Hardening procedures in winter. Consultation for parents "hardening children in winter"

You can increase the body's resistance to infections by hardening. It is important to start exercising before health problems appear, because preventing them is easier than treating them. One of the most effective methods is hardening in winter. At this time of year, training teaches the body to calmly deal with temperature changes and various climatic conditions.

The benefits of winter hardening were proven by our ancestors, who walked barefoot along snowy paths, swam in an icy river, and wiped themselves with snow. Because of this, they got sick less often, were resilient and strong.

If you want to improve your health by hardening, you need to figure out how to do it correctly so as not to harm the body.

Where to begin?

Before starting procedures, be sure to consult with your therapist. Exposure to cold is not beneficial for everyone. It can cause rapid heartbeat, exacerbation of asthma attacks, and deterioration of kidney function. The specialist must individually exclude contraindications and give the go-ahead for hardening.

If you decide to harden yourself in winter, you should not immediately dive into an ice hole or pour a bucket of ice water on yourself. Such experiments will not bring any benefit, but only harm. You need to train your body, gradually accustoming it to such procedures.

At first, it is recommended to simply walk around the house without slippers, barefoot. In the first week, do this for 10 minutes a day, then gradually increase the time to 1 hour. When your feet get used to the coolness, you can start dousing your feet.
Get them used to cold water little by little. Fill a basin with cool water and soak your feet in it for a couple of seconds. Every day, lower the temperature of the liquid by 1 degree until it becomes icy. Gradually you will begin to enjoy the procedure and will be able to increase its time to 3-4 minutes.
It is useful to alternate between ice and hot foot baths. Fill one container with hot water and another with cold water and alternately dip your feet in them for 1-2 minutes.

Ventilate your home regularly. There should always be fresh, clean air there. Wash your face with cool water in the morning. Change your lifestyle. Adjust your diet, exclude fatty, fried foods, fast food, and canned food. if you have bad habits, then it's time to get rid of them. Smoking and alcohol are very harmful to health, so you need to give them up as quickly as possible.

How to douse yourself correctly?

When your feet get used to the cold effects, you can smoothly move on to the next stage of hardening - dousing. Dedicate two weeks to preparing for the procedure. Morning and evening, rub your body with a towel soaked in cold water. Increase the rubbing time daily and wet the fabric more with water.

When the body is ready, start dousing.

Pick up a big bucket in the evening cold water and leave it in the bathroom so that the liquid warms up a little.
In the morning, carefully pour it over your hands and feet and wipe your body with a wet towel.
Continue training throughout the week, gradually making the water colder. After 7 days, start dousing yourself with water completely.

In the evenings it is useful to take regularly cold and hot shower. It improves blood circulation, heart function, stimulates metabolic processes and strengthens the immune system.

First, stand for 10 seconds under hot water, then the same amount of time under cold water. Systematically increase the time by 1-2 seconds until you reach 30 seconds.

Regular dousing gives a person energy and vigor. When your body is well prepared, you can try dousing yourself in the fresh air in winter, but only after your doctor’s approval.

Regular training of the body gives results. A person stops catching colds often and feels healthy and rejuvenated. Then it's time to start more serious studies.

Is there any other way to harden yourself in winter? Common methods:

rubbing with snow;
wiping with ice;
winter swimming

You can first wipe yourself off with snow in your room. Take clean fluffy snow into a bowl and rub the body from top to bottom, carefully working all areas. Do the manipulations quickly. Then immediately rub your skin with a dry towel. After a few weeks of preparation, the procedure is allowed to be done outside.

Wiping with ice is carried out in the same way as with snow. If there is no pure ice, you can prepare it yourself and use it for hardening.

The most extreme way is diving into an ice hole.

Before it, you definitely need to thoroughly warm up all your muscles. Experienced “walruses” advise taking a short jog near the river.
Then you should wet your hands and feet, wash your face and immerse yourself in water up to your neck.
Ten seconds of bathing is enough to get started. Get out of the water, dry yourself thoroughly with a towel, put on winter clothes and drink warm tea.

By regularly bathing in ice water, you can increase the duration of the procedure and eventually stay in the ice hole for a minute or more.

In order for the baby to be healthy and strong, his immunity must be strengthened from the first days of life, using gentle hardening methods. They consist of regular ventilation of the room, daily walks in the fresh air, and air baths. A little later, you can start wiping with a damp towel and dousing with cool water. To avoid harming your child, coordinate your actions with your pediatrician and listen to his recommendations.

When the baby grows a little, his body, strengthened by dousing, will be ready for temperature changes. Then try an intensive method of improving immunity - hardening with snow.

