Why is the climate in the house so important for a child and how to make it ideal

What temperature is suitable for adults and children over two years old

The optimal indicator, according to What Is the Best Temperature for Sleep? doctors, is between 16 and 19 °C. This is related to the temperature of the human body. During the day it changes The Temperature Dependence of Sleep in accordance with circadian rhythms. If your routine is not disturbed, then in the evening, when you already feel drowsy and are preparing for bed, your body temperature begins to gradually decrease due to the dilation of blood vessels. And it will continue to fall throughout the night, bottoming out at about 5am.

Research shows Nighttime temperature and human sleep loss in a changing climate that too cold or hot indoor air interferes with natural physiological processes: the body does not give off heat, the temperature does not drop. And as a result, the quality of sleep suffers: it becomes restless, superficial, and the deep phase is shortened.

What should be the temperature of a newborn?

What should a baby's temperature be at 2 months?

Often, when a mother picks up her baby, it seems to her that the newborn’s temperature is higher than normal. Normally, a child’s body temperature can be 37.5˚C, if we are talking about measurements taken in the armpit. If readings are taken from the auricle or mouth using special attachments, the values ​​can be even higher - up to 38˚C.

Normal body temperature for children from birth to 6 years

The upper limit of normal is quite high for infants and infants up to one year old. This should not worry parents.

What temperature is suitable for children under two years of age?

The thermoregulation system in children at this age does not work as well as in adults. In addition, babies should not be covered with blankets that are too heavy and warm: they can close the child’s airways and the child will suffocate. Therefore, the temperature in the room can The safest room temperature for babies be 1–2 °C higher than that of adults. But ideally it should still not exceed 20 °C.

For young children, not only air temperature is important, but also clothing. It should not be too warm: overheating increases the risk of sudden infant death. Cotton pajamas and a sleeveless sleeping bag made of natural breathable fabric are enough.

To make sure your baby is not hot, touch his neck and abdomen. If the skin is hot and damp, remove one layer of clothing from the child.

What affects temperature readings

What temperature should a child have at 3 months?

Often mothers notice an increase in the child’s temperature immediately after sleep or while eating. Pediatricians explain these two popular conditions as follows:

• if a child is dressed in hot pajamas and covered with a blanket at night, he will overheat;
• if the room where the child sleeps is hot and stuffy, he does not lose excess heat during sleep;
• During feeding, the baby works, exerts enormous forces for his body, which is why he sweats and overheats.

Important! A baby's temperature may rise when he eats; this is normal. Overheating at night, which occurs due to excess clothing, blankets and overheated air, must be combated. This is the responsibility of the parents.

How to maintain optimal temperature

• Do not allow the room to overheat during the day. Adjust the temperature of the battery in the cold season, and close the curtains or blinds in hot weather.
• A couple of hours before bedtime, open the windows and ventilate the room or turn on the air conditioning, if you have one.
• Choose bedding and sleepwear made from natural, breathable fabrics.
• Avoid blankets that are heavy or too warm. Give preference to lighter options. In the summer, you can get by with just a sheet or duvet cover.

What temperature should be at night when you have a cold and how to bring it down?

A typical ARVI, as well as most bacterial infections, is characterized by an increase in temperature to febrile values ​​of 38-39℃, and possibly to a high fever of 39-40℃.

If adults are not able to bring down dangerous values ​​above 38.5 with antipyretics, they have to call an ambulance, which gives an injection of the “triad” - analgin + no-spa + diazolin. This should be done if the temperature does not go down within half an hour after taking Paracetamol or Ibuprofen.

When a fever above 38℃ in the evening is accompanied by alarming symptoms, you will not be able to call your pediatrician, because his working day is already over. In such cases, do not hesitate to call an ambulance.

The child will not be taken to the hospital unless absolutely necessary. But they will listen to him, make sure that there are no serious infections such as meningitis, and help bring down the temperature. And you can calmly wait until the morning to continue treatment.

You should definitely call an ambulance at night if your child has the following symptoms due to a high fever that lasts a long time:

• cold hands and feet, pale skin;
• bluish tint of lips and skin;
• bouts of vomiting;
• diarrhea, especially if it is streaked with blood;
• choking or heavy breathing;
• a rash that wasn't there before;
• convulsions, fainting, impaired consciousness;
• pain: headache,
• in a stomach,
• in the chest.

