Most of us love winters but what bothers us most about winter is how to pass the winter season without being susceptible to any infection or cough & cold. And, when it comes to our baby, our tension doubles. We try to find out various ways to protect our baby from various health issues related to winter.
But what if the baby is going to experience his/her first winter? After all, a baby’s immunity system, especially that of a newborn is not as strong as that of an adult! Your baby may anytime catch a cough & cold, viral fever, or any other infection in winter.
So, is there really any way to it? Well! There’s not one but many ways for protecting your baby from winter illnesses. Come! Let’s discuss:
Baby’s Winter Infections’ Symptoms:
The majority of the winter-based infections in babies come with strong symptoms. The most common among them are:
- Coughing severely & vomiting
- Having trouble in breathing or gasping (taking) small breaths
- Making wheezing sounds at the time of coughing it sleeping
- Having chest pain (for inflammation of lungs caused by any respiratory infection)
- Suffering from a runny nose, headache, cough, or fever
- Feeling fatigued
How To Prevent the Health Issues in Your Baby?
For preventing any winter-related health issues in your baby, you may make use of a humidifier in the room where you are keeping your baby. A humidifier will make the air of the room dry & your baby’s skin as well, hence preventing your baby from catching any cold.
Or, you may also, carefully place a heater in your baby’s room. It will keep the temperature of your baby’s room up & your baby will enjoy the warmth of the room even in winter. Another thing that you have to restrain in winter is bathing regularly your baby. Bathing occasionally& that too with warm water will maintain the healthfulness of your baby & prevent him from catching a cold.
Now, what if winter’s harsh atmosphere will dry the sensitive skin of your baby? In that case, nourish, hydrate & moisturize your baby’s skin with baby oils & lotions/creams. Today, various baby products are handy in the market with different kinds of ingredients in them. What you have to do is choose some good-branded baby oils & moisturizers for your baby.
For example, you may choose moisturizers with buttermilk or milk cream for your baby’s skin which will work wonders on him/her. Also, there are various oils like coconut oil, olive oil, almond oil, etc in the market. Apply & see which oil works better on your baby’s skin. Go accordingly for it. By the way, do you know proper oil massage on your baby’s body especially chest & stomach also benefits your baby greatly?
Oil massage in the chest will keep his body warm & protect him from cold & the massage in the stomach will help him to get rid of colic pain & gases. Avoid using soaps & shampoos on your baby in winter as much as possible. This is because they not only make babies’ skin harsh in winter but also make them susceptible to cold. Instead, occasionally using a body wash will maintain the smoothness of the babies’ skin.
Furthermore, ensure your baby from the cold by covering him/her with sweaters or blankets. Most people think that using heavy sweaters or blankets is good for their babies. But the truth is just the opposite. Light-weighted sweaters/blankets ensure that your baby doesn’t catch a cold and at the same time also never make your baby feel uneasy or too warm.
Besides that, heavy blankets sometimes increase the danger of SIDS in babies. If a heavy blanket falls over the nose of a baby while he/she is sleeping & he/she is unable to remove it, you can just imagine how dangerous the situation will be!
In addition to the above measures, following some other measures like breastfeeding your baby, immunizing your baby at the proper time, maintaining your hygiene, restraining yourself from taking him/her outdoors all the time & taking care of your baby’s diet also helps your baby to remain fit & active throughout the winter without any health issue.
Also, it must be remembered that if your baby is showing any strong symptoms of infection, cough & cold, or other health issues, it is always best to take him/her to the doctor. Self-medication is never recommended by doctors.
Wrapping Up:
So, hope you have understood that keeping your baby safe in winter is not that hard. Just follow the above suggestions and you will notice that your baby is passing his/her winter happily & healthfully. Best of luck to your baby for this winter.
Read More: Best Soaps for Babies
