Winter has just arrived and for new moms this means the start of a challenging time. Cold brings with itself a lot of health issues such as pneumonia and flu. Infants are specifically vulnerable because they have weak immune systems. Consult a pediatrician for any serious health concerns.
According to a report by UNICEF, 2.6 million infants died in the year of 2016. 80% of these deaths were from common and treatable conditions such as pneumonia and sepsis. It is thus necessary to protect infants in winter as cold weather is more likely to trigger these fatal conditions.
Here are some tips for all the new moms on how they can keep their newborns safe this winter.
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1-Layered clothing:
Cold weather can be very unpredictable. Sometimes the days may present some sunlight while at night it may get freezing cold. There is also a very drastic difference between temperatures inside and outside. Indoors are usually very warm due to heating systems and outdoors are cooler.
If your child is wearing very warm clothes, he/she can experience heavy sweating indoors. On the other hand, if your child is wearing light clothes, he/she will be unprotected outdoors. It is thus important to dress your child in layers during winter. With layers you can easily take a layer off when it is too hot and add one when it is cold.
2-Shorter baths:
According to a report by American Academy of Pediatrics, newborns should not be bathed every day. In winters, this statement becomes even more relevant. Bathing not only increases the risk of catching a cold but can also cause skin dryness in babies.
In winter warm water is used for bathing which absorbs all the moisture from the baby’s skin. Scented soaps also act as drying agents. In extreme cases, long baths and over scrubbing may lead to conditions like eczema.
To avoid any skin problems and the risk of exposing your child to cold decrease the frequency and duration of baths.
3-Warning signs:
Even if all rules are followed and precautions are taken, infants may still get sick. The important thing in such cases is to detect a problem early on and seek treatment immediately. To avoid any complications, be on the lookout for any warning signs that your child may present.
Wheezing sound while breathing, shivering, high temperature and diarrhea are the signs of a viral or bacterial attack. In such cases, consult top pediatricians in Lahore as early as possible.
4-Temperature control:
It is important to maintain a normal body temperature for your baby. Sometimes the heating systems may make the indoor environment too hot, even for winters. Hot temperatures are likely to make the baby sweat ultimately leading to dehydration. Dehydration is highly dangerous for infants and thus should be avoided.
The temperature thus should be maintained such that it is neither too hot nor very cold.
5- Immunity:
Winter is a season of illness because microbes can stay longer in the air. Babies have weak immune systems and thus can catch these germs very easily. To spend a disease free winter, it is important to help your child build his/her immunity.
According to a study, breast milk has immune factors and can protect your child from diseases. Feed your child breast milk if possible as it can drastically increase his/her chances of dodging winter diseases.
If your child is suffering from any sickness, you should visit a pediatrician as early as possible. You can also visit our website at oladoc.com and look for top pediatricians in Lahore, Karachi and Islamabad.
You can also call our helpline at 042-3890-0939 to get directed to the specialists that are suitable for your specific concerns.
