What are air baths? We all take them often, but we don't know what they are called. And air baths are walks on fresh air, in any weather and at any time of the day, even walks under the moon on own garden These are already air baths.

The usual stay in the fresh air is an air bath, because the air envelops the body from all sides, we plunge into it, inhale it and it gives us vigor and strength. Everyone knows how useful any fresh air is for a person, after sitting in stuffy offices and apartments, one wants so much to break free, into the air. Walking, jogging and even airing the rooms is a pleasure and improves health. Adoption air baths this is one of the ways to harden the body, and it is useful for people of all ages, starting with babies.

If you start walking in the spring and continue them in winter months, then with a gradual decrease in air temperature, the body is hardened, immunity is strengthened and the protective functions of the body increase.

But the usual stay in the air will become a truly healing air bath, which has a healing effect on the body, if certain conditions and rules are observed. The human body perceives air baths in different ways, it all depends on weather conditions, wind strength, air temperature, and humidity.

Taking air baths has a calming effect on the nervous system, saturates the blood with oxygen, facilitates breathing and increases the overall tone of the body. It is noted that after air baths a person sleeps well and his appetite increases, this is noted as for childhood as well as for adults. But for walks, you need to choose places away from the carriageways, there will be little use for airing if your balcony or window overlooks a busy highway.

If you have not taken walks for a long time, then you should start taking air baths gradually, then the body will perceive it favorably. It is necessary to start walking in the warm season, the air temperature should not be lower than 20 degrees Celsius. First you need to choose a day with good, calm weather.

It is necessary to dress for walks as lightly as possible, leaving first open hands, then legs and, if possible, half of the torso. It is better to walk on the grass or on the sand barefoot, leaving a minimum of clothes on.

It is necessary to start taking air baths from 10-15 minutes, gradually increasing the time spent in the air up to several hours.

People who are weak and chilly should start taking air baths in light clothes and combine a walk with or a bast shoe, performing the lightest exercise. With a minimum of clothes, it’s great to work on the site, in the country, caring for plants in the garden, walking in the forest. You can even take air baths, enjoying the fresh air.

After taking an air bath, it is useful to rub down with a wet towel, dousing your feet with cool water, these will be the first steps towards hardening. If there is a reservoir nearby, a river or a lake, or you are relaxing on the sea, sea air baths are very useful, walking along the seashore in any weather, inhaling fresh air from the river or the sea.

In winter, if you can’t take walks, you can take air baths on the balcony or even in front of an open window. It is desirable to do this in the morning, performing simple gymnastic exercises, with a minimum of clothing.

Taking air baths is shown to everyone healthy people any age. Procedures are especially useful for people with hypertension, with disorders nervous system, chronic fatigue and with reduced immunity. If available serious illnesses, such procedures can be carried out only on the recommendation of a doctor, although it should be noted that doctors in our time rarely prescribe or recommend taking air baths, prescribing such procedures was very popular before.

Starting with air baths, you should gradually move on to sunbathing.

Air baths for children - this is one of the procedures aimed at increasing the immunity of babies. This is a type of hardening that can be resorted to literally from birth. For many parents, the word "hardening" is associated with difficult tasks, like watering a child. cold water, so not everyone decides to start hardening their child, especially from birth. Air baths - very effective method to establish thermoregulation of the crumbs and strengthen the protective functions of his body, while it is performed easily and is not associated with great risk. So, let's recall on this page "Popular about health" what are air baths for a newborn baby, how to do them right? What do they include?

The principle of the impact of air procedures on the newborn

How does air quenching happen? When the baby has not yet been born, it is completely protected by the placenta, nothing threatens it - neither drafts nor viruses, it constantly stays in the same temperature regime. After birth, his thermoregulation system and immune system are not yet fully developed. To awaken the body's defense mechanisms and improve the thermoregulation system, exposure to air will help the newborn. If you leave your baby undressed for a short time every day, his body will begin to develop the ability to respond correctly to temperature changes. If the newborn from the first days of life is constantly wrapped warmly, then most defense mechanisms, laid down by nature, simply atrophy, will not develop. Eventually it will grow.

Air baths for a child - how to do?

The concept of air procedures for newborns and older children includes not only leaving them without clothes for a while at room temperature. Air hardening also implies other methods of exposure:

Airing the room 3-4 times a day;
Daily walks at any time of the year (includes both sleep and wakefulness).

How to properly ventilate a room?