Prepare your child before going outside. Give him shoes that are easy to remove.
First, run with your baby and play in the snow to keep him warm.
Then take off one boot and place the child’s foot in the snow for a couple of seconds. Dry it with a towel and put on your baby's shoes.
Then do the same manipulations with the second leg.

It is necessary to resort to hardening children in winter systematically. Gradually increase the period of contact of the feet with the snow, and after a few months the baby will be able to run barefoot in the snow for 3-4 minutes.

The key to the safety of winter hardening is the regularity of procedures and a gradual increase in time. This is the only way to increase the body’s resistance to cold and avoid sudden vasoconstriction and other health problems.

It’s easy to achieve excellent results if you do hardening with the whole family, setting yourself up for positive emotions. When teaching your baby to harden, use common sense. If he is not comfortable and he is capricious, don’t force him. This means that his body has not undergone sufficient preparation. You need to go back a few stages and try to conduct training in game form so that the baby is interested.

At first, it is recommended to simply walk around the house without slippers, barefoot. In the first week, do this for 10 minutes a day, then gradually increase the time to 1 hour. When your feet get used to the coolness, you can start dousing your feet.
Get them used to cold water little by little. Fill a basin with cool water and soak your feet in it for a couple of seconds. Every day, lower the temperature of the liquid by 1 degree until it becomes icy. Gradually you will begin to enjoy the procedure and will be able to increase its time to 3-4 minutes.
It is useful to alternate between ice and hot foot baths. Fill one container with hot water and another with cold water and alternately dip your feet in them for 1-2 minutes.

Ventilate your home regularly. There should always be fresh, clean air there. Wash your face with cool water in the morning. Change your lifestyle. Adjust your diet, exclude fatty, fried foods, fast food, and canned food. If you have bad habits, then it's time to get rid of them. Smoking and alcohol are very harmful to health, so you need to give them up as quickly as possible.

Winter hardening rules

Start to harden only if you have no health problems. Before starting hardening procedures, you must cure all infectious and colds, and also make sure there are no problems with the skin. If you have high eye pressure, then you should avoid hardening in winter. This is due to an increase in pressure due to strong temperature changes and can lead to retinal detachment. If you have problems with blood pressure or kidney function, you should first consult a doctor. But when various diseases It’s not worth resorting to hardening your heart at all.
Temper yourself gradually. Gradual hardening is one of the basic rules. The body should not be allowed to experience a strong shock and therefore everything should be done gradually. The best option for starting hardening procedures is simply washing with cold water. However, there is no need to rush, and start with a water temperature of 20 degrees. Then every day you should lower it by no more than one degree. When the body gets used to it, you can move on to the next stage.
Procedures must be regular. If you decide to start tempering, then don’t stop. Carry out procedures in any weather and under different circumstances. If you are, say, on a business trip, then you do not interrupt your hardening. You should also remember that during the procedures a runny nose may appear, but you should continue and not pay attention to it. The procedure can only be interrupted if a temperature appears. As you can see, there are few basic rules for hardening in winter and they are very simple. However, you must follow them to get results.

How to douse yourself correctly?

When the body is ready, start dousing.

Fill a large bucket of cold water in the evening and leave it in the bathroom so that the liquid warms up a little.
In the morning, carefully pour it over your hands and feet and wipe your body with a wet towel.
Continue training throughout the week, gradually making the water colder. After 7 days, start dousing yourself with water completely.

In the evenings, it is useful to regularly take a contrast shower. It improves blood circulation, heart function, stimulates metabolic processes and strengthens the immune system.

First, stand for 10 seconds under hot water, then the same amount of time under cold water. Systematically increase the time by 1-2 seconds until you reach 30 seconds.

Hardening a child in winter

Every parent wants their child to be healthy. Proper hardening in winter will help the child strengthen the immune system and avoid frequent colds in the future. If we are talking about hardening in the warm season, then no one has any questions.

However, when it comes to winter, not every parent will agree to let their child run barefoot in the cold, not to mention a cold ice hole. At the same time, you can limit yourself to using contrast procedures only. It is quite clear that if a child is sick, then there can be no talk of any hardening.

Just like an adult during hardening, a child needs to undergo training. To do this, we should use the rubbing and dousing we are already familiar with. When your child is ready to progress further, you can take barefoot walks in the snow. Wear boots that can be quickly removed. Also remember that you cannot start hardening in winter on the snow until the baby’s body is sufficiently warmed up.

If a child has a blush on his face, then his feet are probably warm. First you need to start hardening by lowering one foot into the snow. Take off your shoes and place your baby's feet in the snow for a few seconds. Then be sure to rub your feet well and put on your shoes. Repeat all these actions with the second leg.

