Is it possible to take a baby to the bathhouse and when is the best time to wash the baby?

From time immemorial in Rus', women gave birth in a bathhouse (and not only commoners, but also noblewomen, princesses and even queens).

By the way, modern medicine, as often happens, has confirmed that our ancestors had many reasons for this. There is a lot of warm water in the bathhouse, the right air temperature (which is suitable not only for the mother in labor, but also for the newborn baby), and hot steam kills pathogenic microbes. And from birth, the bathhouse accompanies a person all his life - the bathhouse soars, the bathhouse rules, the bathhouse will fix everything, people say.

What types of baths are there?

There are countless of them - Russian, Finnish sauna, oriental (Turkish), Roman thermal bath, Japanese ofuro and even exotic ones like sand saunas. But all these types can be divided into two large groups: dry and steam. The classic type of dry bath is the Finnish sauna (the air in it warms up to 90-120 degrees, and the air humidity is 10-15%). An example of a steam bath is a Russian bath; it is not so hot, but much more humid: the temperature in such a bath usually reaches 40-60 degrees, and the humidity is up to 90%. As a rule, a dry bath is much easier to tolerate. So we recommend that beginners start with it.

How to wash a child aged 1.5-2 years in a bath - instructions

A child at this age is already more independent. To bathe in a bathhouse, prepare a bath of warm water in advance. To prevent your baby from being capricious, put several toys in the bath.

While he is playing, lather him with baby gel, you can also wash your baby’s hair. You need to rinse your baby with water at 36-34 degrees. But, if he feels uncomfortable, you need to increase the water temperature.

Note!

Children at this age are very curious, so be careful that your baby doesn’t slip while running around the room.

Keep him away from objects that could burn him!

Children aged two years can stay in the steam room much longer than infants:

• One approach can last 10-15 minutes.
• There can be 3-5 such approaches in total.

If the baby starts crying, he may have a headache, and it is better to leave the steam room. But first, try to entertain him. Give him soap bubbles or other favorite toys.

When visiting a bathhouse with children, it is important to take all precautions. To avoid frightening your baby, prepare him at home in advance.

To avoid frightening your baby, prepare him at home in advance.

Don't take your children to the bathhouse too often; once a week is more than enough. The main thing is to monitor the baby’s well-being so that he is not too red - or, conversely, too pale.

When to start

It is best to get acquainted with the bathhouse before the baby is conceived. Moreover, obstetricians and gynecologists came to the conclusion that the bath is indicated for infertility, ovarian dysfunction, amenorrhea, and chronic diseases of the internal genital organs.

You can go to the bathhouse during pregnancy. For expectant mothers who have visited the sauna, childbirth is easier and less painful; they require antispasmodics and analgesics much less often during childbirth. This is due to the fact that regular visits to the bathhouse increase the elasticity of the ligamentous apparatus, reduce excessive muscle tension, and have a positive effect on the nervous autonomic system.

However, before your first visit to the bathhouse, you should consult your gynecologist. After all, the bathhouse also has some contraindications. These include: acute inflammatory diseases, conditions after surgery, complicated pregnancy.

If you have no contraindications, you can safely go to the bathhouse. Just keep in mind that if you didn’t go to the bathhouse before pregnancy, then for the first time you need to do it with some caution, carefully listening to your own feelings. Don't sit in the steam room for a long time, try to rest as much as possible. If anything in your condition worries you (dizzy, nauseous), immediately leave the steam room.

Indications and contraindications

The bathhouse is allowed to everyone if there are no contraindications. Bath procedures help to quickly cope with the symptoms of colds. Therefore, you can take your child to the steam room if you have a cough or runny nose. Under the influence of hot steam, a kind of inhalation occurs, which helps to cleanse the upper respiratory tract, but cough and runny nose cannot be treated only with the help of bath procedures. Bath procedures have a beneficial effect on the respiratory system:

1. By moisturizing the mucous membrane, the number of coughs is reduced.
2. When visiting a steam room, the bronchi and blood vessels dilate. Rich steam softens the throat, which is irritated by coughing.
3. Liquid mucus begins to be actively produced, a wet cough begins, in which sputum effectively leaves the lungs and bronchi.

