A trip with children to the sea is an excellent occasion to combine health benefits with rest. But preparing for a vacation with young children is not easy, because it will take into account a lot of different factors - living conditions, availability of children's entertainment program, pick up a wardrobe for the baby, assemble a first aid kit and prepare for acclimatization. It is about the latter that we will discuss in more detail in this article. We will tell you what acclimatization is, what are its main symptoms, how to prepare for the holiday with the baby and how to avoid the severe manifestations of acclimatization in the child.
Acclimatization in children: symptoms
In fact, the frightening word "acclimatization" is nothing more than the usual adaptation of the organism to new environmental conditions for it. Thus, acclimatization is a very natural and even useful phenomenon that helps a person to use the resources of his organism in accordance with the conditions of life. Acclimatization takes place with every change of climate - and upon arrival at the resort, and upon returning home (re-acclimatization).
As a rule, the first signs of acclimatization begin to appear for 2-4 days after moving. Depending on the age of the baby, the state of his health and the difference between the habitual and the new climate (the higher the contrast between the old and the new conditions, the more pronounced the process of adaptation), this process can last from a couple of days to two or three weeks. Most doctors agree that a sharp change in climate is most difficult to tolerate by children up to three years, so before this age it is better to refrain from long trips with the baby. But in children older than 3 years, the period of habituation is more difficult and longer than in adults. Therefore, those who want to improve their health with the baby should either choose resorts that are similar in climate to the usual, or plan long enough trips so that the child has time to get used to a new place and to get the maximum benefit from a vacation at sea. The most common error parents - a trip to the sea with children for a week. The crumb just has time to acclimatize, and the family is already returning home, that is, the whole process of habituation begins again.
The most frequent symptoms of acclimatization in a child: fever, headache and dizziness, weakness, sleep and appetite disorders, lethargy, nausea, vomiting. Sometimes there may be a runny nose, a sore throat, so acclimatization is often confused with a cold. Often there is diarrhea or constipation, which is a reaction of the gastrointestinal tract to unaccustomed food and water.
How to prepare a child for the sea?
Mandatory items in the list of cases for preparation for the sea are: early vaccinations (especially if you are planning a trip to tropical countries) and strengthening the immunity of the baby (fit the course of immunomodulating drugs or hardening). For a couple of weeks before the start of the holiday (or at least 8-10 days), you should reduce physical activity and begin adapting to the "vacation" diet and sleep.
How can a child facilitate acclimatization?
As you have already understood, it is not possible to avoid acclimatization. But there are ways to reduce the manifestation of her symptoms:
- So, first of all, give up short-term trips with children to countries, the climate of which is strikingly different from the native one.
- Observe the daily routine. Many people think that vacation is a reason to sleep off. In fact, this is not so. You, of course, can afford an extra couple of hours of sleep or an extra day's rest,
but to spend in bed most of the holiday - an error. - Try to limit the gastronomic experiments in the first days after your arrival. Do not immediately try all exotic fruits and local cuisine. This is too much workload for the body.
- Try to drink purified water in bottles (better known brands). Nobody can know how the baby's body reacts to unfamiliar water, so introduce it gradually (if at all, consider it necessary to do it).
- Do not forget about protection from the sun. Use for children means with sun protection factor not lower than SPF30.