When the child’s body adapts to this procedure, you can allow the baby to run barefoot in the snow for a maximum of three minutes. In this case, the snow cover should not be deep. Do not forget that each child’s body has its own characteristics and general recommendations do not suit everyone. It is very important to correctly assess the child’s condition and not allow the body to become hypothermic.

If you are in a hurry, it could harm your baby. Children can continue hardening in the ice hole, but this procedure must be preceded by painstaking preliminary work. Start hardening yourself in the summer with the help of natural factors. Children's skin is very sensitive and sharp cold can cause pain.

If you want to harden your child, then you need to act extremely carefully and gradually. Even after the baby is ready to swim in ice water, he should remain in such conditions for no more than one minute. If the child will long time run barefoot in the snow. It is possible that there is a violation of blood circulation, but not an increase in it. Of course, if a baby jumps out of the bathhouse into the snow for a couple of minutes, then nothing will happen to him, because the body simply does not have time to cool down.

Pouring can be dangerous for a baby if he is not sufficiently prepared for it. You need to start with rubbing and taking local baths. However, you should not use water whose temperature is below eight degrees for these procedures. Note that even a seasoned child can catch a runny nose. But all colds in this case are quickly cured, and they happen infrequently.

But seasoned children are less susceptible to infectious diseases, such as influenza, and suffer from them extremely rarely. Since the immune system has been strengthened due to regular hardening in winter, the body in most cases is able to cope with pathogens on its own.

It is also extremely important not to stop carrying out hardening procedures. This statement is true not only for children, but also for adults. Scientists are confident that as soon as you stop hardening, the body will very quickly return to its original state. As a result, you will have to start all over again.

Winter hardening

Regular dousing gives a person energy and vigor. When your body is well prepared, you can try dousing yourself in the fresh air in winter, but only after your doctor’s approval.

Regular training of the body gives results. A person stops catching colds often and feels healthy and rejuvenated. Then it's time to start more serious studies.

Is there any other way to harden yourself in winter? Common methods:

rubbing with snow;
wiping with ice;
winter swimming

Wiping with ice is carried out in the same way as with snow. If there is no clean ice nearby, you can prepare it yourself and use it for hardening.

The most extreme way is diving into an ice hole.

Before it, you definitely need to thoroughly warm up all your muscles. Experienced “walruses” advise taking a short jog near the river.
Then you should wet your hands and feet, wash your face and immerse yourself in water up to your neck.
Ten seconds of bathing is enough to get started. Rise from the water, dry yourself thoroughly with a towel, put on winter clothes and drink warm tea.

By regularly bathing in ice water, you can increase the duration of the procedure and eventually stay in the ice hole for a minute or more.

Children's hardening

In order for the baby to be healthy and strong, his immunity must be strengthened from the first days of life, using gentle hardening methods. They consist of regular ventilation of the room, daily walks in the fresh air, and air baths. A little later, you can start wiping with a damp towel and dousing with cool water. To avoid harming your child, coordinate your actions with your pediatrician and listen to his recommendations.

When the baby grows a little, his body, strengthened by dousing, will be ready for temperature changes. Then try an intensive method of improving immunity - hardening with snow.

Prepare your child before going outside. Give him shoes that are easy to remove.
First, run with your baby and play in the snow to keep him warm.
Then take off one boot and place the child’s foot in the snow for a couple of seconds. Dry it with a towel and put on your baby's shoes.
Then do the same manipulations with the second leg.

HARDENING OF PRESCHOOL CHILDREN

IN WINTER

Snow hardening can be considered the most intensive method of strengthening children's immunity. It is snow and air temperature that most actively cool the body, causing an immediate reaction. Cold hardening involves short-term contact of the naked body with ice water, snow, and frosty air. Such conditions for hardening are provided exclusively in snowy winters.

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HARDENING OF PRESCHOOL CHILDREN

IN WINTER

How to harden yourself in winter?

Hardening by natural factors in the warm season is not surprising. However, when thinking about swimming in an ice hole or running barefoot in the snow, parents may experience a reflexive reaction of denial. As a result, the child is deprived of an excellent opportunity to strengthen his body during the winter, when nature provides its means and opportunities for this.

You can, of course, be content with the golden mean - contrasting procedures. This type of hardening is more effective than traditional hardening and more gentle than intensive hardening. It is also worth refusing hardening in winter if the child has chronic ENT diseases, tonsillitis, inflammation of the adenoids or tonsils, etc. In this case, contrast hardening is suitable.

Preparation

Hardening with snow begins after the body’s preparation for the temperature difference is completed. You can prepare your child for winter hardening with cold by dousing and wiping with cool water.

