Young mothers who have just returned from the maternity hospital immediately begin to face many questions, the most common of which are when can they start walking with their newborn and whether it is necessary to walk with the child every day. Parents whose children were born in winter are especially worried about this. Therefore, it will be useful for all of them to know when they can take their child’s first walk in his life and what rules to follow at different times of the year.
Newborn in a stroller sleeping
When can you take a walk with your newborn?
According to the recommendations of pediatricians, if the child is healthy and had a normal weight at birth, the first walk with the newborn should take place between 10 and 14 days of birth. It is not recommended to go for walks before this period; first, let the baby adapt to the conditions at home: get used to the crib, the smells and sounds in the apartment. But you shouldn’t put off going for a long time - the child needs oxygen and sunlight for normal development.
It is important to monitor the temperature outside to understand when you can start walking with your newborn. During the first winter walk, the thermometer should fall no lower than -5° C for each month of the child’s life, but not lower than -15° C.
Can I skip it?
Everything that has been said so far proves that walking every day, or better yet several times, is definitely necessary. However, this should not burden parents. There are many reasons that will force you to give up daily exercise.
- Unsuitable weather - No one says it's healthy to hang out outside in the pouring rain or freezing cold.
- Being busy means simply not having enough time.
- Lack of mood is also a reason.
- Malaise - going out for a walk when the body of the mother or child is weakened is dangerous. Thus, you can get seriously ill, and even get complications.
- Lack of a suitable place for walking - sometimes it is healthier to sit at home than to breathe in exhaust fumes or climb around a construction site.
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Author:
Vasilisa Vasilyeva
How to properly dress a newborn for a walk?
How to dress a baby so that he does not feel hot, does not sweat, and at the same time does not get cold? This question worries every parent. A small reminder on how to prepare a baby for his first acquaintance with nature:
- When going for a walk with a newborn, the mother gets dressed first, then the baby, otherwise he will sweat and may get sweaty on the street. Therefore, it is important to choose clothes according to the weather, do not wrap the baby too tightly and check whether he is sweating during the walk.
- When thinking about what to wear for a child, you should use the “+1” rule. This means that an infant should wear one more layer than an adult. It is necessary to ensure that the head, arms and legs do not freeze.
- Walking with a newborn in the fresh air is a great time when the baby can fall asleep on his own, without swaddling. In addition, if he is swaddled, he may freeze faster, since he will not be able to move at all.
- If during a walk the newborn’s face turns red, it means that the mother has overdid it with clothes and he is hot; if he becomes pale, he is cool.
What are the benefits of walking?
So, walking with a newborn is a must, but not all mothers can articulate what walking can do for a small child. The arguments in favor of walking in the fresh air, meanwhile, are quite weighty.
Even if you live in a metropolis, the level of oxygen outside exceeds its content indoors, since batteries in the apartment have a negative effect. Oxygen deficiency impairs children's sleep and appetite.- Heat exchange processes in newborn babies are not regulated. The difference between room and street temperatures helps improve the thermoregulation mechanism and strengthens the toddler's defense system.
- For the musculoskeletal system and nervous system to develop normally, you need vitamin D3, which cannot be obtained from food. It is synthesized only in the skin under the influence of ultraviolet radiation. During a walk, the child receives the dose of useful vitamin he needs.
- A walk in the park is also beneficial for the mother, since fresh air strengthens the immune system, and walking helps restore shape after pregnancy and childbirth.
In some cases, parents prefer being on the balcony to walking. Although the air at altitude is much cleaner, doctors do not advise getting carried away with such high-altitude “promenades.”
Exceptions - if the mother or child is sick, the family lives on the top floor of a high-rise building without an elevator.
Where and how long to walk with a newborn
Regardless of the season, you need to walk with your newborn for the first time for about 10-15 minutes. The next day, the duration of the walk doubles, and then distribute the increase in time so that after a month the time spent on the street is about 1.5 - 2 hours.
So, above you were already able to get the answer to your question: when should you start walking with your newborn? Now let's figure out where to go for a walk with a newborn.
Places where it is recommended to walk with a newborn are quiet parks and squares, devoid of automobile fumes and large crowds of people, especially children. We do not recommend walking on children's playgrounds, since a still fragile little body may “pick up” some of the childhood diseases there.
But walking with a newborn in the first months of life can be very tiring for a mother. After all, a young mother may not yet have fully recovered her strength after childbirth, she may have a lot of homework, and not everyone has assistants in the person of a grandmother who is ready to take the child out into the air. In this case, a balcony can be a lifesaver if you live in a multi-story building, or a secluded, safe place in the yard if you own a private house.
For a safe walk on the balcony, it is advisable that it be glazed, which will protect the child from foreign objects from other balconies, and especially cigarette butts from neighbors above, getting into the stroller. Place your baby in the stroller on his side, facing the flat. This way it will be more convenient for you to keep an eye on him - you won’t have to run out to the balcony every time. Also, make sure that you can always hear your child; a radio nanny will be very useful here.
In general, a balcony for a mother is the most important helper in the first three to four months of a baby’s life. Send your child to sleep on the balcony all day, taking him away only to feed him or change his diaper, this will only benefit him. In the meantime, while the child is “walking,” mom can devote time to herself, household chores, or dad.
A balcony suitable for walking must be completely safe for the child: cleared of rubbish, preferably glazed or covered with mesh. It is most convenient to put the baby to sleep in a stroller or in a cradle from it. If the baby is already trying to sit up, then “independent” walks should be stopped.
Walking with a newborn in winter
The cold outside should not be an obstacle to going outside. Walking with a newborn in clean, frosty air helps to harden the child, even the laziest appetite improves, and sleep becomes deeper.
