Children are sometimes so active and mobile that it is simply impossible to keep track of them. Sometimes situations arise when a child may choke on water while bathing or drinking. There have been cases when infants choked on milk during feeding. And here it is very important that parents know what to do correctly in such a situation in order to minimize harm to the child’s health. So, first of all, it is necessary to determine whether the child has water in his lungs or not. This may be indicated by the appearance of blue spots on the child’s skin. Also, if water remains in the child's lungs, it may come out of the mouth and nose in the form of a foamy liquid.
If after bathing the child’s skin becomes pale and does not acquire a blue tint, this indicates that there is no water in the lungs.
What to do if there is water in a child’s lungs?
Let's look at a case where there is still water in the lungs, and talk about how to eliminate this problem.
In this case, it matters where exactly the child swallowed the water. If it was an open body of water, in which, in addition to water, there is also sand and dirt, then there are almost certainly remnants of these substances left in the child’s mouth, and they need to be removed there. If a child takes a sip of water in the bath, then most likely the oral cavity will be clean and no additional procedures will be needed to clean it. In order to remove dirt from the child’s mouth, you need to wrap gauze around your finger and use it to carefully remove any remaining mucus and dirt from the child’s mouth.
In order for the water to leave the lungs, you need to turn the child facing the floor and rest his chest on his knee. This will allow the baby's head to hang down and allow water to escape. In order to facilitate the passage of water from the lungs, you need to pat your back with your hand or apply a little pressure on it. Such actions are also appropriate if the child is choking (young children can choke on milk)
How to overcome your fear of bathing?
Try the shower
Some mothers whose children are afraid to take a bath take a shower with them. This procedure may look different:
- put on a sling and wrap your baby in it, then get into the shower and start pouring water on yourself and your baby;
- Place a non-slip mat on the bottom of the bathtub and bathe with your child in the shower.
Be mindful of the water temperature and be careful not to get water into your baby's eyes or nose. Perhaps the baby is afraid of water because it once hurt him.
Create a bathing ritual
If a child is afraid to take a bath, a familiar routine will relieve him of his fear. Use a simple example of an evening ritual:
- Undress the little one and wrap him in a familiar warm towel.
- Walk with him around the bedroom and bathroom, stopping in front of the mirror.
- Take bath toys and give them to your child to play with.
- Place your baby in an empty bathtub or directly in the water and start bathing.
Try to organize swimming at the same time, for example in the evening. Constantly talk to your baby and tell him what you are doing and will do.
Avoid the cold
To prevent changes in temperature and environment from frightening the baby, wrap him in a diaper or towel and immerse him in warm water. Then slowly and carefully remove the cloth and bathe the baby using a washcloth and soap. This will help overcome your child's fear of taking a bath.
Repeat this procedure for as long as possible until the baby is no longer afraid of water.
Swim together
Don't know what to do if your child is afraid to take a bath? Try a joint appointment. The presence of a mother is the best remedy for children's fear. So try taking a bath with your baby. This way you guarantee his peace of mind and can monitor the safety and temperature of the water.
You can wash with the baby while holding him in your arms. To avoid crying, start feeding your baby before taking a bath, gradually immersing yourself in the water.
When your baby gets used to bathing together, begin to teach him to splash in the bath without you, but always in your presence and with your help. Thus, he will gradually cease to be afraid of baths and water.
Conclusion
Children tend to be afraid of everything new. And if a child is afraid to take a bath, try first to accustom him to the bath itself, and then to the water. Make sure that the air temperature allows you to undress comfortably, and that the water in the bath does not burn or is too cold. Try swimming or showering with your baby. Also use a special pillow and your baby’s favorite toys while bathing. To make every bath time predictable for your baby, come up with a ritual that precedes it. Kids love it.
What to do if a small child chokes in water?
If a very small child has choked, other measures can be taken. In particular, you can turn the baby upside down and hold it like that for a while. However, in this case, it is necessary to close the child’s mouth so that his tongue does not sink in and the child can breathe freely. After the water leaves the lungs, it is necessary to ventilate the lungs. If, after the water leaves the lungs, the child does not have a heartbeat, then chest compressions are required. Also, in parallel with cardiac massage, it is necessary to stimulate the child’s breathing.
