When to put a hat on a child?
When to put a hat on a child?
And is covering their ears a myth?
[A PEDIATRICIAN EXPLAINS]
Many people believe that a baby hat is essential, regardless of the temperature outside. We ask the pediatrician how it really is: when can a baby be taken for a walk bareheaded without fear of catching a cold, and when it is necessary to put a hat on the baby.
You should always put a hat on your child, because most of the heat escapes through the head. The ears must be covered because the wind will blow them. Who among us has not heard similar opinions? Some, however, believe that putting on a hat and overheating a child is not healthy. There are arguments on the Internet that babies are dressed differently in the world. We ask an experienced pediatrician, Dr. Marek Pleskot, MD, when a baby hat is really needed.
When to put a hat on a child?
You need to be reasonable when putting on a hat for your child. The head is a relatively large body surface in a child. The baby does not have a thick head of hair, so if the temperature drops below 60ºF, it is better to wear a hat that is not too thick. A two- or three-year-old does not need to wear it if the temperature is not lower than 50 ° C. And if your child is over 3 years old, he or she can walk bareheaded if the (perceived) temperature is above 37ºF.
Should you put a hat on your child to keep it from overwhelming?
Overexposure is a colloquial term for cooling down under the influence of bad weather conditions. We know that the perceived temperature on windy days is lower than the temperature shown by the thermometer.
How to dress a child for a walk?
The parent's clothes should be the reference. If your baby is only sitting in a stroller, he or she needs one extra layer of clothing and a blanket. This is especially true for infants, because it is easier for them to disturb thermoregulation. For children who run a lot, jump a lot, we should make sure that they wear one layer less than we do - provided that they are in motion all the time. Similarly with hats: parents also don't wear a hat when it's warm.
Do the rules of dressing and putting on a hat apply to every child?
A lot depends on how the child was brought up earlier, and more precisely - how we got used to the lower temperatures. If he was constantly wearing a woolen hat with a pompom, we cannot change his style of dress overnight, but let us slowly tame him with the new conditions. But I definitely believe that hats should not be overdone, and there is - unfortunately - the opposite tendency among parents.
A child dressed too thick or too light: what's worse?
The worst thing is when the child is cold. But as long as you get home warm and change into dry clothes quickly, this is a better solution than if you are sweaty, cold and your teeth chattering.
Written By:
Malgorzata Wodz
In Consultation with: Dr. Marek Pleskot, pediatrician
