Heated debates about the dangers and benefits of baths for children do not subside! The views of parents and pediatricians on this matter sometimes differ radically and it is impossible to come to an unambiguous conclusion. Of course, visiting a bathhouse affects each person’s body differently. Children are no exception in this regard. That is why, when visiting the bathhouse with their children, parents must follow some important rules that can protect the baby from the possibility of any harm.
To begin with, parents should have an “introductory conversation” with the child about the benefits of the bath, how it helps to drive away all diseases, that this is not just a bathing procedure in unusual conditions for the baby, but a kind of ritual of cleansing and hardening. This must be done before the first family trip to the bathhouse, because for a child such a new experience is a kind of stress.
In addition, you need to try to make sure that the child is comfortable and interested in being in the bathhouse, so that he perceives everything as pleasant, fun fun. Otherwise, you risk forever discouraging him from visiting the bathhouse, especially if the first experience is extremely unsuccessful for him or even associated with unpleasant painful sensations.
At what age can small children steam baths and saunas?
Children of any age enjoy visiting the bathhouse and retain their love for it forever if its healing factors are used correctly. A visit to the steam room for a child should be dosed, and the temperature regime should be gentle. The child should not be forced onto the top shelf; it is enough for him to sit below for the first time and watch the process from the side. He is also unlikely to want to wipe himself with snow and dive into a snowdrift. Do not force him to do these procedures. Pouring cool water or taking a cold shower will also help. But here, too, simple rules should be followed: the water temperature should not be lower than 18 °C with a gradual decrease to 10 °C.
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If a child wants to go to the pool after a steam room, do not allow him to swim for a long time. The first “swims” should last no more than one minute so that the body does not become hypothermic. After some time, without any coercion and under the approving cries of those around him, he himself will plunge into a cold lake or into a snowdrift.
At what age can a child go to the bathhouse to strengthen the child’s body? If a mother loves a steam room, she can take her baby with her from the age of 2 months, especially if she continued to visit the steam room during pregnancy. If a child has no contraindications to visiting the bathhouse (PEP, intracranial hypertension, convulsive syndrome, congenital heart disease), he can safely stay in the steam room, but in more gentle conditions than an adult. When steaming children in a bathhouse, the baby’s head must be protected from overheating with a woolen or felt hat; at first, the temperature in the steam room should not be higher than 60 °C, and the duration of stay should be short (remember the imperfection of thermoregulation). Keep track of his mood. The baby should feel comfortable. At the first sign of anxiety, leave the steam room immediately. The water for dousing must be at least 20 °C.
At what age is a sauna recommended for children, you ask? Many Finnish children begin to visit the sauna before the age of one month, and the rest before the age of 1 year. At the same time, the childhood morbidity rate in Finland is one of the lowest in the world.
How to bathe an infant in a bathhouse
How to bathe an infant in a bathhouse so that visiting the steam room does not become stressful for him? After entering the steam room, you need to rinse your baby with lukewarm water (room temperature, but not colder). This procedure will be both hygienic (it will wash away the sweat and toxins removed from the baby’s skin) and hardening. Even warm water after the high air temperature in the steam room will provide the contrast necessary for hardening. If the bathhouse has a pool with warm water, after rinsing, the mother and the child can spend a few minutes in the pool.
The benefits of baths for the human body
Every city dweller has a bathtub in their apartment, which gives them the opportunity to soak in the fragrant foam all day long. If you don't want to lie in the bath, please take a shower! Why, at the first opportunity, both old and young, rush to the bathhouse? And during the construction of suburban housing, the bathhouse is recognized as an object of paramount importance and is commissioned ahead of schedule. This is a long-standing folk tradition. In the old days, they first built a bathhouse and lived in it while the residential building was being built. The bath has long become an integral part of a healthy lifestyle.
In ancient Rome, baths (therms) were not only a place for washing, but also for communication. They gathered there to read poetry, philosophize, and enjoy singing. And in our time, the bathhouse has not lost this purpose.
The beneficial effect that the bath has on the human body cannot be compared with any other pleasure - it is a hygienic, therapeutic, and preventive procedure.
The health benefits of a bathhouse are obvious, because how nice it is to breathe hot air, warm up all your bones, whip yourself with a fragrant broom, wash away fatigue and sadness and emerge from purgatory a renewed person!
In Rus', the bathhouse performed many functions: they washed there, received treatment, gave birth, and performed witchcraft rituals. And after the steam room they certainly dived into a lake, a river or a snowdrift to feel strong and courageous. Even an infant was washed in a bathhouse and began to be whipped early with a broom, after having been smeared with a thick layer of yeast and wrapped in a diaper.
The benefit of the Russian bath is also that it is a place of physical, mental and nervous restoration, where a person is influenced by several factors at once: hot and cold water, damp steam and dry air, massaging movements of a broom, the aroma of fragrant plants, the decoction of which is splashed out on the stone to obtain healing steam.
