God has designed our body basically to survive better in mildly warm and humid climates. The mechanism to shed off heat from the body in summers is better than conserving body heat in cold weather. This heat is generated by our body naturally. This heat is required for all the chemical reactions happening in our bodies. The aim of shedding & conserving our body’s heat is to maintain our body temperature strictly at 37 C. At this temperature, hormones & enzymes of the body function at their best. At a higher or lower body temperature, we all feel uncomfortable. We are quickly tired as the efficiency of these hormones & enzymes is drastically reduced.
How our body reacts during summer and winter?
The reaction of the body in summer
If we feel hot, our body throws out heat through its body surface mainly- head surface, external ears, palm & soles, and sweating. Evaporation of sweat takes away heat & gives the feeling of cold. When we put on our fan in the summers, we feel relaxed as air directly takes away heat from our free body surfaces. Flowing air facilitates the evaporation of the sweat, reducing body heat further. Blood circulation in the open area of the body increases to make this process of losing heat faster. That’s why we look pink if the heat is excessive.
The reaction of the body in winter
In winter, the opposite of all this happens. Sweating stops, and blood circulation in open areas of the body reduces. So we look pale in winters, and if cold is excessive free parts of the body may look blue, and our palms, the tip of nose & ears feel cold. Shivering generates extra heat in our bodies. We rub our palms and other body parts also to generate heat.
How a baby reacts in hot and cold climates?
All these mechanisms are not very strong in a newborn baby. So, your baby will have a high body temperature in summer and cold in winters if not taken care of meticulously. This high and low body temperature will make your baby sick. We have to give a lot of support to our babies during extreme weather.
Choice of clothes:
Winter clothes
Now a word on how winter clothes and blankets protect us in winters. Let’s talk in the language of science. Winter clothes are a lousy conductor of heat. These don’t conduct our body heat out. When we wear the right winter clothes, we don’t feel cold as our body heat is conserved inside. Sheep & fowls live in cold areas. They don’t feel cold as they have a thick layer of wool & feathers on their body, which doesn’t conduct their body’s heat to outside cold weather. So winter clothes made out of this pure sheep wool and feathers are the warmest. Pure wool clothes have a wool mark on them.
Natural cotton is also a bad conductor of heat. Village side traditional families use winter clothes stuffed with cotton. They are also warm So, use only pure wool or cotton filled clothes for your baby. Keep away attractive colourful acrylic winter clothes.
Woollen clothes should not come in contact with the skin directly. In winter, warm inners are heavily advertised. Never use inner warmers for your baby. A minimal quantity of synthetic material or wool irritates your baby & causes rashes on the skin. A thick cotton cloth as innermost clothing will be warmer and more comfortable for your baby.
Summer clothes
In summer, wear cotton clothes. Light summer clothes let the heat of the body pass out slowly. They breathe and absorb sweat also. Absorbed sweat comes up to the outer surface, facilitating evaporation. So they are more comfortable. Best suited for underdresses. They should be lightweight & of light colour as well. The dark colour absorbs heat, and white clothes reflect heat away. Avoid using synthetic garments, especially for underdresses.
Use cotton clothes in both the hot and cold seasons. In reality, these are all-weather clothes, not synthetics or acrylic. They prevent the quick change of body temperature due to their breathing and low heat conduction qualities.
Synthetic cloth Synthetic garments are the opposite and are not so friendly. They don’t allow air to pass. These conduct heat fast through them. So, they feel hot in summers and cold in winters. Avoid using synthetic clothes; they may look more attractive, though they may be lower priced.
How to take care of our baby in extreme weather?
We have to blend many things to help our baby in extreme weather.
Winter care
In winter, you will have to take care of room temperature and humidity as well as clothes. Suppose your baby is breathing the cold & dry air of winter. In that case, he will be more prone to respiratory infections, even if the baby is adequately clothed. Warm air created by more heated should be humid also. Dry air injures the internal lining of the respiratory passage.
Applying a thin layer of natural oil or lotion on the baby’s skin will also help keep the baby warm.
The baby’s bathing or sponging should be done with warm water at 37 C. Cleaning area should be heated without any airflow.
Avoid overcrowding in the room. Cross infection from others may cause respiratory diseases to your baby.
Clothes & linen should be washed & changed regularly. Prolonged use of the same linen may invite parasitic infections of the skin.
Still, the best way to give your baby warmth is to keep your baby close to you as much as possible. It is the most natural and safest way. There are clothes available for Kangaroo Care. Those clothes help you tying your baby on your chest with direct skin to skin contact. Babies having direct skin contact with the mother have better neuro-development.
Summer care
If the weather is not very hot simple sponging of baby with tap water will be good enough to make our baby comfortable. Use a fan and/or coolers wisely, as described before.
In summers, putting on AC only will not be enough. Take care of humidity as well. The dryness of AC is also not good for your baby. Use humidifier along with AC.
Wear your baby light coloured light cotton clothes.
How to know if your baby is feeling cold or hot and what to do??
Feel baby’s nose, forehead, and palm. If they are cold, increase room temperature; if warm more than usual reduces the room temperature. To be very sure, measure the baby’s body temperature in the axilla. If the temperature is less than 97.6 °F, then the baby is cold & needs warming up. If the body temperature is more than 99 °F in the axilla, reduce your baby’s clothing, and sponge your baby with tap water. Cool the space by whatever means you have.