Comfortable temperature in the nursery. Room temperature in the nursery

The baby spends most of his time indoors, so maintaining the correct temperature in the newborn’s room is the most important condition for his comfortable well-being.

According to most pediatricians, the optimal air temperature for a newborn should not exceed 22°C. Some pediatricians advise not to accustom your baby to “tropical conditions” from infancy, but to provide him with natural hardening, lowering the temperature to 18-19°C. Do not be alarmed if you feel uncomfortable at this temperature - as a rule, in an adult, the natural mechanisms of thermoregulation are disrupted due to an incorrect lifestyle. The baby is able to naturally adapt to the conditions around him. Most parents are more afraid of their child's hypothermia than overheating, and therefore, they create all the conditions to ensure that the baby does not freeze. You can often observe the following fact: the more prosperous the family, and the more grandparents surround the child, the more “greenhouse” living conditions are created for him, and, conversely, in most dysfunctional families no one worries about the temperature of the room at all, and, as a rule, there children get sick less.

In a newborn child with an imperfect thermoregulation system, the metabolism is very active, and this is accompanied by significant heat production. The child gets rid of “excess” heat through the lungs and skin. Therefore, the higher the temperature of the inhaled air, the less heat is lost by the body through the lungs. Consequently, the child begins to sweat, losing the necessary water and salt.

On the skin of a child who is hot, redness and diaper rash appear in the folds. The child begins to suffer from abdominal pain due to loss of water and improper digestion of food, and nasal breathing may be impaired due to the appearance of dry crusts in the nose.

It is very important that the air temperature of a newborn is determined not by the feelings of adults, but by a thermometer, which is better to hang in the crib area.

The air temperature in a newborn’s room cannot always be changed in the desired direction. The temperature in the room is rarely less than 18 degrees; most often the temperature is higher than desired due to the hot season or heating season. You can protect your child from overheating in the following ways:

• minimum amount of clothing;
• additional water;
• organization of water procedures.

The air temperature in the room directly affects a newborn's sleep. Thanks to their active metabolism, newborns cannot freeze. That is, if a child sleeps in a cool room with a temperature of 18-20°C in rompers and a vest, then he will be much more comfortable than if he is wrapped in a blanket at a temperature above 20°C.

The air temperature when bathing a newborn should not differ from the temperature of the entire room. There is no need to specially heat the bathing room, then after bathing the child will not feel the temperature difference and will not get sick.

Along with the optimal air temperature in a newborn’s room, air humidity is of great importance. Dry air has the same adverse effect on the baby as excessively high temperature: loss of body fluids, drying of the mucous membranes, dry skin. Relative air humidity should not be less than 50%, which is practically impossible during the heating season. To increase humidity, you can install an aquarium or other containers with water, but it’s easier to buy a special humidifier.

The newborn's room should also be regularly ventilated and wet cleaned with a minimum amount of detergents.

When preparing for the birth of a baby, parents try to create comfortable conditions for their baby. In addition to buying a wide variety of things, it is worth considering in advance a system for maintaining optimal temperature in the room for a newborn. The baby should neither overheat nor freeze.

Based on the baby's behavior, you can find out what temperature and humidity is more comfortable for a newborn.

Temperature and humidity indicators in the child's room

According to modern medical standards, the optimal temperature in a room for a newborn should be between 18-20 o C. With these indicators, all biological processes in the baby’s body occur naturally.

But! in my opinion it's too cold. An adult wants to wear woolen socks, wrap himself in a blanket and not stick his nose out of it. Therefore, in my practice, I guide parents to 22-24 degrees, and no deterioration in the child’s well-being is noticed.

Air humidity is also important for metabolism.

To monitor temperature data, place a thermometer next to the baby's crib. Humidity levels in a room are determined using a hygrometer, but it should be located away from heating appliances.

It is important to clearly understand the difference between the concepts of “room temperature and humidity” and “newborn discomfort.”