In order for the air in the room to completely change, it is necessary to create a draft, while, of course, the newborn is taken out of the room. In the cold season, the duration of ventilation should be at least 10 minutes. During the day, open the window at least three times. When the air in the room is renewed, and the temperature drops by 1-2 degrees, the child is brought into the room, while he is not insulated, but left in the same clothes. Otherwise, the therapeutic effect will not be achieved.

walks

Walking on the street also refers to hardening with air. It is allowed to walk with a newborn baby, starting from two weeks of age. Properly accustom the baby to walks gradually. First, the baby is taken outside for 15-20 minutes or for 5-7 minutes in winter (if the thermometer has not dropped below -5 degrees and there is no wind). Every day, the time spent in the fresh air is gradually increased. They dress the baby according to the weather, do not wrap it too tightly so that it does not sweat, because overheating is dangerous for newborns.

In good weather, it is recommended to walk at least 2-3 hours a day (in summer), in winter - 1 hour. Children sleep very well outdoors, especially if they feel comfortable. It is advisable to adjust the walking time so that the baby is outside both during sleep and during wakefulness. In the summer it will not be difficult to do this - you can walk at any time.

Leaving a newborn without a diaper

An important part of hardening procedures is to leave the baby naked for air baths. How to do it right? The temperature in the room should be within reasonable limits - not lower than 18 degrees. This procedure is not performed after bathing, otherwise the baby will catch a cold. It is important that the baby is healthy and in a good mood. First, the baby is undressed and allowed to lie down naked for three minutes in the morning and evening. They do this for several days. Then gradually the time is increased to 5 minutes, and eventually extended to 15 minutes. It’s great if during the procedure you do gymnastics with the newborn to slightly increase blood circulation.

What happens to a baby when he is left undressed for a while? His body absorbs more oxygen, the thermoregulation system improves, the baby calms down. As pediatricians note, children fall asleep much better and sleep more soundly after taking air baths, their appetite and mood improve.

Regularity of procedures is the key to good health

The most important rule of hardening is regularity. If you try to accustom the newborn to coolness every day, the effect will be achieved. Second, no less important rule- a gradual decrease in air temperature and an increase in the duration of the procedure. And the third rule - be observant, check if the baby is cold. The first sign that he is cold is the appearance of the effect of goosebumps, the so-called "goosebumps". If the skin has turned pale, then definitely air baths for newborns should already be over.

Conclusion

If you decide to harden your newborn child, then start with air baths - this is not at all difficult, but effective. The gradual accustoming of the child to cool fresh air will allow in the future

"Bathing" in the air corresponds to human nature. “Like a fish in water,” argued, in particular, the German scientist of the 18th century. G. Lichtenberg, - a person lives, constantly surrounded by another liquid - air. Bathing in the latter may be more beneficial than a cold water bath."

Air baths have a beneficial effect on a person. Thanks to them, he becomes more balanced, calm. Imperceptibly, increased excitability disappears, sleep improves, cheerfulness and a cheerful mood appear. Air baths have a positive effect on the cardiovascular system - they contribute to the normalization of blood pressure and better job hearts.

Air is not only a supplier of oxygen. Forming the wind, its flows have a significant impact on natural processes and phenomena. From the wind - hurricanes and storms, unrest on sea ​​spaces, soil erosion, all kinds of destruction ...

Another thing is air currents of moderate strength. It is they, of all natural factors, that are considered as the most “gentle”, safe, accessible procedures for everyone. It is the air, according to scientists, the most universal means of hardening. Physicians recommend starting systematic hardening of the body from air baths. This simple, but at the same time extremely useful undertaking, do not shelve it.

An air bath can be general, if the entire surface of the body is exposed to air, or partial, when only part of it is exposed (torso, neck, arms, legs). The hardening effect of air currents is primarily due to the temperature difference between them and the surface of the skin. The layer of air located between the body and clothing usually has a constant temperature (about 27-28 ° C).

The difference between the temperature of the skin of a dressed person and the surrounding air is usually small. Because of this, heat transfer by the body is almost imperceptible. But as soon as the human body is freed from clothing, the process of heat transfer becomes more intense. The lower the ambient temperature, the more cooling we are exposed to.

Air baths according to their effect on the body are divided into tepid (over 22 ° C), cool (from 20 to 17 ° C), cold (from 16 ° C and below). Such a division, of course, is conditional, designed for an "ordinary" person. In well tempered people, the sensation of cold naturally occurs at a lower temperature.

The impact of cold air on a large surface of the body causes a certain reaction in the body. At the first moment, due to the large release of heat, a feeling of cold arises, then the blood vessels of the skin expand, blood flow to the skin increases and the feeling of cold is replaced by a feeling of pleasant warmth.

