Using Air Conditioning When You Have a Baby
Air conditioning is not a baby’s enemy. You can use it safely if you take certain precautions.
Keep in mind that sudden changes in temperature can affect the newborn’s health. Precautions have to be taken because the baby is still adapting to the world outside of their mother’s belly.
The best way to use an air conditioner when there is a baby in the house is to regulate the temperature to about 22 degrees Celsius. That is the ideal temperature for newborns whether they’re premature or not.
It is important to keep the room or environment where the baby is in not too cold nor too hot. Extreme environments can cause them to feel uncomfortable. They might get skin irritations or wake up frequently because they’re uncomfortable.
Although the ideal temperature for babies is 22 degrees Celsius, keeping the environment between 21–24 degrees during the day and between 19–21 degrees at night is also advisable.
According to various articles published by pediatrician Florencio de Santiago, mothers should measure the humidity at home in order to make sure that levels stay between 30 and 50 percent.
In order to control these parameters at home, the house must be equipped with a thermometer and a hygrometer. The pediatrician also emphasizes the importance of proper ventilation in the home.
Some tips for using air conditioning at home when you have a baby
- Keep in mind that a temperature of 22 degrees Celsius is the perfect temperature for a baby. Sudden changes in temperature can weaken the child’s immune system and therefore they should be avoided.
- Changes in temperature shouldn’t be greater than 10 degrees Celsius, between the interior of the house, the car and the environment outside.
- It is also important to make sure that the current coming out of the air conditioning unit is not pointing directly at the baby.
- Another good tactic is to cool down the room before the baby goes to bed and then turn the appliance off at night. Make sure their room is well ventilated.
- If it is very hot you can use the air conditioner to prevent the child from feeling uncomfortable. It can also prevent certain skin rashes. If you keep the air conditioner on at night, make sure the baby is adequately dressed to feel comfortable.
- Always keep a blanket at hand to cover the baby. This is especially useful when the child is in a place where the air conditioning is too cold for them.
Attention and cleaning
Even though you have an air conditioner at home, it is important to keep every room in the house ventilated naturally.
Be aware of the state of the air conditioning filters, they can often accumulate microorganisms such as dust mites which are harmful to a child’s health. In order to avoid harming your child, keep the air filters clean.
Experts also recommended maintaining the entire house at the same temperature. In order to achieve this, you can use integral air-conditioning units or AC’s that are installed on the ceilings.
These kinds of units are always a better option than fans or mobile air conditioning units.
Installing several air conditioning units in the house will allow you to maintain a homogeneous ambient temperature.
This will prevent the baby from being affected by sudden temperature changes, which as we stated above, can be very harmful to the baby’s health.
Pediatricians also recommend using a cold air humidifier. They help regulate the humidity in the environment.
Humidity is usually eliminated by the use of air conditioning. Low humidity can cause dryness of the baby’s mucous membranes.