Each baby is individual, so you need to focus, first of all, on the baby’s well-being. If the temperature and humidity of the room are normal, and the newborn has cold and sweaty hands and feet, you should wear socks or an extra blouse.

Warm clothes, high temperature, lack of fresh air - the newborn sweats. Excessive skin moisture promotes the appearance and proliferation of bacteria.

Correcting a wrong habit will require correction not only of the temperature regime, but also a lot of effort and patience from parents.

Thermoregulation control

A newborn baby sleeps about 20 hours a day. Its active activity is small, while all organs and systems work at their maximum. Metabolism is much faster than that of an adult.

The thermoregulation system has not yet been adjusted, so it is worth creating the most comfortable temperature in the room for the newborn.

Overheat

Parents make sure that their child does not catch a cold or cough. (Find out how to treat a cough in an infant?) At the same time, they get carried away with excessive dressing. Infant overheating is very dangerous, so you should not constantly put warm socks and hats on your baby if the temperature in the room is more than 18 o C.

At elevated temperatures, the baby has two ways of losing excess heat:

1. Breath.

The inhaled air, reaching the lungs, heats up to body temperature. The difference in degrees reflects the amount of heat generated. The cooler the air in the room, the greater this loss will be. High air temperature in a child's room can lead to overheating of the young body.

1. Sweating.

If it is impossible to regulate temperature in the first way, the second way is activated in the newborn - through the skin. Drops of sweat come to the surface.

Excessive body moisture is very dangerous. In this case, the body not only loses excess heat by lowering the temperature, but also the salts and water it needs.

The functioning of organs and systems will be impaired due to insufficient fluid. If the temperature rises, the newborn's general condition will worsen. Also among the possible consequences, the most common are:

• increased skin moisture;
• diaper rash in places where sweat accumulates;
• difficulty breathing through the nose;
• sleep disturbance;
• abdominal pain, bloating (How to deal with colic, see the course Soft tummy >>>);
• thrush in the mouth;
• refusal to eat;
• weak pulse;
• retraction of the fontanel.

Dehydration weakens the baby's immune system, which increases the risk of developing infectious diseases.

If a newborn develops a high fever, nosebleeds, or sunken pupils, urgent medical attention is needed.

Important! You should also avoid overheating outdoors. When walking in the heat, try to stay in the shade. Direct sunlight can cause sunstroke.

Hypothermia

General hypothermia in a newborn can occur against the background of reduced nutrition or general fatigue. A sharp decrease in temperature and an increase in body humidity occur in cold water or wet clothes. Symptoms of this condition will be:

1. pale skin;
2. trembling;
3. increased breathing.

To avoid fainting and other serious consequences, it is urgent to stabilize the baby’s temperature and restore the humidity level.

If your newborn is cold while walking, you can hold him close to you, calm him down and warm him with your own body. But the best way to increase your body temperature is to return home immediately. If this is not possible, you should go to the nearest warm room.

Important! If the newborn is wet or sweaty, then immediately change him into clean, dry underwear.

With a prolonged decrease in natural body temperature, the following may occur:

• exhaustion of the body;
• development of acute respiratory infections or acute respiratory viral infections. Read how to protect your child from colds?>>>
• organic changes in the brain;
• disturbance of vascular tone;
• excessive moisture of the skin;
• frostbite of the extremities.

Maintaining optimal temperature

In summer, to easily regulate the temperature in the room, an air conditioner is installed. It can be placed either directly in the nursery or in the next room. To prevent your child from catching a cold, it is necessary to exclude the passage of cold air near the crib.

The temperature in the room has become lower than necessary, and the heating season has not yet begun? Then you should buy a radiator. In the winter season, it is more difficult to maintain the optimal temperature in the room, because during centralized heating the apartment overheats to 26 o C.

1. Regular ventilation of the room;

Fresh air is required every 4 hours. The newborn should be moved to another room or go for a walk with him. This will help not only saturate the room with oxygen, but also normalize temperature and humidity.

