Exposure of infants in the open air

 Exposure of infants in the open air

Breathing fresh air is necessary at all times and in all conditions for the health of an infant. Therefore, the nursery should be large, well-ventilated, in an elevated part of the house, and made in such a way as to allow free air and light supply. For the same reasons, the room in which the child sleeps should be large, and the air should be renewed; because nothing harms his health, like sleeping in an unclean and hot atmosphere. The practice of drawing thick curtains around the bed is therefore harmful; they answer a useful purpose only when they defend the infant from any cold project.

The right time to transfer the baby to fresh air should be chosen, of course, depending on the season of the year and the state of the atmosphere “A fluffy baby born at the end of autumn will not derive any advantage from being transferred to fresh air, in this climate, even following spring; and if the rooms in which he is kept are large, often changed, and well ventilated, he will not suffer from confinement, while he will most likely escape from catarrh diseases, which are often the result of reckless exposure of infants to a cold and humid atmosphere.” However, if the child is strong and healthy, then no opportunity to transfer it to fresh air at specified intervals should be missed, as experience proves daily that it has the most active and invigorating effect on the system. However, the weather condition should always be checked; and in wet weather, an infant should never be exposed, as this is one of the strongest provoking reasons for the Consumption of the disease. The nurse should also not be allowed to hang around and stay, and then overexpose the infant; this is the source of all the ills that arise from exposing the baby to fresh air.