The bathhouse will be especially useful for children with certain pathologies:

1. Unstable emotional background.
2. Chronic diseases of the nasopharynx.
3. Inflammation of the upper respiratory tract.
4. Respiratory diseases.

We must not forget that children's bodies work differently.

It is important to take into account a number of features so as not to harm the baby’s health.

Contraindications to visiting the bathhouse:

• restoration of the body after serious illnesses and operations;
• increased body temperature, blood pressure;
• the presence of skin rashes, open wounds, ulcers;
• pathological changes in the nervous system;
• presence of psychological disorders;
• frequent nosebleeds;
• low or high blood clotting;
• heart disease;
• malignant or benign neoplasms;
• metabolic disorders;
• asthmatic manifestations;
• epilepsy, psychopathy.

You cannot take your child to the bathhouse without his or her desire. Before visiting the steam room, it is recommended to ask him about his general condition and possible discomfort.

Baby's first bath

It has been noticed that children who have “visited” the bathhouse while in their mother’s belly perceive bathing procedures much more easily after birth. After all, for nine months they had already been steaming, dousing themselves, and relaxing with their mother over a cup of aromatic tea. Only now these sensations have become much brighter.

If the mother regularly went to the bathhouse during pregnancy, a “real” meeting of the baby with the bathhouse can be arranged when he is three months old. A.D. Timofeeva, a famous naturopathic pediatrician, author of the book “Conversations of a Children’s Doctor,” believes that it is better to postpone acquaintance with the bathhouse until 7-8 months.

But it must also be prepared.

The fact is that the delicate skin of a newborn baby is not yet accustomed to temperature changes. To make the adaptation process more intense, you can practice air baths from birth. When changing your baby's clothes, don't rush. Let him lie naked for a while, bouncing his arms and legs.

And when you bathe your baby, prepare in advance in a separate basin a little colder water than the “main” bath. You can even simply pour the bath water into a basin before bathing. While the young swimmer is splashing around in the bath, the water in the basin will have time to cool down a couple of degrees.

Many apologists for “natural development” insist on immediately pouring cold water over the baby. But this question is very individual. Try it, maybe this method will suit you and your baby. However, be honest and consistent: you have the right to douse your child only if you douse yourself with ice water. You can even do this together - you undress, stand in the bath with the baby in your arms, and dad or a particularly brave grandmother pours a bucket of cold water on you in one fell swoop. The baby, of course, will scream from such a temperature difference (after all, just like an adult, it takes your breath away). But then you wrap him in a warm towel, put him on your chest, and he should immediately calm down.

I can say that even in the same family, this method suits some, but not others. For example, my eldest daughter happily doused herself and together with me came up with a fairy tale about the Cold Waterfall, but my youngest daughter categorically did not like this procedure. If the baby does not agree to dousing in any way, do not insist, because the baby also has the right to vote.

And to adapt the skin to temperature changes, simply cool (not ice) water and air baths are quite suitable. If your treasure reacts positively to undressing and dressing (remaining naked, the baby does not cry, does not shrink, his skin does not turn blue or pale, his chin does not tremble), then we will assume that he is already quite ready for the first meeting with the sauna. Tune in to the fact that everything will be fine, and your emotions will definitely be transferred to the baby.

Preparing for your visit

It is very important that the baby, whom parents take with them to the bathhouse or sauna, is prepared for this. A baby who is constantly wrapped up, not hardened and protected from any breeze may not tolerate this event well.

Therefore, to the question whether a baby of any age can be washed in a bathhouse without preparation, there is only a negative answer.

Children are prepared like this:

1. Familiarize yourself with temperature changes in advance, at home. This is not about taking the baby out of the stuffy bathroom into a ventilated bedroom after bathing. Is it dangerous. It is possible and necessary to give your child air baths more often.