Walking in the snow

For a walk, it is better to wear boots that can be easily removed. You can't take off your children's shoes if they haven't warmed up. To do this, you can play in the snow or just run. A rosy-cheeked baby probably has warm feet. Hardening with snow begins with one foot: the shoes are removed and the foot is placed on the snow for a few seconds. After the procedure, he wipes himself with a dry towel and puts on his shoes again. The same is repeated with the other leg. When the child gets used to the cold, you can let him run in shallow snow for up to 3 minutes - he will probably like the new sensations if you make sure that there is earth under the snow and not asphalt or concrete.

However, it is worth considering that each child’s body is individual and one cannot blindly follow general recommendations. Look at the baby's condition - if he is not cold, then everything is fine. If you notice signs of cooling, then interrupt the procedure and reduce its duration next time.

Dangers of cold hardening

Winter swimming

Children swimming in an ice hole cause shock to unprepared parents. At the same time, having learned about the cold hardening method, some enthusiastic parents may bathe their child for Epiphany without preparation, discover pneumonia and then complain that the child is not compatible with hardening. This approach is fundamentally wrong.

Before mastering swimming in an ice hole and walking in 20-degree frost, a child and his parents must undergo lengthy training. It is better to start hardening with natural factors in the summer. Cold is perceived by sensitive children's skin as pain. Too low a temperature causes negative emotions and “discourages” all desire to harden.

Only long-term, thorough and very gradual preparation of the child for lower temperatures will lead to a lasting effect. And swimming without consequences in icy water is the result of this painstaking work. And even in this case, the stay in cold water cannot be extended for more than a minute. By the way, the bathing procedure itself is not an element of hardening. It is, rather, a demonstration of a strong organism that cannot handle such stress.

Children who have undergone cold hardening and begun so-called winter swimming should regularly undergo medical examinations or take a urine test.

Walking in the snow

The danger of such walks is that exposure to cold may impair blood circulation. Of course, if after a bath a warmed-up child spends a couple of minutes in the snow, then most likely nothing bad will happen to him - the body simply will not have time to cool down. However, there will be no benefit from this procedure.

Only regular procedures lead to the body's resistance to low temperatures and the development of a certain reaction in response to cold - a sharp narrowing and simultaneous dilation of the body's blood vessels.

Pouring

Pouring cold water on a child is considered an expressive measure if he, without any preparation, receives a bucket of ice water on his head. There will be no hardening effect from such a douche; rather, on the contrary, harm will be caused. Cold hardening begins with rubdowns and local baths, after which you can proceed to dousing with water at a temperature of 26–28˚C. The temperature gradually drops to 12˚C. In winter, tap water provides 8˚C - a prepared child will tolerate this temperature well. There is no point in lowering the temperature further.

Does hardening protect against colds?

Seasoned children also suffer from colds in the form of a runny nose or sore throat. However, this happens much less frequently and usually lasts no more than two days. The body itself copes with the infection and develops immunity against the disease. During influenza epidemics, hardened children practically do not catch this disease, but remain active and cheerful. A hardened child is a child with good immunity, who rarely gets sick and quickly copes with an occasional cold.

Parents often complain that their children are prone to illness: if the child plays in a cool room, takes a walk without a warm scarf, he develops a cough or runny nose.

Educators and parents face a serious task - to teach the child to endure sharp fluctuations in temperature and air movement (wind) without harm to health, i.e. to harden his body. Hardening should begin with early age using air, water and sun for this purpose.

In winter, you can keep the windows open in the room if there is no strong wind and the children are kept away from them. But this should be done gradually, at first leaving the window open for 2-3 minutes several times a day, and then longer. In this case, you must ensure that the temperature in the room does not fall below +16°C.

With the onset of warm days, the vents, and then the windows, in the absence of strong wind and rain, should be open all day long.

Children's clothing is of no small importance for hardening. Having become accustomed to constant warmth, the child will feel chilly at the slightest wind or cold. Children dressed too warmly quickly sweat, become cold and may get sick.

In winter, when walking, children are required to wear a hat to cover their ears and forehead, have mittens on their hands, and warm winter boots on their feet. Large warm shawls and scarves, in which caring mothers wrap their children, make it difficult for the child to breathe and move and overheat.

For fear of catching a cold, some children have their noses and mouths tied with handkerchiefs. It becomes difficult for the child to breathe, the scarf becomes wet, cools quickly and can be harmful to the child’s health.

Children benefit greatly from walks in the fresh air. You should walk with your children every day before lunch and after afternoon tea in winter for at least 1 hour. 30 min. every time. Only severe frost, storm and rain can be an obstacle to children going outside. Funny Games, sledding and skiing even in frosty weather make the walk interesting, and children do not notice the cold.

With the onset of warm days, you need to walk with your children as much as possible, and in the summer they should be outside all day long. If conditions permit, then games, activities, food and nap children are transferred from the premises to the site.