1. Retain heat;

Cover the batteries with special plastic structures or wide thick fabric. This will help stop the temperature in the room from rising and increase the humidity.

1. Open a free flow of air into the crib;

Multi-colored canopies and sides have an aesthetic value, while they limit the baby's access to oxygen, increasing his body temperature. If it is easier for a child to fall asleep in a confined space, then all fabrics should be removed immediately during sleep.

Important! Things are dust collectors, so there should be no clutter in the children's room; it is better to adhere to the minimalist style in the interior.

1. Properly selected clothing;

Avoid wearing synthetic materials to newborns. The skin does not breathe in them, which means that the regulation of the child’s body temperature is disrupted. The cap should be worn only when necessary - overheating the head is most dangerous.

Excessive skin moisture during overheating negatively affects metabolic processes. There is no need to wrap up a newborn when the air temperature is high or leave him naked in the cold. There must be moderation in everything. Clothing made from natural materials helps maintain the desired temperature and humidity of the skin.

1. If the newborn is hot, you can reduce the interval between meals;

Breastfeeding will help quench your thirst and balance your water balance, since breast milk consists of 80% water. When artificially feeding, in the intervals between feedings the baby is given plain boiled water at room temperature to drink.

1. Water procedures.

If your newborn is hot, you should wash him as needed. When the air temperature is about 35 o C, swimming is carried out up to three times a day. By immersing your child in a water environment, you will create comfortable conditions for him and lift his spirits.

Air humidity

Hygrometer and thermometer

Air humidity is no less important an indicator in a newborn’s room than temperature. The value of this parameter is directly related to the course of metabolic processes. The air that a child exhales has a 100% reading. The humidity in the newborn room should be constantly monitored.

Breathing dry air wastes more fluid. Elevated body temperature leads to disruption of water metabolism. Normal well-being of the baby is noted when the hygrometer reaches 50-70% humidity.

Important! Each newborn is individual. To understand what humidity should be in a newborn’s room, you need to focus on the baby’s general well-being and his body temperature.

The environmental conditions are comfortable, the humidity level in the room is optimal if the baby has:

• deep sleep;
• body temperature not higher than 37 o C;
• natural skin color;
• no irritation on the body;
• hands and feet are dry and warm;
• calm breathing.

During the heating season, the air in the room does not have a sufficient level of humidity. With central heat supply in the apartment, there is an increase in the temperature in the room, and the dryness index increases by 2-3 times or more.

The optimal humidity for the child is maintained by installing household appliances in the room or using improvised means.

In case of sharp deviations in indicators, you should use the following tips:

• installation of a household humidifier;
• Frequent wet cleaning of the room. Find out how a young mother can manage everything after giving birth;
• placement of open water containers, aquariums or decorative fountains;
• spraying water with a spray bottle;
• cover hot batteries with wet rags.

Air with low humidity causes discomfort to all children, without exception. Adults may not notice deviations in this parameter, while the child’s body suffers greatly.

With low humidity in the room, the greatest accumulation of dust, microorganisms and other allergens is observed. The most common consequences of dehydration are:

1. Asthma. The respiratory organs of a newborn are not yet fully developed; dehydration damages the lung tissue;
2. Allergy. Histamine triggers allergic reactions in the body.

Water itself has antihistamine properties, so under conditions of dehydration, the amount of this mediator in the blood increases sharply. An allergic reaction can manifest itself as a rash, itching, runny nose and other symptoms;

1. Dry skin. With low humidity, damage to the skin structure occurs, and, consequently, a decrease in the protective properties of the body;
2. Coughing. Drying of the mucous membrane of the respiratory tract makes nasal breathing difficult, the child feels dry mouth, sore throat;
3. Blood thickening. As a result of dehydration, the amount of fluid in the body decreases sharply. Blood that is thicker in consistency is a manifestation of a pathological condition of the body, characteristic of a violation of the mechanism of water metabolism.

Be attentive to your baby. Monitor the humidity and temperature in the newborn's room. And be healthy!