After removing the water from the lungs and bringing the child into a conscious state, it is necessary to dress him in dry clothes and wrap him in a warm blanket. You can also offer your child a hot drink to keep him warm. It should be remembered that even if you managed to eliminate the consequences of such an incident, a visit to the doctor is still mandatory.
If a child is choking, you must try to pull yourself together and give him first aid, and then be sure to show him to a doctor.
If a child does not like to swim: what a parent should not do
It can be difficult for parents to understand why their baby resists bathing. If this behavior occurs constantly, they begin to think that the child is spoiled and is simply capricious. Forcibly bathing a child only makes the situation worse. Under no circumstances should you:
- scold the child, shame him, call him dirty;
- You cannot threaten the baby, physically punish him or deprive him of any pleasures;
- You can't force him into the bath.
It is necessary to understand the reasons for children's behavior and try, if possible, to eliminate negative and traumatic factors. A particularly anxious child may benefit from taking a bath with his mother. In any case, after a while the baby will learn to enjoy swimming and playing in the water, you just need to be patient and wait a little.
Not all babies love water procedures. If your baby flatly refuses to bathe, you need to understand the reason for his concern.
The baby doesn't want to wash. Why?
It may seem to you that your baby is afraid of water, but this is not so. All kids are natural swimmers. Not surprising, because for nine whole months they “bathed” in their mother’s tummy. A child may develop a conscious fear of depth by the age of two or three. Until this moment, whims in the bathroom indicate that the baby is simply uncomfortable. Unpleasant sensations during bathing can occur in a baby for various reasons:
- Hot - cold
Newborns react sharply to the slightest temperature changes. Their skin is very thin, the nervous system easily becomes excited. Therefore, it is so important to carefully monitor the thermometer not only before swimming, but also during it. The room temperature should be 20-22 °C. The procedures begin in water heated to 36-37 °C, then it is gradually cooled day after day, approaching 30-32 °C.
- Great swim
The baby must be bathed in a baby bath. The vast space of an adult bathtub can seriously frighten a baby.
- Take care of your eyes
During bathing, water or soap may get into the baby's eyes. If this happened once, the baby experienced unpleasant sensations and now does not want to wash.
- Oh, it hurts!
The baby needs to be held correctly in the water: place your left hand under his neck so that the back of his head is on the elbow. Your thumb rests on the baby's left shoulder, and the rest under the armpit. If you are afraid of dropping your baby while bathing, you begin to squeeze him tightly. It is clear that the baby does not like this.
- Lunch break
Perhaps the baby is screaming in the bathtub because he is hungry. Do not bathe your baby on an empty stomach. This can be done an hour and a half after eating.
- Not in the mood
If you bathe your child in the evening, he may be capricious because he is tired, or early in the morning because he did not have time to wake up. It is better to carry out water procedures at a time when the baby is awake and feeling well. If none of these reasons suits you, and the baby continues to cry in any conditions, just in case, take him to the pediatrician. Perhaps it started in the baby or the nervous system.
The baby does not like to bathe. What to do?
Your task is to turn water procedures into a comfortable and interesting process. You can do it like this:
- Take a time out
Newborns quickly forget bad events. If your baby was in pain, unpleasant or scared while bathing, take a break. For two to three days, replace bathing with wiping and washing with running water, and then begin the procedure again.
- Create an atmosphere
The right temperature isn't everything. The baby should feel your closeness. Before bathing, pick him up, rock him, walk around the room. As you head to the bathroom, talk gently to your baby or sing songs to him. Then the child must be gently lowered into the water. To ensure that the baby's head is constantly on the surface, use a children's slide. This will make the procedure easier for both you and your baby. Distract the baby's attention with a bright rattle (you can put it in the baby's hand). If the baby starts screaming, take him out of the water and wet him with a soft towel. You should not forcefully continue bathing, as this will only worsen the situation.
- Change your scenery
Perhaps the baby has negative associations with the bathroom. Try moving the bathtub into the kitchen. A change of environment should calm the baby.