The material was prepared by the teacher of the “Lyuboznayki” group (GBDOU No. 9)

Vinogradova A.V.

Our skin contains a huge number of so-called “cold receptors”, irritating which can affect the entire body. If you carry out hardening procedures correctly, you will help strengthen the immune system and improve thermoregulation (the body’s ability to maintain a constant temperature under different environmental conditions). In addition, hardening stimulates metabolic processes in your body, strengthens the nervous system, tones the heart and blood vessels, and eliminates arrhythmia. Finally, hardening promotes weight loss, improves skin tone and gives the body a boost of energy.

To start - simple rules hardening of the body, which everyone should know about. If you decide to douse yourself with cold water (or choose other types of hardening - we’ll talk about them below), keep in mind:

1. You can start to harden only when you are absolutely healthy

Colds and viral diseases (for example, acute respiratory infections, acute respiratory viral infections, influenza), purulent wounds on the skin will have to be cured before hardening procedures begin. Also, hardening the body is contraindicated for those who suffer from high eye pressure - if the temperature changes, the pressure can become even higher, which will provoke retinal detachment. Hypertensive, hypotensive and those suffering from kidney disease should consult a therapist before proceeding with the procedures. Coronary heart disease, heart failure, tachycardia are diseases in which hardening the body is strictly prohibited.

2. Start hardening gradually to rid your body of stress

If your body is not in excellent health, start strengthening it yourself. in a simple way- accustom yourself to washing with cold water (do it gradually - let the water be at room temperature 20-22°C at first, then lower it by about a degree every day). Eventually, you will get used to washing your face with cold tap water and will be able to move on to the next stage without negative consequences for your body.

3. Carry out hardening procedures regularly, systematically, without interruptions

If you have already decided, then harden yourself every day, in any weather and in any conditions. Even on a trip or camping trip, you must continue what you started, and what kind of procedure it will be - walking barefoot or wiping with a towel - decide for yourself. Keep in mind that hardening can cause a runny nose, but this is not a reason to stop the procedures. An exception may be an increase in temperature.

Types of hardening procedures

Let's discard such extreme procedures as winter swimming, and talk about procedures that are easy to perform and accessible to everyone.

1. Air baths

Air hardening should begin in a well-ventilated room at a temperature not lower than 15-16°C. At the initial stage, the session should last 3 minutes (over time you will increase it to 5 minutes). After undressing, do some vigorous “warming” exercises (walking in place, squats, push-ups - whatever your heart desires). To take baths outdoors You can start after at least a month of such preparation.

If you start to harden yourself now, then by summer you will be able to switch to air baths outside - it is recommended to start taking them at a temperature of 20-22°C. The first session is no more than 15 minutes (and only if you have prepared your body with winter home workouts), subsequent air baths can be longer (add 1-2 minutes every day).

In the cold season, outdoor sessions (on the balcony, for example) can be carried out only after a year of preliminary preparation (start with 1 minute and gradually increase the “dose” to 15 minutes).

2. Rubdowns

Rubdowns are useful for everyone who has no contraindications and - especially - violations skin. The procedure consists of vigorously rubbing the body with a towel dipped in water. For 2 minutes, consistently rub with a wet towel until your neck, chest and back become red and warm, then wipe them dry. Repeat the procedure with your thighs and legs.

First, wet the towel with water whose temperature is 33-34°C, gradually (every 10 days) lowering the temperature by 5°C, so you will bring it to 18-20°C. Having consolidated the result for 2-3 months, you can proceed to lowering the temperature of the water to cold - also continue to lower it by 5°C every 10 days.

3. Pouring

The easiest way for beginners is partial dousing. Best time for the procedure - morning. I recommend preparing the water in the evening: fill a bucket of cold tap water (it will warm up to room temperature overnight). In the morning, spray your hands, feet and neck several times and rub them dry with a towel. After 2 weeks of daily douches, you can start dousing the whole body.

Regarding temperature, the effectiveness of hardening increases as the contrast between body temperature and water temperature increases. Every 10 days, as with rubbing, lower the water temperature by 5°C. Make sure that the air temperature in the room is not lower than 20°C - this way you will avoid hypothermia.

4. Contrast shower

The contrasting effect of water strengthens the heart and blood vessels, triggers metabolic processes in the body due to the rapid flow of blood to the organs. Without staying for long separate parts body, consistently pour a stream of water from the shower all over yourself. The simplest and most understandable scheme of the procedure that exists, in my opinion, is this: 10-30 seconds - hot shower, 10-30 seconds - cold shower, repeat the cycle three times.

Start with 10 seconds, after 2 weeks increase the time to 20 seconds, after another 2 weeks increase the time to 30 seconds. Water temperature in the first 2-3 weeks: hot - 40-45°C, cold - 28-30°C. Then you can lower the cold water temperature to 15-20°C.