Having been discharged from the maternity hospital, a caring mother tries in every possible way to protect her baby, creating him comfort and coziness in the house. After all, he seems such a defenseless, fragile creature. Is it possible to overdo it and even harm the baby with your actions? Let's talk about the air temperature in the newborn's room.

Room temperature and baby's health

Why does the question even arise, what should be the temperature in the room for a newborn? The fact is that we all know the fact that the thermoregulation of a child’s body is imperfect. This means that the baby can easily become cold or overheated.

Often parents, as well as grandparents, try to wrap the newborn warmer and warm the room with portable heaters if, as they think, the room is cold. At the same time, the windows in a child’s bedroom are often sealed so that someone does not accidentally “let the cold in.”

Dear parents, remember: The proverb “a pair of bones doesn’t break” is in no way applicable in this situation. It is much more dangerous for a little person to overheat than to overcool! And that's why.

In infancy, a baby’s body produces a lot of heat due to intensive metabolism. He needs to get rid of this heat either through the lungs or through the skin.

If the room temperature is 18-20 o C, then cool air, figuratively speaking, gives it the opportunity to lose heat. But if the room temperature is much higher, for example, in the summer heat, the body has nowhere to give off heat. And then the child begins to actively sweat. The baby's skin becomes wet and salty, which can lead to dehydration, and in infancy this is very, very dangerous.

The baby should sleep in optimal and comfortable conditions

If there is not enough water in the body

Overheating and, as a consequence, dehydration, indirectly or directly causes the following problems:

• diaper rash;
• flatulence (due to a lack of fluid, intestinal juices thicken);
• dry crusts in the nose;
• dry nasopharyngeal mucosa;
• thrush in the mouth.

The other extreme is when it's too cold. The baby has not yet learned to generate heat using the mechanism of muscle tremors. Therefore, there are situations when a child runs the risk of hypothermia, even if the room is not very cold. It is important to remember that the baby’s limbs freeze faster, but the back, head and neck can quickly overheat.

From all of the above, we conclude that the optimal room temperature for newborns is 18-20 o C, but not higher than 22 o C. At the same time, the child should not be cold. The golden mean is achieved through the clothes on the baby.

However, there is no need to dress the baby like a cabbage. Moreover, it is useful to give your baby air baths for a few minutes before feeding and when changing a diaper.

Importance of Humidity

Humidity is another important factor on which the health and well-being of the baby depends. In a children's room, the ideal humidity is 50-55%.

When humidity levels are too high, fungi and mold actively multiply, which leads to respiratory diseases. With insufficient humidity, other pathological conditions occur:

1. The child's skin dries out and peels. There is a risk of developing atopic dermatitis.
2. The mucous membranes of the respiratory organs, drying out, become susceptible to all kinds of infections. The baby may grunt, sniffle, or have difficulty sucking the breast or bottle.
3. Dry air increases the risk of developing allergic diseases.

Studies conducted in the USA have shown that humidity in the range of 40-60% significantly reduces the viability of the influenza virus in the air.

In view of the above, we draw a second important conclusion: parents need to monitor the humidity levels in the children's room. This can be done in different ways:

• do wet cleaning;
• start an aquarium with fish;
• buy decorative fountains;
• buy a humidifier.

I would like to say a few words about the last method. Household humidifiers come in steam and ultrasonic types. The latter are quieter and safer. Humidifiers with a hygrometer make it possible to create and control the desired humidity.

We have seen that parents can help their baby grow up healthy by creating a comfortable temperature and humidity in the baby's room from birth. Let your children grow up healthy.

Autumn is coming and we are looking forward to the start of the heating season. It becomes uncomfortable in an apartment without heating on chilly autumn days. Sometimes it seems that being on the street is different from being at home. And if there is a small child, then the unpleasant coolness becomes a real problem for parents.

What do doctors think?