Take air baths in a prone position, reclining, in motion. To get a good reaction, it is recommended to undress quickly - so that the air affects the entire surface of the naked body at once. This will cause a quick and vigorous reaction of the body. During cool and cold baths, it is useful to perform vigorous movements. However, if it becomes cold during the air bath, there will be goose-flesh and chills, get dressed immediately and do a little jog, a few gymnastic exercises. Useful after air baths water procedures.

Thanks to the perfect mechanisms of thermoregulation, a person easily tolerates temperature changes and can adapt to various climatic conditions. For him, the optimal relative humidity is 40-60%. Dry air is easily tolerated by everyone. high humidity air is unfavorable: at high temperature it contributes to overheating of the body, and at low temperatures - hypothermia. It has also been found that at high relative humidity air us, for example, colder than at low. This phenomenon is explained by the fact that water conducts heat better than air.

During hardening, the speed of air movement must be taken into account. In cold, but quiet, windless weather, we are warmer than in warmer, but with wind. Why? The fact is that with the wind, the layer of heated air near our body - the so-called boundary layer - is constantly changing and the body heats up more and more portions of the air. With wind, therefore, the body spends more heat than in calm weather. Wind causes an increase in body heat transfer. At high temperatures (up to 37 ° C), it protects a person from overheating, and at low temperatures, from hypothermia.

Especially unfavorable combination of wind with low temperature and high humidity air.

These and other properties of air flows must be taken into account during hardening. In wet and windy weather, for example, the length of exposure to the air must be reduced. In rain, fog and at an air speed of more than 3 m per second, it is generally better not to carry out outdoor procedures.

For healthy people, the first air baths last 20-30 minutes at an air temperature of 15-20 °C. In the future, the duration of the procedures each time increases by 5-10 minutes and is gradually brought up to 2 hours.

When hardening with air, in no case bring yourself to chills. As soon as you feel the cooling of the body, take a jog, do some general developmental exercises. Cold air baths are recommended to be completed with vigorous rubbing of the body, if possible - warm shower.

Great opportunities for hardening - the body is represented by year-round training in the open air, all kinds of sports associated with the hardening effect of air.

A certain hardening effect is also observed when wearing light clothing allowing air to circulate underneath. In the conditions of the city, for example, with moderate frosts and a short stay outdoors in winter, instead of a fur coat, it is better to use a demi-season coat, an insulated sports jacket, and, if possible, refuse warm scarves. It is not for nothing that people say: “The frail one is in a fur coat, the healthy one is in the cold.” However, exercise reasonable caution when doing so. The consequences of such a "hardening" as walking down the street, for example, without a hat, can be very deplorable.

Particular attention should be paid to nutrition, as it is a fundamental factor in human health and prosperity. Food should be light, varied and simple. Consume as much as possible raw vegetables and fruits. To strengthen the healing effect during hardening and to prepare the body for the beginning of hardening procedures, it is recommended to conduct a health-improving course with the use of biologically active additives 1-2 times a year.

When hardening children, mothers and fathers should first of all take into account the anatomical and physiological characteristics of the child's body, the imperfection of its thermoregulatory apparatus. How less baby, the more pronounced this feature is.

Due to insufficient development of the nervous system, the child's body does not adapt well to temperature changes. environment. They tend to be out of thermal equilibrium.

Moms and dads must strictly adhere to the basic principles of hardening, which we are talking about, take into account age, health, general physical development and others. individual characteristics their babies. In the event of the slightest signs of adverse effects of hardening procedures - lethargy or agitation, impaired appetite and sleep - you should immediately stop hardening and consult a doctor. By the way, when starting to harden a child, be sure to get specific recommendations from a pediatrician.

Try every day, persistently to bring up in children the habit of tempering procedures. Great importance has your personal example. If parents themselves accept air and water procedures, then the child will follow their example without coercion. First of all, develop in your baby a love of fresh air.

Make sure that the room in which it is located is constantly ventilated. If outside air not too cold, then in the presence of children for the whole day open windows and transoms. The temperature in the room should be 16-19 °C. With the onset of frosty weather, the windows are slightly opened only for a while, until the air temperature in the room drops by 1-2 ° C. Gymnastics and outdoor games should always take place with open windows.

Clothing is important. In no case should you pamper children, dress them in a hundred clothes, put woolen socks, felt boots, warm sweaters on them at home. For this purpose, a linen or cotton shirt, a bra with panties and a woolen or paper dress (suit) are more suitable. Footwear - shoes or slippers.