Air bath

1. After each bath, the baby is washed with slightly cool water. At first, a difference of a degree from the one in the bath is enough. Then gradually, by 0.5 degrees, the difference is increased.

If a mother wants to know whether the baby can go to the bathhouse, she should monitor his condition during the preparation procedures. If the baby tolerates them calmly, does not cry or be capricious, his lips do not turn blue, and he does not tremble, we can assume that he is ready.

At three years old, children can be taken with you without fear. But there may be other complications. The baby already thinks in his own way, forms his own picture of the world. The mother must remember: then the child can go to the bathhouse, but it is impossible to predict whether he will be afraid of it. The main rule here is not to force, otherwise it will form an attitude towards the procedure as something scary and unpleasant.

The best way out would be to start telling your baby a fairy tale a few days before the trip. It describes in a playful way what awaits him in the steam room, and that it is not scary at all. In the sauna itself, the parent must lead by example by going inside and sitting down on the shelf first. Surely, the child will decide to check what interesting things his mom or dad are doing - children tend to repeat after adults.

Madonna and Child in the sauna

The best way to experience a sauna is in your mother's arms. And even better - at my mother's breast. This is the most powerful sedative. In addition, it was found that lactation increases in 80% of nursing mothers in the sauna. On your first visit, spend literally one minute in the sauna.

Carefully monitor the fontanel; under no circumstances should it be allowed to swell. A normal reaction to increased temperature in the sauna: slight sweating, pink (not red!) skin, good health, the baby does not turn pale, does not cry.

Immediately after warming up, be sure to pour water over the child (it would be good to prepare it in advance before entering the steam room). If you are not a supporter of extremism, then the water does not have to be icy. Even if it is just at room temperature, the temperature contrast after the steam room will still be noticeable. This is not only a hardening, but also a hygienic procedure, because you need to wash away sweat and toxins from the skin, then it will be easier for it to breathe.

And now you can relax - sit together, wrapped in a towel, drink tea or splash in the pool.

These three phases - steam room, cooling, rest - are the main components of the bath ritual. It is in this sequence that they are repeated as many times as you feel comfortable with. Usually, for the first visit, two or three visits to the steam room are enough. Over time, the baby will get used to longer stays in the sauna. But don't rush it just yet!

How to prepare your baby for a sauna or steam room?

Warming up in a steam room and steaming with brooms is the final stage of hygiene procedures in a bathhouse or sauna. To ensure that your stay in the steam room brings maximum benefits, wash your baby first and make the water for rinsing the body a little colder than the child’s usual temperature.

The first entry into the steam room should be short and not exceed one minute. Adaptation to the heat of the sauna may take several months: during this time, the duration of stay in the steam room should not be increased, and one visit to the steam room will be enough. When the child’s body adapts to temperature stress, you can visit the bathhouse once a week, and spend no more than three minutes in the steam room.

Before visiting the bathhouse, the baby needs to be given something to drink, but the last meal should be no later than 2 hours before the water procedures. It is recommended to take berry juice, tea without sugar or a decoction of herbs with you to the bathhouse - this way you will prevent dehydration of the child’s body and you can give him a tasty healthy drink.

The train left?

If you did not go to the bathhouse during pregnancy or your child has already left the tender age of infancy, do not think that now everything is lost. It's never too late to start!

Each age has its own characteristics of sauna trips.

Never carry a baby who can already walk into the steam room in your arms. This is an important psychological moment. On the one hand, mother’s hands provide, of course, protection, but on the other hand, for a child who craves independence, this is some kind of violence. Open the door to the steam room, go in there and invite your child with you. Let him come in on his own.

If your child is over three years old, be sure to tell him what awaits him before going to the sauna (however, this note applies to children of any age). Come up with a fairy tale about a hot African country where you will go on a trip. And then you will need to stand under the Ice Waterfall or dive into the “hole” of the cold font. And then - relax and drink a special heroic drink (rosehip decoction or cranberry juice).

