Monsoon Health Checklist For Your Infant

Infants are prone to illness due to their low immunity. While rainy season, gives us respite from the scorching summer, it also brings with it several infections. The moist and humid weather is a breeding ground for mosquitoes and other microbes. Your baby is at high risk of getting exposed to many diseases like malaria, dengue and also microbial infections and waterborne diseases which makes baby care during monsoons very tricky.

However, there's no need to panic. You can  enjoy the rainy season by keeping some simple monsoon care tips for infants in mind. Continue reading to understand how to keep your baby healthy through the weather changes.

Rainy Season Health Tips For Babies

Read on to find out what you should do and what you shouldn't do during monsoons for your baby. Make a rainy season safety checklist now to safeguard your baby's health.

Watch Out for Signs Of Infection

In case you notice any signs of infection, like, fever, sneezing, joint pain, breathing issues, etc. contact your paediatrician right away.

Keep Common Medicines Handy At Home

Always keep common cold and flu medicines handy at your home during the winter season. In case the doctor is unavailable, you can rely on your medicines. However, you have to consult your doctor earlier about the dosage. When it comes to caring the baby in monsoon, both indoor and outdoor care is equally important. This health checklist for babies in the monsoon will definitely help you.

Indoor Precautions During Rainy Season

Bath Time

Weather fluctuations are quite sharp during monsoon season. It can range from hot and humid to sudden cold weather. Give your infant regular baths with warm water. Never hesitate to bathe him/her as and when they get dirty even if it is raining outside. The regular bath helps prevent the buildup of sweat, dirt, and germs on their skin. You can also use oil to massage your baby as long as you use an oil that is suitable for his or her skin. After the bath, always ensure that you dry the baby thoroughly, especially in the areas where the skin folds (like underarms, neck, genitals and other creases in their body).

Proper Clothing

You have to buy invest in good quality clothes to ensure proper comfort for the baby during monsoons. Since weather fluctuations are quite frequent during monsoon, you should buy comfortable cotton clothes to beat humidity and also some warm clothes so that he or she doesn't catch a cold. Proper monsoon baby outfits are one of the prime factors in maintaining the health of your baby.

Another important concern is that, during the rainy season it is difficult to completely dry the clothes. Even little moisture sandwiched between the threads of the clothes can bring about chill waves to the baby. Ensure the baby’s clothes are dried thoroughly. You can iron his or her clothes to ensure there is no dampness. Remember, wearing damp clothes also lead to skin infections.

Set the Room Temperature to Normal

A sudden drop and rise in the temperature may adversely affect your child’s health. Always try to keep your house dry. If you do not have a room heater, you can regulate the room temperature of your baby to some extent by keeping the windows & doors closed.

Ensure Cleanliness At Home

Wipe floor at least twice a day with a germ-free solution. Your infant and his toys are constantly in touch with those surfaces. Also, makes sure all the members of your house remove their footwear outside the house to avoid carrying germs into the house.

Also, ask them to use hand sanitizer before touching your infant. If the infant is bottle feeding, sterilize his bottle and utensils after each use.

Take Measures to Keep Insects and Mosquitoes Away

Protecting your infant from mosquito and other insect bites is very important as insects are the carriers of many diseases. For this:

• Always make your baby wear light-colored cotton clothes with sleeves, especially during the evenings. Do you know the mosquitoes are attracted to dark colors? It can bite at night or during the day. The cloth should cover your infant's arms and legs
• Use mosquito nets on their bed while sleeping
• Use a mosquito repellent in your baby's room
• Install a wire mesh on your windows and doors
• Apply a mosquito repellent cream on their body or clothes

Feed Fresh Food

Make sure your baby is always given fresh food to eat. Also, do not forget to wash your hands and those of your child's thoroughly before and after eating. Due to the humidity, the body is at its lowest in terms of digestion capacity. Therefore, give your child light and easy to digest food during monsoons.

Avoid the following in your child day to day foods..   

• Giving too much of fried or spicy/oily foods
• Giving too salty or sour food (like pickles)
• Giving fruit or vegetable juices from stalls. Waterborne diseases are common during monsoon and we don't have to increase its risk

Try to include foods that are rich in anti-oxidants as they will help boost your toddler’s immune system. All leafy greens or underground vegetables like carrot, though rich in antioxidants, should be thoroughly washed and preferably boiled before consumption.

• Give your baby seasonal fruits such as pomegranates, bananas, litchi, peaches, berries, apple, pears etc.
• Always feed your toddler properly cooked food during monsoon season
• If needed, you can give the juices and milk packed in environment-friendly Tetra Pak
• Also, opt for coconut water or homemade fruit juices

Water Intake

During monsoon, special care has to be taken when it comes to the water intake. Always use boiled and cooled water even for mixing formula or for diluting fruit juices. Avoid outside water, carry a bottle of water when you plan going out with your child.

Outdoor Safety Precautions For Rainy Season

Childcare in the rainy season, as we mentioned earlier is tricky. Here are some tips to protect babies from the rainy season when he is outdoors.

Keep Surrounding Clean

Make sure the surroundings of your house are clean. The garden or plants around your house should be trimmed before the rain starts. Make certain the drains are cleaned. Avoiding waterlogging is very important as it allows mosquitoes to breed. Read ways to cope up with diaper rash in monsoon season

Outdoors Play

Make sure your child does not play in wet, muddy area. That area will be the place where the infection causing microbes thrive.

Apply Mosquito Repellent

Apply child-friendly mosquito repellent cream on your baby's skin or cloth or pram whenever you take him outdoors.

Keep Baby Away from People who are Sick

Contagious viral infections are extremely common during monsoons. With low immunity infants and toddler easily catch infections. Therefore, keep your child away from those who have flu or any kind of infection.

A big NO to the First Shower

Not allow your baby to get wet under the first showers of the monsoon since they can be acidic and could harm baby’s delicate skin. Read what rainy season preacutions you should care about.

Avoid Crowded Places

Avoid going to crowded places with your infant. Crowded places like malls are hot spots for microbes. And remember, most of the monsoon infections are highly contagious

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