Winter Care Of Neonates!

With approaching winter the infants are most vulnerable section of the society that can develop complications related to extreme cold weather. Here are some tips for  new mothers to keep the baby cozy and free of problems :

1. Protecting from Cold :Winter means cold temperature. Babies especially newborn have larger exposed surface area and immature mechanism to generate heat in their body. Hence, they need to be protected with an extra layer of cloth . This should be preferably be a woollen or thick cotton. The more layers will protect against cold conditions. Also , their peripheries need to be covered with mittens/gloves and socks to keep them warm. Caps are a must especially when they get exposed to cold breeze as head is a significant part of their body . Swaddling and maintaining a room temperature of 24-28 o C is also a recommended way to keep babies warm.

2.  Maintaining safe sleeping: While sleeping the babies are at a risk of choking at times and hence they should not be overcovered with layers of heavy and bulky blankets. Also the crib in which the baby is placed should not be overstuffed . This causes poor air circulation , makes baby uncomfortable and may cause suffocation in the baby also. Babies should always sleep on their back and never on their tummy.

3.Skin Protection: With winter there is onset of many dry and irritant skin conditions. To protect the newly born from these problems one should moisturise the baby’s skin well after bath. Bathing daily can denude the natural oils of the skin and hence should be avoided. TO avoid allergy to the skin, hypoallergenic products only should be applied on the neonates skin and best oils to be used for massage is coconut or olive oil. The mustard oil and practices like LOI with flour can cause sever irritation on the tiny babies skin.

4. Protection from common infections and cold:With winter many adults too catch cold and cough and they can pass their infections to the neonate. TO protect them use hand sanitizer,  use more breast feeding, wash hands frequently before touching the babies and do not allow for kissing and touching the face of the baby with unclean hands. Mothers who have common cold or fever can continue to breastfeed their babies using handkerchief or mask to prevent the babies from catching their infection.

5. Tackling common problems of winter : Common problems like nose block still happens due to winter and hence it is best to use saline drops and good quality nasal aspirators to keep the nose less stuffy. Also use oil heaters which do not let the humidity decrease while giving heat and hence do not aggravate the problem of stuffy nose. Some new items like vaporises and humidifiers can also be used to maintain humidity in the room in which baby is spending most of their time.

6 .Red flag signs in winter: If during winter the baby has any signs like irritability, poor feeding,  excessive cry, pulling ears, cough, breathing difficulty, icy cold body , bluish lips or tongue  or fever more than 100 degree F then consult your paediatrician immediately as this indicates serious infections too. Do not use home remedies for such small infants.