Rules for bath procedures

• For the first time, a child should be taken to the steam room for no more than 1-2 minutes. If the baby is 3 months old, then it is better to reduce the time to 30 seconds. Increase each subsequent visit to 3-5 minutes. Up to 3-4 years of age, it is not recommended for a child to steam in a bathhouse for more than 5 minutes.
• In the steam room, children can only sit on the lower benches.
• Do not leave children without parental supervision.
• After visiting the bathhouse, do not cool your body with a cold shower. It is better to rinse with warm water and dry rub.
• Use special non-slip shoes and a hat worn on dry hair.
• Do not visit the sauna on an empty stomach or after a heavy meal. After the bath, eat no earlier than 2 hours later.
• While visiting the bathhouse, drink warm teas, fruit drinks, and juices.
• Visit the bathhouse at least once a week to achieve maximum healing effects.

Visiting the bathhouse is useful not only for strengthening the immune system and improving overall well-being. It can become a good family tradition that brings children and parents closer together. And the relaxing effect of the steam room will help get rid of accumulated fatigue and stress.

A bath will fix everything

If your baby is suffering from colds, we highly recommend that you think about a bath. It strengthens the immune system, trains the cardiovascular system, and promotes the removal of mucus. And in the steam room you can breathe in the steam from herbal infusions (eucalyptus, linden, chamomile, etc. are suitable), here you have inhalation. The bath is also indicated for diseases of the skin, as well as the musculoskeletal system.

A bathhouse is useful for children with hypertonicity, because during bathing procedures muscle tone decreases, nerves calm down and overall well-being improves. Alternating temperatures initially gives a feeling of vigor, which is then replaced by relaxation and a feeling of pleasant fatigue. Tested: after the bath, children fall asleep right on the way home and sleep unusually soundly!

But the bathhouse also has contraindications. As for pregnant women, these are, first of all, acute inflammatory diseases accompanied by high fever. A sauna or bath is strictly prohibited for purulent inflammatory and infectious diseases (otitis, sinusitis, furunculosis), even if the temperature is not elevated. But if this disease is in a chronic stage, then a bath is very welcome.

You should not visit the bathhouse if you have convulsive seizures of various etiologies or with any form of epilepsy.

And one last thing. The effect of a bath or sauna will only be if you visit it regularly with your baby. Let this become your pleasant and at the same time useful habit!

Inessa Smyk

Preparation and visiting rules

Before regular bath procedures, it is better to first accustom your baby to swimming in a home pool or bath, washing with cool water, contrast showers or douches. Complex combinations of them with air baths are also useful. This trains the child to change temperatures and helps to avoid a negative attitude towards undressing and dressing. After such preparation, you can safely take your child to the bathhouse.

Contrast shower is one of the means of good preparation for bath procedures

Before going to the steam room, you need to pour warm water into a basin, which will be needed to douse the baby after that. Then it should be wrapped in a terry towel.

In the bathhouse, parents must follow several important rules to ensure the safety of their children:

Small children can only take procedures on the lower shelf and under parental supervision. After leaving the steam room, you should not cool them too sharply; a cold pool or rubbing with snow is strictly contraindicated; only rinsing with warm water and drying with a soft towel is permissible. Bath procedures are carried out in a special cap, which is put on a dry head, and non-slip rubber shoes. At the first signs of heat stroke or deterioration in health, the child is taken to a draft-free room with good ventilation. It is not recommended to wash your baby before visiting the steam room; this is done afterward under warm water using baby hygiene products. You should not eat heavily before a bath, but visiting it on an empty stomach is also dangerous. After this, a snack in the form of fruit, yogurt or other drink is useful, and a full meal should be postponed for a couple of hours. If there is more than one entry into the steam room, then during breaks the baby should also drink water, light tea or fruit and berry juice. A visit to the steam room, swimming pool or shower should take half as much time in total as relaxing from them in a cool room. You can use a broom in a steam room only if the child does not have a negative attitude towards it