For “winter” children, the first walk outside is allowed if the thermometer has not dropped below -5° C and at normal humidity. If the temperature is less than this indicator, then it is better to breathe fresh air on the balcony, where the temperature is higher. If this is not possible, you can get by with good ventilation of the room by dressing the child correctly before doing so. The duration of the first winter walk is about 10-15 minutes, and after a month it will be an hour and a half, depending on weather conditions.
It is difficult to give an unambiguous answer to the question of how to dress a baby in winter; it all depends on the climate zone in which you live and how severe your winters are. But the average clothing pattern for a baby for a walk in winter is as follows:
- First layer: cotton slip or cotton rompers with a vest, cotton cap.
- Second layer: fleece or flannelette man, warm socks, winter hat.
- Third layer: winter overalls or envelope (250 grams of insulation).
- Fourth layer: warm blanket. Required if the temperature drops below -10° C.
Don't overheat your baby! If your baby is sweaty after a walk, dress him lighter next time.
Walking with a newborn in autumn and spring
For these times of year, you also need to walk with your newborn for no more than 15 minutes, then gradually increase the time you spend outside. But since it is more pleasant to be outside during this period than in winter, the total duration of stay in a month or two can be increased to two to three hours a day. It will be more convenient to divide this time into two periods.
It is better to dress a child at temperatures from +2 to +10° C as follows:
- cotton underwear and cotton cap.
- fleece or flannelette man, warm hat.
- demi-overalls (40 grams of insulation) or winter overalls, but without a second layer.
If the street is from +10° C to +17° C:
- A cotton man and a thin cap.
- Demi-season overalls.
At temperatures above +20° C, you can take off your demi-season overalls, but it is better to take a blanket when going outside.
In the autumn, do not forget to take a raincoat with you for yourself and your baby's stroller.
When to take a walk with a newborn in summer
In the heat, it is very important to ensure that your baby does not get heatstroke! You cannot walk with your newborn on the street during the period of active sun (from 12 to 16 hours); at this time it is better to be at home.
The duration of the first walk does not depend on the season, and in summer it also ranges from 15 to 20 minutes. When the child has adapted to the street, you can walk all day, but not less than 2-3 hours a day.
As for the clothes of a newborn during this period, look at the weather, but usually in hot weather a cotton bodysuit with short sleeves (without legs) and a thin cap on the head is enough; in case of wind from above, you can cover it with a diaper.
You need to walk with your newborn in the fresh air for as long as you can. And you don’t have to go for a walk only in the morning. Especially in the hot season, when only after sunset you can wait for coolness, it is very convenient to go for a walk in the late evening with the whole family.
General recommendations
- When purchasing a stroller for your child, it is advisable to choose wheels with shock absorbers, a mattress made of natural material, and a flat bottom.
- Dress yourself, then gather your baby so that he doesn’t sweat while you get dressed. This recommendation is especially relevant in winter.
- The walk should be distributed between feeding the baby. A well-fed child is the key to a long and restful sleep, as well as a long stay in the fresh air.
- You should take a walk with your newborn in places where there are few cars, quiet and deserted. A park or square, a playground, or a walk in the forest are best.
- Take several pacifiers with you. If one falls, you will have an alternative. But the absence of a pacifier can cause the baby to cry, which is unacceptable in cold seasons: the baby will swallow damp and cool air and may get sick.
Palm oil is bad for the environment, not for children
Evgeniy Komarovsky is convinced that food from stores is completely harmless to children. The doctor is only negative towards sweets. But various E-additives, like palm oil, which many mothers and fathers are terribly afraid of, do not frighten him at all. All their “harm” is explained only by the commercial interest of manufacturers of more expensive food, who do not want to see competitors in their market, the doctor believes.
Photo source: chefmarket.ru
— Palm oil in products is no more harmful than sunflower oil. And in some industries, for example, confectionery, it is even more convenient, cheaper and better. Therefore, the only harm I see from palm oil is for the environment: trees are cut down for its production. Otherwise, even in infant formulas, there is no problem with the presence of palm oil.
When not to walk with a newborn
Despite the fact that walking with your child in the fresh air is beneficial, there are times when walking with your newborn is not recommended:
- If the child is sick and has a fever. In this case, it is enough to simply ventilate the rooms more often. But the decision on the first walk, if the baby was born premature or has a weak body, must be agreed upon with the pediatrician.
- When the thermometer shows above +30 or below -15, you should give up walking. Also, in bad weather, when there is heavy rain and wind, you should stay at home with a small child.
Fresh air is an assistant in the rapid restoration of strength and emotional harmony for the mother after childbirth, and it helps the baby strengthen the immune system. Physical activity also helps improve physical fitness, which is a pressing issue for many women.
Does mom have allergies? Feed your child the allergen as early as possible
Until recently, doctors believed that the later a potential allergen enters a child’s body, the better. Pregnant women were advised to be careful about any potential allergens and to follow a strict diet. And babies prone to allergic manifestations and children of mothers with allergies were recommended to introduce complementary foods as late and as carefully as possible.
Photo source: unsplash.com
Dr. Komarovsky is convinced that the opposite approach is more effective. The expectant mother needs to eat whatever she wants and likes (in reasonable quantities, of course). It is important to introduce the child to potential allergens in a timely manner.
— If the mother is allergic to eggs, in this situation you simply must give the child an egg to try between the ages of 4 and 6 months. And then the child’s risk of developing an allergy to this product will be significantly reduced. Any attempts to delay complementary feeding until 8-10 months will lead to a serious risk of developing allergies in the child.
