How To Take A Baby For A Walk
Why Do Babies Need Outings?
Well, if your baby is really small, it's you who will walk and drive the pram. The better word for this is an outing, and your baby will enjoy it. Good sleep and appetite, great mood and perfect health are all the result of staying in the fresh air.
Babies need this on a daily basis, two times a day, ideally.
When Should I Take My Baby For A Walk?
There is no precise opinion about it. Some say you can take the baby out even on the first day of its life.
Choose calm hours for a walk, though. This can be between 9 a.m. and 11 a.m., when everyone is off for work, but not on a lunch pause, or after 7 p.m., when people have come back home.
What Is The Best Place To Walk In?
The best place to walk a baby is a park, a forest or near a reservoir. Avoid streets with many cars, the air isn't good for a baby there.
If you have a balcony and lead a busy life, you may place the pram in there. Be careful however to protect your baby from any danger: keep it away from rain, but provide enough fresh air.
If you live in a private house with a yard, placing the pram in the yard may be a good idea.
It is always necessary to watch over your baby. So place the pram in a such a way that you could have it in the view.
How Should I Dress My Baby?
You should pay extra attention to the way you dress your baby. The thermoregulation of a baby is quite delicate while the need of fresh air is huge. The baby's growing body requires a lot of oxygen.
Usually by the time the baby is born parents already have a supply of clothes that includes the following items:
- a baby's loose jacket
- crawlers
- a coverall
- a warm cap
- a light cap
- a bonnet
- a warm coverall or a stretch-suit
- a blanket sleeper
This list may vary, as can the taste of mom and dad. Baby's clothes exist in various materials, from comfy cotton to warm fleece. And you can have clothes for any season, too.
Yet, there is something to remember regardless of the weather. As walks usually take quite a long time, don't forget to put pampers on your baby. Fetch some drinking water as well, a raincoat and a blanket. Add a nipple, a handkerchief and a sheet, and the walking set is complete.
You can never be safe with the weather, so you need the minimum to protect your baby and yourself.
As you get ready for a walk, pay attention to the weather. Don't only mind the temperature. The season, the sun and the clouds, the wind, the snow, the rain and the fog also matter.
In winter take special care of your baby's feet and hands. They are more likely to get cold. The baby's head and ears also need to be protected against cold and frost. A diaper, a bonnet, a warm cap, a cotton sleeper, a fleece sleeper and a blanket sleeper plus a warm blanket make a good combination for frosty weather. You may remove the warm blanket when the weather is less cold.
Don't go out when it's too frosty.
In spring and fall don't overdo with covering your baby. Instead, always have a blanket at hand in case the weather gets cold. You can put on clothes in layers so when the baby is hot some clothes can be removed.
The best way to check how the baby feels is by touching its neck. If the neck is hot and wet, then you put on too many clothes on your little one.
If the hands and feet are somewhat cool, this doesn't mean the baby is cold. But when you notice a cold and red nose of your baby, be sure - it's chilling.
In summer make sure that the sun isn't too hard on the baby, although some sunlight is good for it. Avoid straight sunrays, but allow moderate sunbathing. When the weather is hot, forget about sleepers and let your baby wear a baby's loose jacket and crawlers, the looser the better.
A raincoat is a must-have for unpredictable weather in spring, fall, summer and sometimes winter. But don't cover your baby's stroller completely, otherwise without the flow of fresh air it's just not worth walking.
Do you have kids?
Should I Walk My Baby Myself?
By any means, don't put the whole load of baby-care on your own shoulders. If any of other family members can care for the baby, let them do it.
You belong entirely to your baby during the first days of its life, so do take some time to take care of yourself. When your baby is being walked by another don't fall asleep. Try to do some exercises, or body care, or drink some tea. You really need it.
© 2014 Anna Sidorova