Such steaming should be gentle, and it is important to warm the feet well. When choosing a broom for a child, you need to know that the softest and most fragrant is the linden one. It is also useful for colds

For asthmatics and children with pustules on the skin, it is better to take a birch broom. Its aroma helps ease breathing, and the smell of oak leaves helps calm the nervous system. Various herbal infusions are also useful. Mint, linden, oak, thyme and oregano are used for disinfection; chamomile, oregano, pine needles and birch buds are used to normalize the functioning of the nervous system. These herbal ingredients are first poured with boiling water and left to infuse for a couple of hours. But at the same time you need to be sure that there is no allergic reaction to any of them.

A short time spent by this little visitor in a gentle steam room will help improve his health and improve his mood.

For children of different ages, different thermal conditions in the steam room are recommended, and the duration of stay in it also varies:

• For infants up to one year old, this is a temperature of no more than 50 degrees and only a minute or two in the steam room.
• Two to three year old children are allowed to raise the temperature to 60 degrees, but stay at it for no more than 2 minutes.
• For older preschoolers, you can raise the temperature by another 5 degrees with two passes of a couple of minutes each.
• For children 8–12 years old, two five-minute sessions are allowed at a temperature in the steam room up to 70 degrees.
• From the age of 13, this means two ten-minute entries into the atmosphere up to 80 degrees.

Benefit

The bath can be useful for women with infertility in the following cases:

• hormonal dysfunctions;
• chronic inflammatory diseases of the small pelvis;
• primary and secondary amenorrhea;
• some complications after abortion.

A bath may also be allowed during an uncomplicated pregnancy, but you need to stay in the steam room for a short amount of time so as not to overheat.

The bath has a stimulating effect on the body, hardens it, strengthens the immune system, cleanses the skin and relaxes the muscles. Such procedures help improve blood circulation throughout the body and get rid of stress in stressful situations.

Many people are interested in how the bath affects conception in men. In healthy men, the bath does not have any negative effect. Rather, on the contrary, it improves blood circulation in the genitals and potency. Therefore, conception in a bathhouse can occur with a high probability.

This is interesting

In Rus', baths were built not only to keep the body clean, but also to harden, preserve health, youth and beauty. Even newborn babies were bathed in a bathhouse in warm water with a small amount of lye instead of soap made from straw ash (more delicate than wood); they began to steam the baby in the bathhouse early with a birch broom, after having previously lubricated the baby’s skin with a thick layer of yeast and wrapped him in a diaper. Now it’s funny to read about this: running water and hot water, comfortable baths and showers quite cope with the hygienic and cosmetic functions of the bathhouse. Nevertheless, the bathhouse, having withstood serious competition with apartment bathrooms, is experiencing a kind of revival. And not only in Russia!

Prepared by Olga Nikolaeva Article from the July issue of the magazine.

Health benefits and harms

The benefits of a bathhouse for children, provided their parents comply with all safety conditions, are undeniable. Its main role is the prevention of colds, chronic bronchitis, tonsillitis, and rheumatism. A reasonable visit to the steam room has a beneficial effect on the respiratory and cardiovascular systems, improves the condition of hair and skin, and is useful for various dermatological problems.

By raising body temperature, the sauna trains the immune system, tuning it to increase resistance to various bacterial and viral infections.

In addition, bath procedures in combination with aromatherapy serve as a means to relieve a child of stress and fear and have a positive effect on his mood. To do this, just drop a few drops of lemon, bergamot or coniferous oil on the floor or walls of the steam room. By increasing stress resistance and strengthening sleep, these procedures help strengthen not only physical but also mental health. This is a wonderful way of sharing family leisure time, bringing closer and harmonizing relationships between children and parents.

A bathhouse for a child’s body is more of a restorative and preventive remedy.

A visit to the bathhouse, as a rule, has a beneficial effect on the baby’s mood

All the benefits of bath procedures appear only when the individual characteristics of children are taken into account. If you abuse them, you can cause serious harm to a fragile child’s body.