Clothing for walking is selected according to the weather. Excessive wrapping leads to overheating of the body, which in turn predisposes to colds.

Prolonged exposure to fresh air important element hardening. Even in winter, try to keep your children for a walk for at least 3-4 hours. During walks, it is useful to play outdoor games.

The benefits of air hardening for the baby's body

Hardening does not apply to treatment methods, this is a preventive action, but if you follow this method of dealing with various colds, then parents can safely expect that their babies will have high endurance and a strong immune system.

The specificity of the method of hardening the baby from the very early age air procedures, leads to the production of a persistent protective factor in relation to various types harmful bacteria and infections.

The technique of air procedures for newborns: how and how much time to harden?

Experts advise before carrying out procedures for hardening babies, get acquainted with the basic principles of their impact on the children's body. Before starting the course, doctors advise Special attention to the following factors:

• Individual characteristics and approach.
• The sequence of the procedures.
• Systematic implementation with a gradual increase in impact factors.
• Mixing general principles of hardening with local ones.
• Gradual adaptation to new types of loads during hardening by air baths of newborns.

Airing the apartment

The beginning of the course of hardening of newborns is the ventilation of the premises in which they are located. If the baby does not have individual prohibitions, regardless of the season, the room should be systematically ventilated. If it is too cold outside (from -100C), you only need to use the window, opening it for 15-20 minutes, monitoring the air temperature in the room. Experts advise to ventilate the premises in the following format:

• For newborns, whose doctors have recognized them as absolutely healthy, ventilation of the premises should be carried out 3-4 times a day with an increase in procedures up to 7-9 times.
• For children who have minor health problems, airing is performed 2-3 times a day. After the child's health is fully improved, the number of procedures increases.
• For infants who have colds with the threat of becoming chronic, hardening is carried out in a gentle mode: at the time of airing, the baby is taken out of the room and returned when the window (window) is closed. In the future, the number of procedures is gradually increased and, with obvious improvements, brought to the standards that apply to healthy children.

In all cases, initially, during ventilation, the temperature drop in the room where the newborn is located should not fall by more than 3-4 degrees. Later, provided that the baby responds well to the technique, the rooms are ventilated for a longer period.

With babies, with whom they begin to engage in this type of hardening from birth, there are practically no problems with hypothermia in the future. Getting into nurseries, kindergartens, schools and other children's institutions, where special attention is paid to ventilation, hardened children are much less likely to get colds than the category of babies that are commonly called "greenhouse".

Room air baths naked

Gradually, moving on to other procedures that harden the child's body, experts pay special attention to air baths, when the baby is completely undressed and allowed to stay in this position for some time. What are the benefits of such procedures and why babies are recommended this particular method of hardening from the very first days after birth:

• The baby becomes less susceptible to infections and colds.
• Thermoregulation in children who harden by taking air baths naked is noticeably improved: children are not capricious when the temperature changes, their behavior is calm, after the procedures the child remains active, but at the same time his sleep is calm.
• The child's skin has better protection in relation to lesions of the dermis and diseases that disturb babies during this period: prickly heat, diaper dermatitis and others.
• Children are distinguished by calmness, nervous breakdowns are not noticeable in their behavior, they are more active in development.
• Children have a good appetite.

Initially, naked hardening comes down to short-term undressing of the newborn at the time of changing diapers. As a rule, 2-4 minutes is enough for a child to get used to such procedures in a week. Further, the child can be undressed more often, play with him, perform gymnastic exercises to develop the muscular and skeletal system. After the first three months, the duration of the procedures can be increased up to 15 minutes, with a decrease in the temperature in the room to 18-200C.

winter walks

Babies who are born in the summer, outdoor walks are allowed almost from the first birthdays. The main condition for mothers is the correct selection of clothes, with the condition that the newborn is not too hot, but at the same time, he was not exposed to drafts.

In not frosty winters, when the temperature drop does not exceed -50C, already at the 2nd week of life, mothers can take the baby outside for short walks in the fresh air. The first winter walks should take place in places where there are no strong drafts, accumulations of dust and other aggressive factors, for a period of time not exceeding 15 minutes. Gradually increasing the time spent on the street, already in the first 3 months of life, the baby can be in the fresh air from 30 to 50 minutes.

Outdoor walks should gradually increase in time of stay: for 6 month old babies, 2-3 outings a day from 1 to 1.5 hours is the norm. At the time of walks, mothers should provide the kids with a comfortable stay in the fresh air: pick up the right clothes, if necessary, use a blanket and other things so that the child does not freeze, but at the same time it is not too hot.

