Cold Mornings, Early Evenings, and Chill Nights – Winter.

Winter is always scary for kids. Parents worry about how to take care of their children during winters. Though we love winter, when it gets extremely cold, it gets tough for every parent on protecting the kids. Parents do not allow their children to play outside and cuddle inside the home to avoid the harsh cold winds.

Children may not have a fully built-up immune system to overcome the infections they will face during winters. It is in the hands of every parent to take preventive measures to keep your little ones safe and secure.

Why Winter Care?

Winter is a season of flu. The cold climate keeps the virus very active and it sticks on to young ones very easily. Winter pushes the child to stay indoors and make it depressing. It hinders digestion, immunity, and skin wellness. Here I pen down a few tips on how to keep your child comfortable in the winter season.

Dress Warm

During the cold season, children should keep their hands and feet warm. Dress them up in clothes which will keep them warm and not too warm though, because sometimes it may cause sweating and rashes.

• Woolen wears and apparels that cover the hands and legs are always better than party wears and cotton summer wears.

• Wear hats or hoodies that cover the ears. This would avoid ear pain that is common during winters.

• Sweater, gloves, and socks should be worn by kids and especially infants as they do not move around or play to hike up the body heat.

Light and Healthy Food

Food in winter should be chosen with care since the digestion will be slower than normal days. Provide kids with easily digestible foods and semi-solid foods like warm healthy multi grain porridges and fruit smoothies which would be healthy and easily digestible. Dehydration is very common during winters so keep a regular check on their intake of water.

A healthy soup in the winter weather keeps the kids warm and healthy. Root vegetables such as carrot, potato, radish etc. build up a child’s immunity level naturally. Add these veggies in any way to the kids’ food. Meat and poultry are good to build immunity too however frequent intake should be avoided as the digestion will be very slow.

Be Wary of the Germs

Children should be taught to wash their hands frequently as to avoid the spread of germs once they are back from play. Covering the mouth while sneezing and coughing also prevents the spread of germs. Keep an eye on the kids when they go out or get to play with the neighborhood.

Don’t Forget the Skin

Children's skin would be extremely sensitive and the cold temperature would make them dry. Use a good moisturizer to keep the little one’s skin soft and supple. Coconut oil and aloe gels are excellent natural moisturizer for the skin. Parents can also make use of butter or milk at home to give a gentle massage to the kids’ skin. It decreases the dryness and itching on the child.

Don’t Let Winter Rob the Fun

Playing keeps the child active and happy. During winters it might be difficult to go out often, get them interesting indoor games like chess, tennis, carom, hide and seek or any other that keeps their mind and body at work. Accompany them in their game which boosts up their interest in playing.

Cold air can rob sunlight and moisture; don’t let it rob away the fun from the children. Dress them warm and take them out for fun snowy getaways and vacations and let them experience the joy of winter.

Parties and Giggles are Perfect

As kids may not visit their friends of the family often during winters with the schools closed for vacations, parents may arrange for a party at home calling up friends or relatives nearby. This keeps the child’s mind happy and joyful. Never let winter stop them from enjoying and socializing. It pumps up the energy of kids when he gets along with the new visitors. Have dance parties and sleepovers so the children might have loads of fun.

Warm Room, Comfortable Child

Try to keep the room where the baby sleeps warmly. Cold nights leave the kids sleepless leading to discomfort in health. Make sure that the room is ventilated and warm so that the kids feel comfortable to sleep and play. For infants use a swaddle towel for them to sleep better. Some kids may not be comfortable with the winter garments like sweaters, socks, and mittens, in that case warm rooms with room heaters help better.

Fight the Sickness

Common-cold is very common during winters which cure by itself after a week but keep the medication prescribed by the doctor handy for emergencies. Do steam inhalation with Mexican mint (Karpooravalli), Thulasi and betel leave often.

Saltwater gargling is also recommended often in case of cold and cough. Do not do self-medication if the child falls seriously sick with breathing discomfort, rashes, and inability to eat or drink. Research on the nearby hospitals and find the hospitals of your choice that are available round the clock.

Let it Shine

Sunlight is a boon for every human to stay happy and energetic. In winters, sunlight might be difficult to have, so expose the child whenever the sun shines bright. Sunlight is rich of Vitamin-D which builds their immunity to fight the flu.

Be Mindful of Mold and Dust

Winter is a season for molds. So clean up your wardrobe and move it to the warm corner of your house to keep them away from the mold. Molds can grow on apparels too so check for molds, regularly sundry them, and rotate all the garments. Most of the parents think it sweats less during winters and washing jerkins and other winter wear is not necessary. But these clothes get dust and dirt that we cannot see which leads to breathing problems. Wash the winter wear regularly to avoid dust and breathing issues.

A Clean Child is a Happy Child

Some parents do not bathe their children regularly telling winter as a reason. But washing the kid is very important to clean away the germs and dirt. Bathing also avoids dryness on the skin.

Winter season is fun if preventive measures are taken accordingly.

Take care of the kids and keep them safe.