Under the influence of these factors, complex processes arise in individual systems of the body, increasing resistance to adverse environmental conditions and promoting the activation of protective mechanisms.
The fact that visiting a steam room is the most effective way of hardening, which is still popular today among people who want to improve their health and willpower, also speaks in favor of the bath for the body.
High air temperature and hot water promote the opening of skin pores, increased sweating and the removal of toxic metabolic products from the body.
And how great are the benefits of visiting a bathhouse using a massage performed with a broom and washcloth! This stimulates blood circulation, increases the speed of metabolic processes, and increases the flow of oxygen into cells and tissues.
Under the influence of warming and massage, the flexibility and mobility of the joints and spine increase. The skin becomes smooth and elastic, and strained muscles relax and completely rest. “The bathhouse soars - it gives health.”
Athletes love the bath very much, for whom it helps restore strength after intense training and difficult competitions, and helps treat injuries and overloads of the musculoskeletal system.
The benefits of a bath for a person and its hardening effect on the body are based on changing temperature conditions, repeating the warming and cooling of the body. The body's resistance to the effects of contrasting temperatures increases, and lovers of bath procedures willy-nilly become hardened. For those who are consciously engaged in hardening the body, it is necessary to include the bathhouse in the general complex of hardening activities.
The benefits of a sauna for the human body
In recent years, the Russian bath has been increasingly replaced by a Finnish-type sauna with an air temperature of 100-120 ° C and a relative humidity of 10-15%. The benefit of a Finnish sauna is that dry heat is easier to tolerate, does not burn, and is softer and more pleasant. Sweat evaporates more intensely, protecting the body from overheating. The sauna trains the cardiovascular and respiratory systems, increases the activity of the neuromuscular and musculoskeletal system, and helps harden the body. The benefit of a sauna for the body is also that hot dry air has a healing effect for diseases of the kidneys, joints and chronic processes in the respiratory tract.
In order for a sauna to bring health benefits, the optimal length of stay in a steam room for an adult at a temperature of 90 ° C and 10% humidity should be 10 minutes. However, in recent years, extreme athletes have been organizing competitions for a duration of stay in a sauna that exceeds all conceivable capabilities of the human body.
The sauna is not a place to set records! The barbaric use of a steam room leads to functional disorders of the organs and systems of the body, which is expressed in deep fatigue, palpitations, dizziness, and a general deterioration of the condition.
The first entry into the sauna should last no more than 10 minutes (for an adult), subsequent sessions - 5-7 minutes and 3-5 minutes. Between them there are water treatments: a swimming pool or a cool shower.
Rules for visiting a Russian bath
Before going to the steam room, you need to learn the rules of visiting a Russian bathhouse so as not to harm your body.
First, you need to take a warm shower without soap, because oil-free skin is more sensitive to high temperatures. After drying your skin with a towel and putting a felt hat on your head, go to the steam room. It is imperative to protect your head from overheating. Make sure that the bath cap does not pull your head too tightly; it should fit snugly, but not squeeze your head like a hoop.
Before climbing onto the shelves, sit below so that your body gradually adapts to the high temperature. Lie freely on the shelf, breathe through your nose, deeply inhale the aroma of steamed brooms.
“In a bathhouse, a broom is more valuable than money.” What kind of brooms do steam lovers use! There are oak, birch, eucalyptus, conifer, and even... nettle. The latter is used for joint diseases, radiculitis, myositis. It is, of course, not suitable for children. Any broom releases phytoncides that have a bactericidal effect, and essential oils improve metabolism in the skin, increasing its elasticity.
After a good warm-up, it’s time to use the broom. Like a regular massage, you should start by lightly stroking the body with branches, gradually increasing the impact and using the entire broom. Alternate whipping movements with a broom with rubbing and stroking movements. This massage stimulates blood circulation and improves metabolic processes.
Bath experts bring with them bottles with different aromas, which they add to the water to pour over the hot stones.
The duration of stay in the steam room for an adult is 6-7 minutes; some champions last much longer. But for a child, 2-3 minutes is enough so as not to harm his well-being. After the steam room, welcome to the pool, take a cool shower or go to the lake. Who likes what! But seasoned individuals are not forbidden to plunge headlong into an ice hole.
According to the rules for visiting the bathhouse, entering the steam room can be repeated 2-3 times with a subsequent reduction in the load. Then the body itself is washed with soap and a washcloth, ending with a cool shower.
After such a visit to the bathhouse, you will feel cheerfulness and freshness, a surge of efficiency and a good mood.
In a Russian bath, the air temperature in the steam room reaches 60-70 ° C, and the relative humidity is 80-90%. At high ambient temperatures, sweating increases, but high humidity makes it difficult to evaporate from the surface of the body, and the body can overheat. Therefore, staying in a steam room for a long time is dangerous to health.