How can you determine that the newborn has the right set of warm clothes and that he is benefiting from walking in the fresh air:

• The child is not naughty, actively responds to toys suspended in the stroller.
• The baby quickly falls asleep, his breathing is regular.
• After returning from a walk, all the baby's things are dry, the child's skin is not sweaty and at the same time pink.

To the question: how long can you walk with a baby, it is rather difficult to answer. If during sleep the child has a bluish color under the eyes and on the cheeks, the nose becomes cold, the child is constantly tossing and turning - there are all signs of hypothermia on the face.

Sleep in the fresh air

The most useful moment of walking in the fresh air for a baby is daytime sleep. That is why, for the first months of a baby’s life, parents are recommended to buy strollers of such a format in which the baby could feel comfortable at the time of sleep while walking.

Young mothers often ask pediatricians a question: why does a child spin around during sleep, often rolls over, and falls asleep almost instantly while walking, and at the same time, his breathing is even, his complexion is pink, and the newborn himself is active and cheerful after such a rest. Fresh air, especially if walks are carried out in places where there is no dust, there is no loud noise, for example, in a park, gardens, squares, it is very useful for the body. At the time of sleep, the baby fully rests: his breathing is even and at the same time the child practically does not react to extraneous sounds. If the opportunities for walking are limited, experts recommend using balconies and loggias, laying the baby on daytime sleep, by opening one of the windows completely, while making sure that there are no drafts. In this case, the procedure for walking should be regular and at about the same time.

Contraindications to taking air baths in infants

Despite all the advantages of air baths, there are a number of contraindications that temporarily or completely prohibit such procedures.

• The presence of fever in the acute stage of colds.
• Baby's negative reaction
• Infectious diseases.
• Deterioration in baby's health: weight loss, appetite.
• The presence of genetic diseases that have passed into a chronic form.
• Prematurity.

If positive changes occur in the baby’s body with age, then only after the experts give permission, you can gradually accustom the baby to change temperature regime hardening method.

AIR BATHS AIR BATHS- the use of the action of freely moving air on the body in order to harden and treat.
The effect of air baths on the human body depends on the temperature of the air, its humidity and movement (on the strength of the wind).
Air baths with the right dosage have a calming effect on the nervous system, increase the overall tone of the body, cause good dream and appetite and, with a gradual decrease in temperature, act in a tempering way on the body.
The human body reacts to air baths in different ways: for example, with warm and cool air baths (from +30° to +15°), breathing is more rare and deep, the pulse rate decreases and blood pressure decreases; with a significant decrease in air temperature (starting from + 15 ° below), heat retention occurs in the body; at the same time, blanching of the skin is noted, blood pressure rises, pulse and breathing become more frequent. If a cold air bath continues for a long time, then it can cause an adverse reaction: hypothermia sets in - chills appear, the skin turns blue. In order for the body's reaction to air baths to be favorable, it is necessary to observe known rules: start taking air baths in the warm season, at an air temperature of at least 20 °, without a sharp wind, starting with local or partial baths (arms and legs are exposed first, then half of the torso, and then the whole body), better in the first half days, 1/2 - 1 hour after breakfast. Air baths should be started from 5 - 10 minutes and gradually lengthen the time up to several hours. Persons weakened, chilly bathing should begin in clothes. You can accompany the air bath with a walk, a game, gymnastics; to work half-naked in the garden or in the garden. This is especially important in cool cloudy weather. The best place for taking air baths - a forest glade, a sun lounger in the garden in the shade of trees, a sea or river shore (under an awning or a screen). In rainy weather, you can take air baths in the gazebo, under an awning. It is very useful to combine air baths with subsequent dousing, rubbing, showering or bathing in the sea or river. An air bath can be a preparation for sunbathing. If the body is gradually accustomed to cold temperatures, then you can take air baths until the cold. IN winter conditions you can take an air bath in the room: getting out of bed without getting dressed, do gymnastic exercises with an open window or window. In the cold season, you can sleep in sleeping bag on the veranda or balcony.
Air baths can be recommended to all healthy people, regardless of age; patients - with diseases of the neurovascular system, in particular with hypertension, with diseases of the respiratory system, with functional disorders of the nervous system, overwork, weakened or having suffered any disease. Air baths are contraindicated in febrile diseases, in heart failure, in diseases of the organs of movement and the peripheral nervous system during an exacerbation.

Brief Encyclopedia household. - M.:. Ed. A. F. Akhabadze, A. L. Grekulova. 1976 .

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