5. Barefoot in the cold

Hardening the feet is a method accessible to everyone. Pour water at room temperature (20-22°C) into the bottom of the bathtub, stand in it for 2-3 minutes and alternately step from foot to foot. Every 2-3 days, reduce the water temperature by 1°C. Gradually you will “reach” the temperature of cold tap water.

A nice bonus - this method of hardening the body not only helps improve immunity, but also serves as a prevention of flat feet and hyperhidrosis ( increased sweating) stop.

Hardening in winter period

N Parents often complain that their children are prone to illness: if the child plays in a cool room, takes a walk without a warm scarf, he develops a cough or runny nose.

Educators and parents face a serious task - to teach the child to endure sharp fluctuations in temperature and air movement (wind) without harm to health, i.e. to harden his body. Hardening should begin from an early age, using air, water and sun for this purpose.

With the onset of warm days, the vents, and then the windows, in the absence of strong wind and rain, should be open all day long.

Children benefit greatly from walks in the fresh air. You should walk with your children every day before lunch and after afternoon tea in winter for at least 1 hour. 30 min. every time. Only severe frost, storm and rain can be an obstacle to children going outside. Fun games, sledding and skiing even in frosty weather make the walk interesting, and children do not notice the cold.

With the onset of warm days, you need to walk with your children as much as possible, and in the summer they should be outside all day long. If conditions permit, children’s games, activities, meals and naps are transferred from the premises to the site.

Temper yourself if you want to be healthy!

All parents know that hardening a child is useful and even necessary. Hardened children get sick less, their immunity is strengthened. But how to do this, when to start - at what time of year and at what age?

Usually children are hardened “for colds,” although colds are acute respiratory

diseases (ARD) - caused by viruses. What's the point?
In our minds, colds are strongly associated with cold, wet weather when children

they don’t walk much, spend a lot of time indoors, where they can easily become infected

viruses. In addition, at the very beginning of acute respiratory infections (even before the appearance of a runny nose and

cough) the patient is shivering, he cannot warm up. Therefore there arises

association “feeling cold – cold (due to lack of hardening) – acute respiratory infection.”
Cooling an unhardened child can actually promote development

viral infection. In addition, thermoregulation in babies is not yet

perfect and they cool more than adults.
In the first year of life, the child retains protective maternal antibodies to some viruses, and then the protection ends, and children begin to get sick with viral acute respiratory infections more often - sometimes 6-8 times a year. This is primarily due to the expansion

contacts with the outside world, literally filled with

viruses. With age, acute respiratory infections become less common, simply because they accumulate

antibodies to various viruses. This is why children need hardening so much.

Nose and cold

Why the nose? The fact is that antiviral protection most often

decreases when blood circulation in the nasal mucosa under

the influence of hypothermia.
Cooling the skin leads to a reflex narrowing of blood vessels - the body reduces heat transfer, saving

heat (with very strong cooling in the cold, the skin vessels expand,

warming the cooled area). The vessels of the nose react in the same way: when

By applying an ice cube to the skin, the temperature in the nasal cavity decreases by

2° in an unhardened child and only 0.3–0.5° in a hardened child. At

This disrupts the function of mucosal cells. Their secretion decreases

antibodies, protective substances that can kill viruses that are very

often present on the nasal mucosa, as if waiting for an opportunity,

to penetrate the body. The inhaled air heats up worse,

the virus multiplies faster and gets into deeper parts

respiratory tract.
You can train blood vessels using hardening procedures. With a gradual increase in cooling, the vascular reaction becomes more and more moderate; the amount of protective proteins in the nasal mucosa will not sharply decrease. And this is not a fantasy - this effect of hardening procedures has been proven by many studies.

BASIC PRINCIPLES

You are mistaken if you think that hardening necessarily requires

application of very low temperatures. Some desperate parents force

They force their children to walk barefoot in the snow and swim in ice holes! On

What really matters is the contrast of the impact. If the cold leads to contraction

vessels, then heat, on the contrary, causes their expansion - and we train how

since the ability of blood vessels to change their lumen depending on external

cold or heat. Exposure to moderately cool air

pre-warmed skin will be equivalent to very

cold irritant on unwarmed skin.
What areas of the body are best to harden? Obviously, the impact on the face and hands, which are constantly open, will not give much effect. Certainly,

if a child covers half his face with a scarf in winter and never takes it off

mittens, hardening should begin with the face and hands, but this is more likely

exception rather than rule.Very sensitive to heat and cold

soles of the feet - there are many receptors there. It also gives a good effect

cold effect on the skin of the neck, lower back, but still better

harden (with water, air) the skin of the entire torso and limbs. At

cooling of any one area of the body may cause an effect

draft - cooled vessels will remain dilated due to the lack

reflex from other areas, and this will lead to severe hypothermia.
The duration of hardening procedures should not be too long

large – no more than 10–20 minutes. Repeated exposure is much more important

in this case, changing factors is very useful, for example: air bath - sauna

– cool shower – sauna – air bath.
Conductinghardening , observe gradual intensification of influences. However, don't be overly careful: if you're dousing, start with water.

