Salt baths are an easy way to heal. The procedure is shown as an additional measure in the treatment of rickets in infants and impaired muscle tone, soothes before bedtime, helps to fight colds and so on. But everything that concerns children, including salt baths, needs to be taken seriously. What should be the concentration of the bathing solution? When can you start wellness treatments? What baby bath salt to choose?
The beneficial effect of salt baths
The use of sea salt baths for children is recognized by pediatricians. This procedure reduces the incidence of gastric colic, reduces sweating, improves the baby’s sleep and calms the nervous system, normalizes blood coagulation, has a general healing effect, cleanses the skin, promotes the penetration of beneficial substances into the bloodstream, helps increase hemoglobin levels, normalizes the acid-base balance of the skin, beneficial effect on the endocrine and respiratory system. Sea salt has a therapeutic effect on the heart and blood vessels, musculoskeletal system, stimulates metabolic processes. The anti-inflammatory, antiseptic and analgesic properties of sea salt are used to treat diathesis, diaper rash and dermatitis in children.
The beneficial composition of bath salts
The composition of sea water and blood plasma are very similar. The main component is water, in the marine salt concentration is higher, the salt composition is constant, the content of magnesium and sodium is the same as in the liquid part of the blood. There is more magnesium and chlorine in sea water, and more potassium in blood serum. The composition of bath salts for children and adults includes:
Manganese, which has a positive effect on immunity;
calcium, involved in the formation of bone tissue, blood coagulation and contributing to the healing of small wounds;
magnesium, which removes excess fluid;
iodine that improves the functioning of the thyroid gland and the endocrine system as a whole;
selenium, which strengthens the walls of blood vessels;
zinc, which limits the growth of tumors and normalizes the work of the sex glands;
bromine, which has a calming effect on the nervous system;
silicon, giving elasticity to the vessels;
iron, which improves blood composition and increases hemoglobin levels.
Saline preparation
Freshly prepared saline is added to the water immediately before bathing. How much salt does a child need to add to a bath? Three tablespoons of sea salt need to be added to an average children's plastic bath, and about 250 grams to a half of a large bath. An insignificant concentration is considered 2-5 grams per liter of water, average - 5-15 grams per liter, large for bathing children - 15-30 grams per liter of water.
Concentration should be selected depending on the purpose of the procedure. For prevention, a low concentration is suitable. With a high concentration, the skin after bathing must be rinsed with clean water so as not to cause irritation.
How to take a bath with salt
Sea bath salt for children is best used in the evening. The optimal bathing time is one to two hours after dinner and an hour before bedtime. The full course is 10-15 procedures every other day. It is enough for small children to stay in the water for 10 minutes, at an older age, you can extend the bathing to 15-20 minutes. Suitable water temperature is 36-37 degrees. Care must be taken to prevent water from entering the eyes, nose and mouth. If this happens, rinse the mucous membranes with clean water. You need to stop bathing if the baby's skin turns red or after the procedure there is irritation.
When to start swimming with sea salt
When can I start using bath salt for children? Newborns are not bathed in "sea" water. You can start using special sea bath salt for children only after the first month of life. Do not postpone bathing with salt if the baby has rashes, diaper dermatitis or diathesis on the body.
Contraindications to sea bathing
Sea salt can negatively affect the sensitive skin of a child prone to allergic reactions. If you do not observe the recommended duration of bathing, the skin may begin to peel off, it will be dry and very sensitive, and irritation will appear. To avoid this, it is advisable to consult a pediatrician before starting bathing with sea salt. This is especially important if the child is less than a year old.
Sea salt for washing the nose
The use of bath salt for children is not limited to the general healing effect of bathing. Salt is used for some other procedures: washing the nose and throat with symptoms of acute respiratory viral infections or allergic reactions, warming up. Flushing with saline is a good remedy for a runny nose, and saline is nothing more than a solution of sodium chloride. For one glass of warm boiled water, you need to add one teaspoon of salt. You can use the usual cookbook, but it is better to take a natural sea. With this solution, 5-10 drops should be instilled into each nostril.
Gargling with saline
The same solution can gargle with a cold. On a glass of boiled water (except sea or salt), you can add a teaspoon of baking soda and one or two drops of iodine. For the quickest effect, gargle very often - approximately every two hours.
Warming with sea cough salt
When coughing, it helps to relieve heat attacks with salt. For this, sea salt should not be dissolved in water, but heated. A small amount of salt is poured into a clean dry pan and heated, stirring constantly. Then the salt is poured into the sock and placed on the back or chest. It is impossible to warm in the heart area, also the procedure is prohibited at elevated temperature. Be sure to check that the "heating pad" is not very hot. If necessary, the sock can first be wrapped in a towel, and as it cools down, it can be applied without a towel.
What sea salt to choose
It is better to buy sea salt for children in a pharmacy, rather than in cosmetic stores and points of sale of household chemicals. It is better to purchase salt of marine or oceanic origin, rather than a product that is extracted from mineral sources. You should not choose a salt intended for cosmetic procedures. Typically, such products contain additional components that are not suitable for children's skin.
Salt should be free of additives, synthetic colors and flavors. To increase the positive effect in the bath, you can add decoctions of herbs, but not essential oils, which can cause an allergic reaction in children. Well soothe the decoction of lavender or St. John's wort, and to heal small wounds and provide an antiseptic effect, you can add decoctions of chamomile or a string.
You can buy sea bath salt for children “Peanut”, “World of Childhood”, “Sea Fairy Tale”, Baby Time, “Bul-Bul” (with aromatic additives).
The World of Childhood salt can be found on sale with additives: a camomile or a train. It is allowed to apply from birth. The salt release form is very convenient: in the package there are two filter bags that hold insoluble salt crystals, preventing them from getting on the skin of the child. One filter bag is designed for one swim.
Bath salt for children "Peanut" can also be purchased with useful additives: a string, chamomile, fir, lavender, silver ions, mint. There are no filter bags, and in the reviews the parents indicate that the salt sometimes does not dissolve well, so it is better to prepare the solution in a separate bowl and carefully monitor that there are no crystals or small debris left on the bottom. Salt is odorless, but slightly tinted. The manufacturer indicates that you can use the product from birth, but because of the dye, it is still undesirable.