Before steaming your children in a Russian bath, do not forget that children are recommended to visit the steam room before it gets too hot and the humidity reaches high levels. For children, the air temperature should not exceed 60 °C. 1-2 visits are allowed for 3-5 minutes. A teenager who has experience visiting a sauna can steam at a temperature of 70 ° C, performing 2-3 passes. In the process of accustoming your child to a bath, do not forget that water procedures are repeated every time after leaving the steam room.
First time in a bathhouse with a child: what do you need to know?
You need to prepare your child for visiting the bathhouse for the first time by telling him a little about the process and benefits of the procedure.
About an hour before leaving home, the baby should eat, and before entering the steam room, directly in the bathhouse, he should be given warm drinks with diaphoretic properties, for example, linden infusion or tea with raspberries. The child is also washed in the shower with warm water and soap so that the skin “breathes” better, and a cap is put on the head to prevent overheating.
The entry into the steam room itself will be one-time and will last about 5 minutes or a little longer, depending on the child’s well-being: he will either be calm, or will become lethargic and begin to be capricious. After the bath procedure, children are not allowed to use a pool with cold water, so they are doused with warm water from the shower and wrapped in a sheet or towel.
With regular visits to the steam room, the duration of the baby’s stay inside can gradually be increased to 10 minutes at a time. How often can you go to the bathhouse? If the child is satisfied with the procedure, then it can be weekly.
To begin with, it is better to take a steam bath with children in a Russian bath: with a humidity of about 90% and an average temperature of 50 degrees, the body will lose less moisture.
The main thing in the bath is the steam generated by rolling water onto hot stones. It can be not only aromatic, but also useful if you use special infusions and decoctions of herbs. Each of them has special properties. Pine needles, chamomile, sage and eucalyptus have an antimicrobial effect. Mint, oregano, lemon balm soothe and relax. Thyme, birch and linden promote expectoration of mucus. You can take the infusion prepared in advance with you and then pour it on the stones.
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.
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If the baby does not have serious illnesses, the effects of bath procedures enhance lymph and blood circulation. Stimulating blood circulation is achieved by mobilizing its reserves from the liver, spleen and small vessels. This improves gas exchange in the lungs and their ventilation. Breathing deepens and blood is enriched with oxygen. Dr. Komarovsky believes that short-term exposure of children to the warm and humid atmosphere of a bathhouse helps remove mucus from their lungs that has accumulated after a viral infection.
By raising body temperature, the sauna trains the immune system, tuning it to increase resistance to various bacterial and viral infections.
With regular visits to the bathhouse, colds and flu are less likely to occur. And Dr. Komarovsky notes in this regard that the child’s body is “hardened” to cancer 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.
However, the bath should not be considered as a panacea for infectious diseases; it cannot be used to treat a cold or warm a stuffy nose. At high temperatures, swelling of the nasopharynx only intensifies, which will aggravate the condition of the sick child.
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.
In young children, sweating is almost completely absent, which serves as protection against overheating. Therefore, a long stay in the sauna is extremely undesirable for them. Due to imperfect thermoregulation of a child’s body, hardening with sudden temperature changes is harmful. It is important that all bath procedures are carried out under the supervision of parents, taking into account the age and health status of the children, and only after consultation with a doctor.
At what age can children go to the bathhouse?
There is no consensus on the issue of visiting the bathhouse with the whole family, including small children. Not all experts agree that it is useful for newborns, one-month-old babies, or even just infants up to one year old, especially if it is a public rather than a home bath.
The famous pediatrician Evgeny Komarovsky does not recommend introducing bath procedures to children under two years of age due to the imperfection of their thermoregulation. He also believes that from two to seven years old, the bathhouse is not dangerous for healthy children, and it can only become useful after reaching the age of seven.
Most pediatricians are of the opinion that there is an individual approach to the time parents and children begin visiting the sauna and Russian bath. For example, if a mother is a lover of bath procedures and did not stop them (within reasonable limits) even during pregnancy, this does not mean that her child needs them from the age of two months.
Of course, the temperature should be as gentle as possible, and the time spent in the steam room should be limited to a couple of minutes. And at the first sign of dissatisfaction or anxiety in the baby, such hardening immediately stops.
Some children are less pleased with this procedure, others more, but its usefulness is demonstrated by their clean, healthy skin
All experts recognize the benefits of the bath for children of primary school age when gradually accustoming them to it. In any case, it should be a pleasure for the child and become a kind of interesting game for him.
Are there any benefits to taking a bath?
Many years ago, before the emergence of bathrooms in homes familiar to modern people, people did not think about whether children could go to the bathhouse. It was a way to keep the body clean. It’s good that, in general, childhood is not a contraindication to bath procedures. They even benefit the little person, but only if they are arranged according to all the rules.