temperature 30–32° and reduce it every 2–3 days by 2–3° (and not by 0.5° in

week, as many do). In just 10–15 days you will reach

room temperature or even slightly lower - up to 16–18°. This will ensure

Excellent hardening effect and will not create the risk of catching a cold.
But hardening does not give a positive result without creating

the child's daily stimulating temperature environment. In our

climate, it is everyday temperature influences that play a decisive role

role. And we need to start by answering the question...

...HOW TO DRESS A CHILD?

Clothing should not only correspond to the season, but also change according to the season.

depending on the outside temperature. The most important thing is to dress children with

taking into account their great mobility. Good rule- put on a child

as many layers of clothing as adults wear, or, better yet,

one layer less. Clothing should be such that during physical activity

activity, the child did not sweat much, and in moments of rest his skin

cooled both from exposure to air and from the evaporation of sweat.
TO

Unfortunately, our children are often wrapped up beyond measure. With the exception of two or three

the warmest months of the year, most infants and preschoolers

age (and often schoolchildren) wear at least 4 layers of clothing (except

top) and dressed in at least 2-3 pairs of long pants - trousers,

leggings with pulled tights! There are children who almost never

They don’t walk around in shorts and a T-shirt - they always wear a sweater and a hat.
Hardening can also occur indoors if the temperature in it is not

exceeds 18–20° during the day, and at night it is lower by 2–4°. At the same time, the child does not

warm clothes should be worn, he should not sleep in pajamas under a cotton pad

blanket (either one or the other). Unfortunately, many Russians believe

normal room temperature is 24–26°.
It’s okay if a lightly dressed child goes out on the balcony or in the hallway in cold weather, if a sudden gust of wind opens a window or the baby opens up at night - such short-term exposures are good for tempering.
Agree, harden the wrapped one, protected from the slightest breath of air

child - a futile occupation. Constant stay in greenhouses

conditions detrains the vessels of the skin and mucous membranes, so that

short-term hardening effects against such a background of great effect

they won't give it.

WHEN TO START?

It's never too late to harden a child and at the same time never

early. Moreover, Dr. Tatyana Krivonogova from Tomsk, having conducted

a special study proved that hardening pregnant women and

newborn babies using a special technique gives an excellent effect. Certainly,

We are not talking about winter swimming for a newborn or a sauna from the first days

life, but it is quite possible to create conditions for the little ones that would

trained their blood vessels.
Air baths are very useful - you just need to take your time to swaddle the baby, but give him a few minutes to be naked in the air at room temperature. Air baths are also convenient to perform during gymnastics, before a bath. After bathing, you can pour water over your baby with a temperature 2–4–6° lower than the water in the bath.
Of course, hardening during an acute illness is pointless and harmful. When can you start the procedures again? It depends on the duration of the febrile period. With mild acute respiratory infections, normal thermoregulation is restored after 7–10 days, with a 3–10-day temperature – after 2 weeks, and after severe pneumonia – after 3–4 weeks. During this time, you can continue the hardening that began before the illness.

Hardening day after day

From the first year of life, teach your child to take walks in the fresh air.

air, preferably at least 4 hours a day. First it's sleeping in a stroller

on the balcony or on the street, then walks, preferably not in a stroller, but with

active movements. In a nursery, where children walk every day for 3–4

hours, respiratory morbidity decreases by 3–4 times.

Airy contrast is quite accessible to families with 2 rooms.

To do this, reduce the temperature in one of the rooms (by opening a window or

window) to 10–12°, and in the other they leave it at 18–20°. Can

arrange outdoor games, moving with the child from one room to

other. Contrast hardening is easy to organize in kindergarten –

To do this, you can heat a section of the floor to 50–60° (???!!! - approx.

alternately run barefoot on a warm and unheated floor.

