When a new child comes into the world, there is a lot of happiness and joy, but also many worries for parents. One in particular we are faced with daily is the weather, especially in autumn and winter. So, my challenge, as for all parents, was to figure out how to keep my children healthy, warm and happy. After doing some research on the subject, I realised that it all comes down to thermoregulation. But first of all, I will briefly define it. So, thermoregulation is a process that enables you to maintain constant body temperature, irrespective of the weather outside.
Warm and cool/ Breathable
In the first year of life, your baby is still learning to maintain constant body temperature, as its body thermoregulation has not yet stabilized. Clothing from natural materials such as wool and silk helps to regulate the child’s body temperature and keep the baby warm without overheating. This is because natural materials allow air to circulate around your baby throughout the first years of life and beyondI was already of the strong opinion that the health of my girls would be affected by what they wore in the first year of their lives. Now I am sure that appropriate clothing – natural and breathable – is one of the easiest ways to ensure that our children remain happy and healthy.
Health benefits
Our daughters were born on a hot July day when we did not worry about them being cold. When they were just 3 months old the weather turned humid and chilly. As most moms here in Latvia, I loved having long outdoor walks to ensure my children slept well during their midday nap. My girls were always dressed in silk and wool body, wool tights and a plain wool hat. I covered them with a wool blanket and put them in a wool overall. When it became freezing cold I dressed them in their grandmother’s knitted wool cardigan and trousers on top of the silk and wool body and tights and just added another layer of wool blanket in the stroller. The girls slept in wool blankets all winter, and I believe it helped them stay healthy.I did some more research on the subject – why are wool products an excellent choice for sleeping? I found out that sheep’s wool has a soothing and calming effect. The yarn gently covers the baby, ensuring the continued warmth and micro-massage effects on its joints and muscles. This improves the blood circulation and results in the child sleeping calmly. My next question was about the use of pillows for babies. It turns out the subject is not as simple as it seems. I will write more about this later.
Please find below some links that you might find useful:
https://www.woolmark.com/globalassets/woolmark/inspiration/mother-and-babies/sleep_benefits_wool.pdf
http://www.iwto.org/wool-benefit-1
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