Bonus: tips for a comfortable sleep

• Avoid caffeine-containing drinks (coffee, green and black tea, energy drinks) after lunch, especially in the evening.
• Make sure your bedroom is dark. Turn off all lights, use thick curtains and sleep masks. The light that enters the room at night interferes with Why We Need To Sleep In Total Darkness the production of the hormone melatonin, which leads to sleep disturbances.
• Ensure silence. Turn off gadgets that might buzz and wake you up. Use earplugs if necessary.
• Create your own bedtime routine. It may include a warm bath Having Trouble Sleeping? Try a Hot Bath Before Bed, meditation, glass Effect of milk‑honey mixture on the sleep quality of coronary patients: A clinical trial study of milk with honey, giving up gadgets or switching screens to night mode Blue Light and Sleep: What's the Connection? .

Causes of fever without symptoms

Due to its physiology, a baby can cool the body only through breathing. If a baby breathes air heated by more than 20˚C, he will inevitably overheat. The main reason for asymptomatic fever is the incorrect microclimate of the room.

Many mothers, wanting to measure the temperature of a restless baby, do this while the child is eating. This is a big mistake because labor during sucking can significantly increase the thermometer reading.

Parents should know that when they go for a walk with a child who can already run and jump, they need to dress him in one less layer than himself. Mothers sitting on the benches of children's playgrounds feel a certain coolness and feel cold, while children actively jump and sweat if they are dressed too warmly.

Why is the climate in the house so important for a child and how to make it ideal

Both versions are extremes in what temperature a child needs. And it’s not just a matter of temperature; we must not forget about other important factors.

Following expert advice, observe your child's reaction first.

The problem of indoor climate concerns not only newborn babies, but also children of any age. In this article, you will learn the “formula for an ideal climate” in the home - 3 factors that you need to pay attention to so that you and your child feel cheerful and comfortable.

Correct humidity

Determining whether there is sufficient humidity in your home is very simple. If your lips are cracking, the skin on your hands and face is dry, and your eyes are watering, it means the air in your apartment is too dry. If you have these signs, then your child, especially if he is very young, is much worse. Dry air is catastrophic for newborns: it makes breathing difficult, clogs the nose, promotes bronchitis, and prevents coughing. But the room should not be too damp either: if the windows regularly fog up, it means that the room is already becoming like a bathhouse, hot or cold - depending on the temperature. High humidity, in turn, increases the risk of cardiovascular disease, can lead to overheating and promotes the growth of mold on the walls. Exact humidity values ​​can be determined using a hygrometer; experts recommend a range of 40-60%. If the humidity is lower or higher, you risk having uninvited “pets” in your home: fungi, viruses, bacteria.

If you do not want to breed bacteria, fungi and viruses in your home, maintain a humidity level of 40-60%

You can increase the humidity level by getting rid of dust collectors: fleecy carpets, plush bedspreads, large soft toys in large quantities. Also, do not forget to do wet cleaning every few days - wash the floors and wipe all surfaces. You can put a humidifier in the room. At least one plant should become a mandatory “neighbor” for a child in his room. But there are certain requirements for it: it should not be poisonous, strong-smelling or cause allergies. The function of the plant is to purify the air, normalize humidity, and produce oxygen. Chlorophytum (yes, this is what is most often installed in schools), spathiphyllum and lemon tree are ideal for this role.

What kind of air is fresh?

Air freshness is a combination of several parameters. Everything matters: the materials from which the furniture is made, the type of ventilation in the house, the degree of dust in the room, the level of oxygen, carbon dioxide and other substances.

Imagine a room with non-woven wallpaper (and therefore some glue underneath), carpet and plastic windows. The residents of this apartment are packed in a plastic-lint container and only occasionally open the window to ventilate the room, when it is already completely stuffy. A vacuum cleaner alone cannot improve the climate in such a room, and a draft must be prescribed as a necessary prescription - in order to “drive away” the air full of dust and harmful chemical emissions. But even ventilation will not make the air in such a room truly fresh, although it will certainly be cooler.

Therefore, it is better not to expose your child to colds due to drafts, but to provide high-quality ventilation in the house.