- Choose a time
Make sure your baby is feeling well before bathing. You should not put your baby in the bath if he is tired or has not yet woken up.
- Protecting your eyes
If your baby is active and often spins in the water, buy him a special visor. It fits on the head and protects children's eyes from foam. By the way, a newborn is bathed with soap twice a week, and with shampoo - once.
- Soothing with herbs
Decoctions of chamomile, string, lemon balm or sage will help to relax and calm the baby. Add them to the water before putting your baby in it.
It will not be possible to teach a newborn to bathe instantly. Be patient, calm, confident and consistent. Then your baby will definitely love water treatments.
Lyudmila Sergeevna Sokolova
Reading time: 4 minutes
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Article last updated: 05/26/2019
For most children, such a procedure as “bathing” evokes the most positive and happy emotions. Any newborn toddler loves water because it soothes and creates an atmosphere in which he has been for nine whole months. Older children like to frolic and play in the bath during bath time. But there are also cases when a baby cries during water procedures. And sometimes it’s quite difficult to understand why this happens. Although in fact there are reasons for such behavior.
Comfortable bathing technique
There are several rules that must be followed if the baby begins to cry in the water.
- Water treatments should be rescheduled if the baby throws a real tantrum at the sight of a bath. Swimming by force does not bode well. The baby may experience some stress, which will affect his nervous system. Sometimes a baby can be frightened by the simple pressure of water or even a washcloth. Therefore, if the baby is crying, you should still take him out of the water and calm him down.
- You need to remember that you need to wash your child 1.5–2 hours after eating. At the moment when the food has been absorbed and digested, and he does not feel hungry. In cases where bathing is in the morning, you must first give the baby time to wake up. And only after that set sail.
To make the process of taking water procedures easy and comfortable, you can take care of some things in advance:
- Choose shampoo and shower gel specifically for newborns (such products do not cause allergies and will not sting the eyes).
- Buy a visor to prevent water from getting into your nose, mouth and eyes while washing your hair.
- Purchase a support device to place your baby on.
- Place an anti-slip mat on the bottom of the bathtub.
- Prepare a soft, warm towel for the baby.
If the baby is crying, then you should not suddenly plunge him into water. It is better to do this gradually, talking to him tenderly and explaining the benefits of bathing. Mom's voice usually calms children and gives very positive results.
Also, if the child begins to be capricious, you can use aromatherapy, i.e. add a decoction of chamomile, thyme, fir, etc. to the bath. herbs have a good effect on baby's sleep and also have a calming effect.
Tears during bathing are still a temporary phenomenon. Sometimes you need to be patient and just wait for the baby to grow up a little and get used to the water. And this will happen sooner or later. Usually by three months the whims during bathing stop.
Read further:
As a rule, all children, even newborns, love to swim. But, as you know, there is an exception to any rule: there are children who do not like water.
If the child does not like to swim
, you should not despair. Parents should consider ways to make bathing for young children fun and rewarding.
Tips for parents
- You can use distractions. For example, sing songs, tell funny stories and fairy tales, ask riddles, ask the baby questions so that his thoughts are occupied not with the process of bathing, but with the process of thinking.
- During bathing it is necessary to use various rubber toys. With them it will be more interesting for the child to splash in the water. The game will distract the baby well, and bathing will be calmer.
- You can use an inflatable ring. Some parents do not know how to bathe a child with a circle around his neck. This is quite easy to do. You need to put the inflatable ring around the baby’s neck and make sure that it matches the child’s size. The circle should not be too loose or too tight. In the first case, the child will slip out of the circle, which is not safe. In the second case, the circle will put pressure on the baby’s neck.
- When bathing, you should use special children's cosmetics. Shampoo and soap should not sting the child’s eyes and have a sweet, fruity smell. You need to make sure that bathing products do not cause irritation or allergic reactions on the baby’s skin.
- Older children can add bubble bath to the water. Children will love splashing and playing with soap bubbles.
- While bathing, you can also use special paints for the bathroom and tiles, which are easily washed off with water and a brush.
- To prevent your baby from slipping on the surface of the bath, you should use special anti-slip rubber mats.
- Bathing children can be turned into a very interesting show with soap bubbles and fun games. You just need to put in a little effort and get creative.
