined by a hereditary factor, but not many know that 70% of it depends on lifestyle, which can improve the baby’s condition or, on the contrary, worsen it. That is why hardening of young children (up to 1 year) is a relevant and important issue.

Hardening is an effective alternative to medications

Experts have found that the effectiveness of water hardening procedures is many times greater than the result of “strengthening” the immune system with the help of special preparations. After the first year of hardening, a 2-year-old child is 3.5 times less susceptible to ARVI infection, even in cold winter conditions. In addition, there are often no contraindications to the hardening procedure (except for acute fever) and there are no negative effects or health risks. The same cannot be said about immunostimulants. After all, they are, in fact, the result of the chemical industry, and it is unknown how an individual child might react to their use.

Practice has proven that the use of such drugs is often undesirable for hyperactive children prone to overexcitation, as they aggravate the child’s psycho-emotional state. Thus, you can strengthen the newborn’s immunity with the help of hardening and not be afraid of the consequences. The main thing is to know when to stop, have patience and carefully observe how the baby’s body reacts to such “training”.

When is the best time to start the hardening procedure?

Every parent knows that water hardening is useful, but not everyone knows when it can be started, at what age and what time of year is best for this? Is it too late to start the procedure after 2 years? Yes, these principles are important, but everything is extremely simple here; in fact, this is the advantage of hardening - it’s never too early and never too late to start. You can always start a healthy lifestyle - both before 1 year and much later. The only thing is that it will be more comfortable in the warm season, especially when it comes to infants.

At the same time, remember the basic principles - hardening should be associated with positive emotions and impressions, so you need to take into account the physical and psychological state of the baby. It is erroneous to say that hardening is not recommended for children whose health is not entirely good. Just in such a situation, you should seek advice from a specialist and choose the right, appropriate techniques.

Basic rules for hardening children

1. Hardening procedures should be systematic, without long breaks, regardless of the time of year;
2. The degree of irritation should increase evenly, gradually (especially when it comes to children under 1 year old);
3. You can’t suddenly switch to cold water;
4. When choosing a technique, you need to take into account the age and individual characteristics of the child;
5. All procedures should be carried out against a positive emotional background and are not advisable for severely ill children.

Hardening of young children should be carried out in a harmonious combination of general and special events, where general:

• Maintaining the correct daily routine;
• Balanced and proper nutrition;
• Physical education classes.

Special:

• Air hardening;
• Hardening with water;
• Sunbathing.

These basic rules will help you achieve maximum effect from hardening. Hardening procedures have various methods and methods of hardening children.

Air hardening

This type of hardening is the first procedure for an infant. To organize it correctly, it is important to know that: a newborn child should be in a room where the temperature reaches 23 C, from 1 to 3 months - 21 C, from 3 months to 1 year - 20 C, from 1 year - 18 C.

The main rule here is frequent ventilation; in summer the window should be open almost constantly, and in winter up to 5 times a day for 15 minutes. This should be done in the presence of a child, avoid drafts. The hardening effect can be achieved with the help of modern technology, which automatically regulates the temperature and humidity of the air.

In the summer, infants can often be given walks in the first days of life. Initially, this is 20-40 minutes, which needs to be increased to 7-8 hours a day. Here, of course, everything depends on the climatic conditions of a particular region.

Starting from 1 month, walks are organized even at negative temperatures. The main condition is the absence of strong wind.

Air hardening begins in the maternity hospital, leaving the newborn without clothes for some time. The initial temperature for this procedure is 21-22 C, which gradually decreases and by the age of 2 years (with normal tolerance of the body) it is brought to 18-19 C, and over 2 years - up to 13 C. If we talk about time, then initially this is 1-3 minutes, which increases by 2 minutes every 5 days. Babies under 6 months of age “walk” in this way for 15 minutes, and after six months - 30 minutes. At 3 years old, air hardening of children can last up to 40 minutes. The air hardening procedure should be accompanied by physical exercise.

Water hardening

This type of hardening is the most effective due to the fact that water has a high level of thermal conductivity and heat capacity. All types of water procedures that become a component of hardening are divided into non-traditional (intensive) and traditional.

Traditional procedures

They do not involve dousing with cold water. Any technique is developed taking into account the age of the child. It is recommended to include it in daily procedures (washing, washing, bathing) and hardening from the first days of his life.

I. From birth to 3 months

1. Baths where the water temperature does not exceed 37 C lasting 5 minutes. After which the child is doused with water, the temperature of which is a couple of degrees lower.
2. Washing, washing children for 2 minutes with water, the temperature of which is initially 28 C, and every subsequent 2 days it decreases and is brought to 21 C.
3. Rubbing with a mitten soaked in water at a temperature of 32-36 C. The procedure lasts for two minutes. First, wipe the hands in the direction from the hand to the shoulder, then the legs - from the foot to the knee. Over 5 days, the temperature drops by 1 degree and reaches 28 C.

After this procedure, it is important to wipe dry (until a pink color appears) all areas of the body that were rubbed.

II. From 3 to 10 months

1. Similar to point 1 in the previous section.
2. Similar to point 2 in the previous section.
3. Wet wipe down the whole body. The difference is that after the arms and legs, the chest and back are wiped. The water temperature is maintained as for local wiping. To achieve a therapeutic effect, you can add sea salt to the water (concentration of 2 tablespoons of salt per 1 liter of water). It is also important to dry your body after wiping.

III. From 10 months to 1 year

Points 1 and 2 are similar to the previous sections.

3. Pouring. During this procedure, the child can sit or stand. The stream of water should be directed from a distance of 30 cm. The order is as follows: pour over the back, chest, stomach, then the arms. Also, the body is wiped until there is slight redness. The first procedure is carried out at a water temperature of 35-37 C, after which every five days it decreases by 1 degree and is reduced to 28 C.

IV. From 1 to 2 years (up to 3 is acceptable)

1. General rubbing, during which the water temperature is brought to 24 C.
2. General dousing with water, the temperature of which is 24-28 C. After one and a half years, it is recommended for children to use a shower lasting 1.5 minutes.

For those suffering from exudative-catarrhal disease, a herbal bath is recommended as a hardening method, where the following types of herbs are used: string, oregano, coltsfoot, violet, calendula in equal proportions (40 g). This mixture must be brewed with 3-4 liters of boiled water and left for 3 hours. The filtered infusion is poured into the bath, where the water temperature reaches 36 C.

The duration of the first procedure should not exceed 2 minutes; with each subsequent procedure it increases and is 10 minutes. At the same time, the temperature drops to 24 C. Such baths are taken every 2 days.

Non-traditional hardening methods include all procedures that involve contact of a naked body with snow, cold, ice water and air at negative temperatures. This method puts the body under a certain stress, which is due to the physiology of children. And research by specialists makes it possible to assert that this type of hardening is contraindicated not only for infants, 1 year, 2 years, but also for older children.

This is not a problem - after all, there is an effective alternative: contrast foot baths, rubdown, sauna, contrast shower, Russian bath and others. There is always a way out of the situation, the main thing is that the child’s parents have a desire to help him with normal, correct development, which will become a powerful help in the future.

Remember that even when getting your child ready for a walk, you can organize the hardening of children up to one year old by lightly wrapping them up and reducing the layers of clothing. There should be as many of them as the person walking with him. When the baby begins to walk and be more active (usually after 1 year), the layer can be reduced by one, even in cold weather.

That's all the basic rules that will help your baby grow healthy and happy!

Be healthy, be tough!