Useful Baby Handling Tips From June To January

As the summer gets down on your baby, it's time for some gloomy rainy days yet the enjoyable time of the year for your little one, the months of June, July and August i.e. the Monsoons. As the rainy season is known to give you relief from the extreme heat, parents need to be extra careful with germs and infections that wet umbrellas, greasy shoes, dripping pipes, damp walls, soaking clothes may spread.

Here are some more useful tips to safeguard your baby from monsoon woes this season:

1. Maintain Hygiene: Give your baby a daily fresh soap bath or sponging with antiseptics like Dettol and Savlon, whatever applicable. Clean the areas where sweat and infections are likely to stick around like underarms, neck, genitals and other folds and creases of the body thoroughly. We propose you continue with the pre-bath oil massages to increase blood circulation. Use a fresh soft baby towel every time you use them to gently pat your baby dry.

2. Cover with light cotton clothing layers: After heavy rains, it usually gets too hot and humid, so make sure your baby is well covered in cotton wear when exposed to the outside air. While your infant is indoors, put an extremely thin cotton sheet on the baby to not be lying completely exposed. While sleeping at night, you may want to cover them up completely to avoid insect biting episodes. You can opt for full-length soft cotton clothing or full sleeve jablas and long leggings suits for a goodnight sleep. Remember, Never put damp clothes on a baby. Always remember to dry off the damp clothes under the sun for at least two to three hours before they are kept on the kid's body. Wearing damp clothes can lead to fungal infection on the baby’s skin and also get him/her a fever.

3. Give your baby diaper breaks: This goes without saying that diapers are a new-age mother’s best friend; nonetheless, ensure that your baby gets frequent diaper breaks during the monsoon season. While it’s highly advisable to use diapers when you venture outside, make sure to let your baby’s skin breathe freely without diapers once in a while inside the house. In case you notice a diaper rash on your kid's gentle skin, clean the area with mild wipes and create a protective barrier with a doctor’s recommended ointment/cream.

4. Maintain a pleasant room temperature: It's a proven fact that babies are most comfortable in a thermoneutral environment i.e. 28 to 30°C environment. Yes, this may seem too warm to you, but it's ideal for an infant to be raised in a warm environment compared to a cold environment. We suggest, the temperature should neither get too hot nor too cold. It’s recommended to use lightweight bedding along with fine cotton covers for your infant. As the day gets over if the outside temperature drops you may consider additional light layers of covers on your little one to maintain them warm.

5. Boiled water is a no-brainer: Appropriate hydration has always been a priority for an infant, but don’t forget to boil the water. You can then cool down the boiled water and keep it stored with tight lids. Additionally, you can utilize this boiled water to cook solid food for your infant, keeping them away from water-borne infections that generally spike during the monsoons.

Key Monsoon infant care take-aways:

The air carries moisture months long during the monsoons, resulting in various fungal and bacterial growths within your houses. Also, note that infants are most likely to fall sick during this time due to the fast bacteria spread environment. Parents and visitors must be cautious about maintaining the hygiene by washing their hands before touching the baby when they come home from outside. Additionally, if someone is unwell you might want to keep your little one away from them. We recommend you do a pre-monsoon check on the house by fixing leakages, damp areas. We also encourage the use of effective but safe mosquito repellents. Consult your pediatrician at the earliest if your baby catches a cold or mild fever.

Post Monsoons comes a blissful time of November, December and January i.e. winter season. Here, you can take a deep breath as your baby will mostly be in a cheerful mood. No sweating, no itching but yes may get a little cranky due to dry skin. So below are a few tips on how to handle your infant in the winters.

1. Layer up, but don't overdo it: In India especially, parents are habituated to over covering up their little ones making the baby cranky at all times. If we feel cold, the baby is also probably feeling it, is the logic they apply to the layers on the kid. If we are under 2 covers a kid will be wrapped in 4-5 layers making them feel uncomfortable. In general, an infant would ideally need 1 more layer than an adult to feel comfortable. Ideally, a Head Cap to maintain head temperature and cover the ears from the breeze, a full sleeve top with long pants or a suit topped with a pair of socks to keep the feet warm are more than enough. All these skin-friendly soft cotton infant clothes are now available online.

2. Think warm. Not hot: A cozy warm bath for your infant post being out in the cold is ideal. We recommend a warm water bath or sponge for your baby to get him/her ready for bedtime. Ensure you're using lukewarm water and not hot water, as the baby's body gradually adjusts to the warm water after a cold outdoor visit.

3. Moisturize, moisturize and moisturize!: Moisturizing your skin all year long may not be as often as compared to in the winters. Especially, sweet tender baby skin is no exception. In the winter months when we have cold air, wind and central heat all working against skin’s natural moisture it is more important than ever. We recommend a moisturizing session post a warm water bath, before that pat them dry to preserve some of the moisture on the skin. At the very first sign of any dry skin, bump up your baby’s moisturizer from a cream to a more hydrating one.

Words of wisdom for your infants winter care protocol:

If your baby is facing dry, sensitive or red, irritable skin, you can use high hydro creams on the impacted areas. If the swelling and itchiness does not improve in a couple of days, call your doctor. Your pediatrician or dermatologist may have a prescription that will do the trick.

STAY KNOWLEDGEABLE, STAY SAFE.