- To avoid problems and whims about your child’s next bath, you need to wash him regularly, following the regime. For example, after each viewing of the TV show “Good night, kids.” The baby will develop a bathing habit that will help parents.
- During bath time, you can invite your child to give his favorite toy a bath.
- At the age of three, when a child wants to do everything on his own, and his favorite phrase is “I do it myself,” then he can be allowed to bring his own towel, prepare his own pajamas, which he will put on after bathing; choose toys and cosmetics. You can invite your child to pour water into the bath together and measure the temperature of the water together with a thermometer. Children usually like all this, and next time they will willingly prepare for water procedures, and the bathing process itself will take place calmly, “like an adult,” without hysterics or whims.
How to teach a child to swim: useful tips from personal observations
- Little children love to enter the water in the arms of their parent and dive with him. That is, you should not dip the child next to you, but press him to your chest and walk in so that the water is up to your neck. In this situation, my children did not notice the change in the environment at all.
- You can sit with your baby in your arms in the surf line, breastfeed, sprinkle sand and pebbles on your feet. At the same time, hold the child tightly so that the waves do not shake him. Throwing pebbles into the water is a fun and relaxing activity that all kids enjoy. Another good and inspiring activity is to sit on the sand, at the water's edge, and watch other children of any age splashing in the water.
- Walk with the child by the hand and collect water in a bucket. It seems like you are doing something that is both interesting and useful.
- Go deeper for a toy boat - it floats away, and you get it out. The child gets carried away and forgets about fear.
- In theory, it’s good to give all sorts of circles and other swimming accessories to play on the shore, so that later the baby can joyfully run with his favorite toy for a swim. But it turned out differently for me: if a child doesn’t want to swim, then he doesn’t want to - even if the circle on the shore is the most wonderful toy for him.
- At the age of about 3 years, swimming goggles help a lot - our children agreed to go underwater only with goggles, it made them feel safer. And they are still very much loved.
- Children's pool (small inflatable) - right on the shore. It is very convenient to put a baby in it to splash around. The water is the same - salty and healthy, and the baby is not so scared.
- Take slippers for your child that you won’t mind getting wet in. If there are pebbles and shells on the shore that the child refuses to walk on, put on shoes. Let unnecessary unpleasant factors not interfere with your acquaintance with the water element.
- A large swimming pool is a strange thing. Why do we need it if we specifically came to swim in the sea? But, nevertheless, children love them very much. Sometimes the pools are in the shade - it’s good to sit out the heat in them. Children learn to swim better in them: the floor is flat, they are not afraid, there are no waves.
- You can suggest the following arrangement: “in the morning - the sea, in the evening - the pool” or other similar ones. At some resorts it was very convenient when the pool was located near the restaurant tables. While the food was being prepared, the children swam, and did not pester the adults and did not whine from idleness. It is also convenient if the pool is near your bungalow: those who got up first do not wake up the sleepyhead with demands to go for a swim, but go and swim.
A few more tips on how to teach your child to bathe
• In the first months of life, try to have someone else bathe your baby alone. It is better if it is the mother, because the child has the closest connection with her. Later you can involve your father in this matter. In addition to the obvious advantage - communication with both parents at the same time, there is also an implicit one: men's hands are larger, which means it is more comfortable to hold the child. • Buy a special inflatable ring for swimming (worn around the neck). Most children love to swim with it because it keeps them above the water perfectly. • If your child is very afraid of washing, and you don’t know why, try putting him in a dry bath first with toys. When it gets used to it, add water little by little. • If the reason for the fear is a fear of the bathroom (which is usually narrow, small and not too bright in our homes), bathe him in the kitchen or bedroom, in a familiar environment. • While taking a bath, it’s a good idea to do a little gymnastics with your baby, bending and unbending the arms and legs. This is good for your health and will prevent you from getting bored and hysterical. • Bath regularly, it should become a habit. Washing the baby from time to time is not only unhygienic, it prevents him from getting used to the process, and every time the baby will be nervous, like the first time. • Create a ritual. For example, after bathing - a fairy tale or a lullaby. Then the bath will be a pleasure.