Rescue ventilation

The air in the room must be regularly updated by any means - be it air conditioning, ventilation using a window or a recuperator. We inhale oxygen, exhale carbon dioxide. Carbon dioxide quickly accumulates in the room. But even if there are a lot of plants in your apartment, this is still not enough to completely renew the air you breathe. Ventilating a house in a metropolis is ineffective and even harmful - “fresh” air from the street is in fact not fresh at all, but full of dust, waste, exhaust gases and aerosols from chemical industries. And in spring and summer, allergy sufferers begin to suffer in the form of pollen. Therefore, many city residents install air conditioners, breathers or recuperators in their apartments.

At first glance, it seems that the differences in these devices are minimal, but the essence is the same - to maintain a pleasant climate in the house. But in reality it turns out that they are fundamentally different from each other.

The air conditioner works to maintain constant heat or coolness, but it does not take air from outside, but circulates indoor air in a circle. The same air, passing through Conder filters several times, is eventually dried. So you will have to open the window anyway to compensate for the dryness. Well, at the same time install a humidifier.

If you use the air conditioner carelessly, you can cause your child to catch a cold. A stream of air directed at a person is equivalent to being in a draft

A breather, unlike an air conditioner, takes air from the street. Then it cleans it using filters and heats it up. This is a good option, but the breather does not remove polluted air from the apartment. Therefore, if the hood in the house is poor, the breather does not work effectively. Like an air conditioner, a breather actively consumes electricity - every winter month you will receive an additional bill for about 1000 rubles.

The principle of operation of the recuperator differs significantly from the first two devices: like a breather, it takes air from the street. It passes it through a fine filter, cools or heats it, depending on the temperature outside the window, and lets it into the room. And after 40 seconds, the “exhaust” mode turns on: the device takes in musty indoor air full of carbon dioxide and takes it outside along with indoor dust and odors. Thanks to a special heat exchange module, the air in the room does not dry out, and the room maintains a stable, comfortable temperature with an ideal humidity level.

At the same time, electricity costs are cheap - about 20 rubles per month for one recuperator, in addition, you save on heaters and air conditioners, which now have to be turned on less often. The device operates at temperatures from -47 to +50 outside the window - while air conditioners operate from -5 to +20, and breathers do not cool hot air.

In winter, cold and dirty air from the street passes through a heat exchange module built into the wall. And it enters the room already warm and cleaned. In summer, the air cools a little and is filtered even more

And the recuperator also saves you not only from drafts and polluted air, but also from street noise. For example, the body of the Vakio heat exchanger is made of a special material that absorbs up to 92% of noise from the street. The device itself operates quieter than a human whisper—the noise level of the recuperator is 20 decibels.

Neither hot nor cold

Pediatricians have still not come to a consensus about the temperature in a child's bedroom. Adherents of evidence-based medicine recommend average values ​​of +20 degrees. In this case, the recommended temperature ranges from +18 to +23, depending on the beliefs of the particular pediatrician and the climatic characteristics of the area where the child was born. The World Health Organization recommends raising the temperature in a newborn's room to 21-22 degrees. In Russian maternity hospitals, 22-23 degrees are taken as optimal values: it is believed that at this air temperature and maintaining 60% humidity, it is comfortable for both a newborn and an adult to stay in the room for a long time. Many pediatricians recommend following the “shorts and T-shirt” rule: the temperature in the room should be such that an adult feels comfortable walking around in shorts and a T-shirt. The second universal rule that protects against extremes: it should not be cold or hot.

Follow the “shorts and T-shirt” rule, not the “hat with earflaps” rule.

Ignoring doctors' recommendations, some parents wrap their children in plush overalls in apartments where temperatures reach 25 degrees in winter. And they carefully ensure that the child does not take off the second woolen socks worn on top of the usual ones - in order to protect the baby from drafts on the floor. In response to this, the world's leading pediatricians continue to repeat that drafts are not the cause of ARVI, but crusts in the nose that appear due to dried hot air very much contribute to the passage of viruses into the body.

Weather in the house

So, we have derived the formula for the ideal climate in the house:

correct humidity + fresh air + comfortable temperature = ideal climate

Separately, each of these parameters will work “idlely”, if not to the detriment. Therefore, there is no need to be zealous and open all the windows wide on a frosty winter day to refresh the atmosphere, just as you do not need to turn your apartment into a small tropical garden.

If you read the article carefully, now you know how to make the climate in the room constantly favorable. Agree, this is better than blowing drafts of open windows through your household every day and raking out bags of dust from under the bed every six months.