I would like to know what temperature should be in the nursery where the newborn stays all day. Pediatricians believe that a comfortable room temperature for a child is 22°C. Some doctors recommend not raising a baby in greenhouse conditions, but hardening him at a temperature of 19°C. For an adult, these are not very comfortable conditions, but in a baby, natural protective mechanisms are triggered, and he adapts to the environment faster than adults.

It’s interesting, but true: the more persistently parents try to create greenhouse conditions for the baby, the more sick he gets. It has been noticed that the opposite is true: the room temperature in the room where the child sleeps does not particularly bother anyone, and children grow up almost without getting sick.

What happens to a newborn when there is excess heat?

The higher the room temperature in the nursery, the less heat the child’s body loses. Thus, the baby sweats, which is a bad sign. It is not for nothing that pediatricians believe that it is better for a child to be a little cold than to overheat.

Sweating, the baby loses water and salt, he develops diaper rash or redness in those areas of the skin where the arms and legs are bent, on the back of the head and back. The child suffers from abdominal pain due to poor digestion of food due to loss of water, and dry crusts appear in the nose. It is advisable that the room temperature in the nursery be measured with a working thermometer, and not with the feelings of the parents. The thermometer can be hung closer to the newborn's crib.

Not cold and not hot

It happens that the level cannot be changed to the optimal state. There is no need to be afraid that your child will get sick in a cool room. A newborn has such an active metabolism that his normal room temperature can be about 18°C, and he will sleep sweetly and feel comfortable. It is not recommended to wrap your baby up if the room is 20°C.

During water procedures, you should not specifically heat the room, otherwise, after heating, the child will “catch” the temperature difference in the bathroom and in another room with his sensitive nose and may catch a cold.

Indoor humidity

Dry air leads to the fact that the child’s body loses fluid, and the mucous membrane and skin dry out. Comfortable humidity should be 50%, no less. To increase it, you can place a container of water or a humidifier near the baby’s crib.

Purity

Don't forget that the baby's room should be ventilated several times a day and the optimal room temperature should be maintained. Which? No more than 22°C. Wet cleaning is also important, but only with a minimum amount of detergent. If you follow all the recommendations, the baby will sleep peacefully and delight his parents with his healthy appearance.

If we talk about what the optimal temperature in a room for a newborn should be, I will immediately note: I am against maintaining the temperature regime of +18°C so persistently recommended by some experts. Why? Yes, because babies come into our world from the dark, enclosed space of the womb with a temperature of +36.6°C. In the first month of life, babies love warmth!

Temperature in the newborn room. Video.

In my practice there was such a case... One family asked for advice, their baby was not gaining weight well. When I came to visit them, I immediately noticed that the house was cold. Following the advice, the temperature in the rooms was maintained at +18°C. The child did not gain weight because he spent everything he ate to stay warm. We must respect babies' need for warmth. For example, you shouldn’t neglect bonnets, which modern women don’t like so much. Don't forget about socks. They can be put on before swaddling your baby. It won't be superfluous.

Mothers often complain that when they put their baby, seemingly sound asleep in their arms, into the crib, he... This happens because the baby suddenly finds himself in a cool space from a close, warm embrace. To prevent such a reaction from the baby, warm the crib in advance: put a bottle of hot water or a heating pad there, ask someone close to you to iron the diaper with an iron. And another trick works even better! You need to lie down with the child and after some time crawl out from under him, leaving your milk-scented robe as a deposit for the baby, and cover him with a warm blanket. And then, most likely, he will sleep well and soundly. In general, this technique can and should be used. Leaving a piece of clothing with mom's scent with your child can work wonders and give its owner more free time.

Returning to the question of the temperature in the room for a newborn, I will say that the child is comfortable at a temperature at which his parents can easily walk around in a T-shirt and shorts. If the apartment is very hot, then you can simply leave the baby in a vest and a light diaper. But at room temperature +23°C - +24°C you need to put a cap on the baby, put it in a pillow and cover it with a blanket. Don't be afraid that you won't notice if it overheats. Overheating very quickly produces symptoms and is easily identified by sweat rash. Hypothermia is more difficult to notice.