The benefits of going to the bathhouse for a baby are:
- Strengthening the immune system. Pediatricians note that children who are often ill with regular visits to the bathhouse become healthier and stronger. They are less susceptible to infections and colds.
- Overcoming hyperactivity. The baby is hyperactive until one year of age. The process of nervous excitation in him prevails over inhibition, this is normal. With age, the brain structures responsible for calming will develop, and the baby will learn to calm down on his own. For now, adults should help him with this. The bath relaxes the muscles. Therefore, it is also indicated for infants with increased muscle tone. At first there is a feeling of cheerfulness, but soon it gives way to drowsiness and relaxation. After the bath, the children sleep well.
Note! The benefit from such an event will only be if you regularly visit the baths.
Adults always mention cleansing of waste and toxins among the advantages of bath procedures. The pores open up and all the crap comes out. Young children tend to eat only clean, healthy foods. They do not have bad habits, so such dirt does not accumulate in their body. There is no particular benefit for them in this sense.
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:
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.
The main thing is safety: rules for visiting the sauna with children
In order for a novice steamer to get acquainted with a new microclimate as smoothly and painlessly as possible, special attention should be paid to preparatory measures that will help adapt the child’s body:
- Consult your child's doctor. The main rule when going to the sauna is the baby’s absolute health and the absence of contraindications. Therefore, it would be a good idea to first visit a pediatrician and, if necessary, undergo some tests to make sure that the baby can cope with temperature and humidity changes.
- About a month or two before the planned visit to the sauna, you should show your child what a contrast shower is. At first, the temperature difference between warm and cool water should be minimal - an average of 3-5 degrees. However, with each new session this difference should be increased slightly - this way the vessels will gradually get used to the changes and will react more calmly to the sauna microclimate.
- Be sure to tell your child what a sauna is and why it is needed. Try to present the information in an interesting and exciting way, so that he perceives the first trip to the steam room as a holiday. If the baby sees the interest and sincere joy of the parents, he will definitely like the new type of recreation.
- Choose the right sauna. It is not advisable to take your child to a Russian bathhouse or Turkish hammam for the first time - although the temperature there is lower, the humid air can be difficult for a child to tolerate, especially if he is not used to it. The ideal option is a Finnish sauna, where the humidity does not exceed 15% - it will be easier to breathe in such an atmosphere. In addition, be sure to warn the administrator that you will have a child with you, so you should not raise the temperature in the booth too critically. The optimal temperature for the first vaping should not exceed 70-90 degrees.
- Don't plan anything for your first vape day. If you are an avid sauna lover and can sit in it for several hours at a time, you will have to postpone your own rest - it will be difficult for a child to sit for the same amount of time in the steam room for the first time. Ideally, you can organize 2-3 five-minute visits with breaks of at least 15 minutes. With each subsequent visit, the duration of steaming can be increased, but for the first time this is unacceptable.
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In order for the sauna to bring only benefit and pleasure to both you and the child, you should follow a number of important safety rules that will protect the child’s body from unforeseen and not always pleasant consequences:
- Under no circumstances should you leave your child alone in the steam room. Like any water treatments, steaming in a sauna is associated with certain risks, so leaving your baby alone to get bored is unacceptable and careless. He must be under the supervision of adults every second to ensure his safety!
- Remove all metal jewelry from your child. A pectoral cross, earrings, rings and other accessories can cause thermal burns, since any metal in the sauna heats up quite quickly. Therefore, both adults and children should remove all jewelry before entering the steam room.
- Place your baby on the lowest bench in the sauna. The higher the step in the steam room, the higher the air temperature, which can be critical for the child’s body. Therefore, during bath procedures, the baby should be seated no higher than 90 cm from the floor level, that is, on the lower bench or step.
- Turn vaping into a fun game. Don’t get hung up on the rules and traditions of bathing: if you steam a child, do it in a fun and playful way, so that he perceives everything that happens as a reason for fun. Be sure to take with you several of your baby’s favorite toys, making sure that they do not have metal elements.
- Do not allow your child to dive into a cool pool immediately after a sauna. No matter how prepared the baby is for temperature changes, such a risk is unjustified. A sudden jump can make a little swimmer dizzy, and losing consciousness in the water, even for a split second, is extremely dangerous. It is better to take him under a warm shower, wait a little so that the body cools down slightly, and only then go to a pool with cool water.
- The main thing is moderation. Even if a child is delighted with a new type of leisure, you should not take him to the sauna more than once a week - too frequent steaming can reduce the positive effect of bath procedures.
By following these simple but very important rules, you can turn a visit to the sauna into an easy and enjoyable family activity that will not only help strengthen your child’s immunity, but will also allow you to have fun with your family. With proper psychological and physiological preparation of the child, sauna steam will be truly easy for him and, most importantly, useful!
