How to take care of hygiene in the environment of a newborn and infant?
When a newborn arrives at home, we face a difficult task. The toddler's body has not yet developed all defense mechanisms, its immune system is immature, and its skin is extremely delicate. We must ensure immaculate cleanliness and maintenance hygiene the closest the environment of the newbornwithout using too strong detergents. How to deal with it?
We often emphasize what it is and how important hygiene is in the environment of a newborn and infant. Most experienced parents are aware of this, but it is worth returning to the topic regularly and introducing the rules for maintaining cleanliness at home. We talk about environmental hygiene - what it is and how to maintain it, not only for those who are just starting their adventure with parenthood, but also to remind everyone else, because the proverbial devil is often in the details that we can simply forget about .
Hygiene w surrounding the newborn and troublesome textiles
We have already written about washing and ironing clothes, bedding and blankets of our children many times (recently here). Washing baby clothes and textiles that come into contact with the baby's skin is a fairly obvious requirement and should be maintained until the third month of his life.
Expert advises
It is worth remembering about the appropriate washing temperature (at least 60 degrees C), as well as the obligatory ironing, which additionally disinfects the textiles. This requirement also applies to completely new items, straight from the store, because, firstly, they are the habitat of numerous bacteria, and secondly, they are often coated with a finish, which is designed to improve the appearance of the clothes offered for sale. Clothes that will come back with us and the toddler from the hospital are recommended to be washed at 90 degrees Celsius before further use, due to the risk of hospital infections.
Due to the fact that not everything is suitable for high-temperature washing, and some textiles cannot be washed in a water bath at all, or even ironed in the traditional way - the question arises, what to do with such things to keep them hygienic?
Hygiene w surrounding the newborn: without textiles, no move
It is worth remembering that in our toddler's environment there are many objects that are often or regularly touched, and keeping them clean can be troublesome - due to the fact that we can only wash them at low temperature or they are not intended for washing at all.
Even if we try not to stockpile an excess of things around a little one, professing healthy minimalism in this regard, it would be difficult to deprive him of favorite stuffed animals and cuddly toys. Even harder to eliminate textile elements of furniture or appliances - for example, many breastfeeding mothers are eager to use suitably profiled pillows, croissants or specially designed armchairs for feeding. Also, let's not forget on mattresses in children's cots or on non-disassembled textile covers for prams or car seats.
The power of environmental hygiene enchanted in hand
Steam is successfully used to refresh and disinfect all textiles that cannot be washed and cannot be ironed traditionally. Technology extends a helping hand to us, thanks to which we now have at our disposal something more than an iron, i.e. a steam generator, otherwise known as a steam station. In such a device, a water tank equipped with a boiler supplies hot steam under high pressure via a hose to the soleplate of the iron.
There are generators on the market with different power parameters, water tank capacity and heating time, with additional amenities such as automatic setting of the foot temperature and steam level, or an anti-drip system.
Expert advises
Thanks to the large amount of high-temperature steam, up to 230 ° C, which is forced into the fabric under pressure (even up to 8 bar), the generator enables faster and more effective ironing compared to a traditional steam iron. The force of the impact during the shot of steam causes the fibers of the fabrics to be softened, which makes it easy to iron even the thickest and most resistant materials (e.g. a crushed jacket, linen fabrics or a pressed edge of a sofa cover).
Benefits and possible applications of the steam generator
The superiority of steam generators over an ordinary iron is evidenced by other very important features. The advantages of using steam generators include:
- these devices do not damage delicate fabrics;
- we do not have to use an ironing board, which takes up a lot of space, and its constant unfolding and folding is also not a pleasure;
- clothes are perfectly smoothed, even in places such as the space with buttons fastened at the front of jackets;
- steam removes unrinsed detergent residues that could irritate the baby's sensitive skin;
- they are a good solution for allergy sufferers, as they disinfect the fabric only with steam;
- it is also perfect for cleaning mattresses, removing dust mites from them;
- clothes ironed in this way are soft, without using any softeners;
- they can also be used to refresh such children's equipment as: a car seat, cuddly toy or a stroller, because the extracted steam, in addition to straightening the crease, also removes unpleasant smells of sweat, fat or tobacco;
- it can also help a young mother in activities where the iron is inconvenient to use, such as ironing curtains, curtains or canopies.
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Senior specialist in the Department of Assessment and Cooperation Development, Institute of Mother and Child
Even knowing perfectly well what is the hygiene of the environment, on the occasion of the routine and the multitude of everyday matters, we may miss something. And we should approach the topic of care for cleanliness and hygiene in the environment of a newborn baby responsibly, because it has a direct impact on the baby's health and comfort. Let us use both the support of our loved ones and devices that will make our lives easier. Zless time devoted to duties for the time that we can spend with our loved ones.
You can read more about what else the steam generator can do for you here.
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