The biggest difficulty is that the baby is not yet able to tell about his discomfort. You have to guess.
In the mother’s belly, the child feels good, warm and comfortable. And after birth, the mother has to provide all this comfort with the help of clothes. And this often turns out to be a real problem. It would seem, well, what’s complicated: things should be soft, made of natural fabrics, without hard seams and small details that can hurt delicate skin, without decor, which the baby will drag into his mouth. Not a single mother will forget that after buying things, you need to wash and iron them. And, despite this, it is still not always possible to dress the baby correctly. We have collected 10 typical mistakes moms make in this difficult business.
1. Re-wrapping
Unfortunately, not only grandmothers sin with this. How many times have I seen the picture: the mother is in a dress and a light cardigan, and the child is in full combat attire, tights, a jacket and a hat. Try to dress up your mother like that – she will be indignant that it is hot.
Children overheat much more easily than adults, according to the Mayo Research Center. In infancy, they have not yet sufficiently developed the ability to thermoregulate. When the baby is hot, he becomes restless, whimpers, and a rash may appear. Worst of all, overheating increases the risk of sudden infant death syndrome.
It is very simple to check if the baby is warm: you need to touch his neck, back or chest. If they are hot, or even more wet, it is urgent to cool the child.
2. Wrong fabric
Terry fabrics are pleasant to the touch, warm and soft. But there is a problem – such a fabric retains moisture, remaining wet for a long time. Therefore, terry sheets are not for children, because babies sweat too. When the fabric becomes wet, the baby freezes and the skin may become irritated.
3. Second-hand clothing
Often, younger children wear clothes left over from their elders, or friends bring clothes from which their own children grew up. You have to be very careful with such things. Carefully check if there are any sticking out threads: they can wrap around your fingers, and this is very painful. Fasteners, buttons, seams – you need to inspect everything, everything, everything.
4. Too pretty things
A child always wants to dress up in doll dresses and costumes, and manufacturers of children’s clothing go out of their way to create more beautiful things. And for the sake of beauty, they sacrifice functionality and convenience. The decor in the neck area gives the baby inconvenience, the displacement of the fasteners so that the thing looks prettier and “grown-up” is already inconvenient for the mother – try dressing the child in a dress with fasteners on the back! And when do you need to change your baby ten times a day? In general, we are for simplicity.
5. Wrong wash
Unsuitable powder or detergent – hello, allergies, skin irritation and rashes. Fragrances, toxic components, which are not found only in gels and powders. Moreover, as experts have found out, powders intended specifically for children can sin with increased toxicity. Also, children’s clothes must be rinsed especially thoroughly in order to wash off the remaining detergent to the maximum.
6. Tight collar
Turtlenecks, flirty scarves, shirts with a bow tie – it’s all good just for the sake of a half-hour photo session. In everyday life, such things should not be worn. They can not only bring discomfort to the baby by pressing on the neck, but also restrict air access.
7. Swaddling
Once upon a time they swaddled us tightly so that the “legs were straight.” In fact, a cocoon made from a blanket or diaper helps the baby sleep better by limiting his chaotic movements. But here we must remember that swaddling should not be tight – leave the baby the opportunity to move his legs. And the face should always be open.
8. Refusal of the cap
When it’s warm, the baby doesn’t need a hat indoors. But within a few weeks after birth – yes, it is necessary even at home. The fact is that children lose a lot of heat through their heads. And on the street, a hat or panama is needed to protect the baby from the sun.
9. Clothes are out of size
The temptation to buy little things for growth is great: babies grow so fast that they have time to put on some things once or twice – that’s all. And then they do not have time at all. But clothes for growth can be dangerous: in a dream, a child can wave his hands so that baggy pajamas or a T-shirt will cover his face and make breathing difficult.
Too small things are also bad. You are uncomfortable in super-tight clothes, right? Babies too. In addition, in an infant, this can result in skin irritation and even digestive problems.
10. Footwear
Babies do not need shoes, socks and booties are enough for them. And older children do not need special orthopedic shoes – this is a publicity stunt, nothing more. Hard shoes and sandals only interfere with the normal development of children’s feet.