WATER TREATMENTS

A contrast shower has a good hardening effect - alternate

warm water (up to 40°, 30–40 seconds) with colder water, extending the duration of its exposure from 15–20 to 30 seconds. The temperature of cold water is reduced by 2–3° every 2–3 days, initially slightly shortening the time of its exposure. The final cold water temperature for preschoolers should not be less than 14–15°; for schoolchildren, it can be lowered, of course, with the consent of the child.
In general, we must strive to ensure that hardening only causes positive emotions. It is absolutely unacceptable to make cold effects unpleasant or even painful, therefore any excesses in this matter (for example, in accordance with the saying “hard in training, easy in battle”) are unreasonable.
In the summer, be sure to give your child the opportunity to run barefoot around

puddles. Washing your feet with cool water every day gives a good hardening effect.

water, cold shower after a bath or sauna. Bathing is very beneficial. Many

children bathe “until they turn blue” - it’s not dangerous, but it’s not necessary. After swimming

in cool water, rub the skin well with a hard towel until

redness (this indicates vasodilatation). If there is no

reservoir, you can pour water on the child at outside temperature or put

him in the shower, and just let the baby splash in the water.
Swimming in the pool provides excellent conditioning - not so much in itself,

how much in combination with air baths before and after the pool.
Water temperatures above 25–26° do not have a hardening effect, however

with cooler water the positive result is obvious, especially

if they do not try to wrap the child up immediately after swimming. Classes in

The pool must be built in such a way that the baby experiences complex

contrasting effects: air, the pool itself, shower before and after

swimming pool, walking barefoot.
In Russia and in other northern countries, visiting a hot bath - sauna or Russian - is considered almost the most powerful and useful treatment. This is true: nothing can compare with the strength of the temperature effect of a bath.

The steamed man willingly acceptscold or even ice shower, plunge into an ice hole , rolls around in the snow, experiencing great pleasure.
A bathhouse (preferably a dry one - a sauna) is used to harden young children

age. The temperature in it should be about 90°, children spend in

indoors for 10 minutes, sitting on the 1st step. After this you need to take a shower

room temperature. About the benefits of all kinds of contrasting influences you

already know. Well, as for the more exotic “feats” - running out of

baths in the snow in the cold,diving into an ice hole etc. - this businessgradual training ,

which in no case should cross the line beyond which

unpleasant sensations and negative emotions arise. My grandchildren visited

sauna from the first year of life, willingly went out into the cold for a few minutes

barefoot and took a cool shower, but didn’t like to wallow in the snow - and I

I didn’t force them to do this.
If you begin to harden your baby from infancy and follow the tips given above, you can be guaranteed to consider him sufficiently hardened! Parents who are not afraid to leave their child undressed for a few minutes at room temperature, pour cool water over him after a bath, and take air baths several times a day can rest assured about his vascular health.

reflexes.

“HEROIC METHODS

When discussing hardening problems, parents often have questions related to publications aboutchildren who swim in ice holes and run naked in the snow . Is it good or bad?
These publications are certainly sensational. But at some point

to the extent they are useful: such stories attract parents' attention,

especially those whose children wear a sweater all year round and are forced

think about how to strengthen your child.
But still -Is winter swimming useful and, if so, how to do it? ? Before “jumping” into the hole, children and their parents must go through a long period ofhardening . The immersion itselfice water cannot in any way be considered a mandatory element of hardening – rather, it is a demonstration of the body’s hardening, by the way, in a not entirely safe way. Children perceive cold as pain: they are able to overcome it under the approving glances of their parents, but excessive zeal in this matter can push the child away from hardening. If you

still decided to do itwinter swimming , this must be done gradually and

do not extend your stay in ice water beyond 40–60 seconds, since

a child cools down much faster than an adult. Winterizing children

constant close attention is required medical supervision(or at least

Get your urine tested often.)
Walking barefoot in the snow also has a fairly strong hardening effect, although not as powerful as winter swimming. Of course, here too we needgradualism . In most situations, I advise you to harden the child using conventional methods, and if after a bath or just like that he runs barefoot in the snow for a couple of minutes,

this will not affect his health in any way. In general, it’s better in the snow

run in shoes or skis!
Another frequently asked question- aboutdousing with cold water ,

including during illness. Parents usually call it

Ivanov's technique. I think you can gradually lower the water temperature

for pouring healthy child up to 8–10°, that is, up to temperature

tap water in winter time, although it is quite enough to stop

at 12–14°. Pouring such water on an unseasoned child is not easy.

cruel, but alsodangerous . As for cold dousing, how

a therapeutic measure is, simply put, a life-threatening crime.

“The therapeutic effect of such a procedure can only be negative.

Parents who adhere to such “natural healing factors”

they just delay the start effective treatment.
Well, is there any evidence that hardened children are completely protected from

colds? Unfortunately no. They also sometimes suffer from acute respiratory infections. However, protection from

infections in children who have undergone hardening are much more effective, which is why

the number of respiratory diseases, especially severe ones, is much lower.

Minor catarrhal phenomena without fever, lasting 1–2 days –

This is how acute respiratory infections occur in a seasoned child. So, toughen up if

want to be healthy!