Should children sunbathe through the window?

This is an automatically translated article.

The article was professionally consulted with Specialist Doctor I Nguyen Huu Nam - Pediatrician - Neonatologist - Department of Pediatrics - Neonatology - Vinmec Nha Trang International General Hospital.

1. Should babies be exposed to the sun?

Sunbathing for any age brings benefits to the body. Especially for babies and young children who are rarely exposed to sunny environments, sunbathing is very necessary. Some benefits can be mentioned of sunbathing such as:
Synthesize the amount of vitamin D needed by the body Vitamin D plays a very important role in the absorption of calcium by the body, helping children have strong bones. In addition, vitamin D has also been shown to have an impact on the neuromuscular system, maintaining stable insulin hormone levels to prevent type 2 diabetes, cancer, cardiovascular disease, infections caused by Vitamin D affects the production of antibodies, autoimmune diseases.
In the sun, there are types of rays that cannot be seen with the naked eye, which are UV rays, in which UVB rays have the function of helping the body synthesize vitamin D. Sunbathing is a measure to help the skin to come into direct contact with UV rays, Under the influence of UV rays, our body can synthesize vitamin D on its own.
Improve jaundice in babies Jaundice in newborns is usually a normal physiological manifestation due to a change in the type of Hemoglobin in the body. fetal blood after birth. Most of these cases go away on their own after a few days. However, for some cases of low birth weight, premature babies... can progress to prolonged jaundice or more severe levels. If severe cases of jaundice are not treated promptly or have the right treatment, it can cause many unpredictable consequences.
Sunbathing your baby will help improve mild jaundice and prevent severe jaundice. Because the blue light of the sun is very effective in reducing the concentration of Bilirubin accumulated in the subcutaneous fat layer in the child's body, which is the main cause of jaundice.
Increase levels of the hormone serotonin Low levels of serotonin in the blood can give rise to emotional problems such as anger, depression... Besides, serotonin also helps regulate sleep and digestion. .
Sunbathing can improve sleep by increasing hormone levels and increasing the correlation between the circadian clock and sunlight to help children sleep at the right time. Therefore, if children have sleep problems, they should let them sunbathe.

2. Should children sunbathe through the window?

Proper sunbathing not only makes the child's body healthier, but also minimizes the risk of harmful effects of UV rays on the child's body.
In sunlight, there are 3 types of UV rays including UVA, UVB and UVC, in which UVC rays have the greatest risk of damaging the skin, but are almost absorbed by the ozone layer. And UVA rays can penetrate clouds, ozone layer, clothing, glasses to affect the body and cause skin aging, but it does not have the effect of stimulating vitamin D3 precursors on the skin. Only UVB rays have the effect of helping the body synthesize vitamin D for the body, but unlike UVA rays, UVB rays cannot penetrate layers such as clouds, clothing, glasses, water...
Thus, for the purpose The main reason of sun exposure to help children synthesize vitamin D, we do not expose it through the window. Because UVB rays cannot penetrate the glass window, they will not synthesize the necessary amount of vitamins, but UVA rays can penetrate and adversely affect the delicate skin of children. In addition, it is also advisable to expose children's skin to partial direct sunlight because UVB rays cannot penetrate clothing.
Children's skin is very thin, much thinner than adults, so any UV rays can have a great effect on children. Therefore, children should not be sunbathing for a long time and sunbathing late to avoid affecting the baby's body.

3. How to properly sunbathe your baby

Sunbathing brings a lot of benefits to children, but not everyone knows how to properly sunbathe for optimal effect. Here's how to properly sunbathe your baby:
Choose the right time to sunbathe your baby 7 to 10 days after birth, you can start sunbathing to help your baby get used to being exposed to light in the environment and The body synthesizes the necessary vitamins.
In the summer, the sun will be very hot, so bathe your baby early from 6 am to 7 am, to avoid strong rays affecting the baby's skin.
In autumn or winter: It will be less sunny, so depending on the weather to choose the time to sunbathe your baby, so that the child does not get cold. But do not shower late after 9am.
How to expose areas to be exposed to sunlight When the weather is hot, you can remove your baby's clothes so that UV rays can directly contact the skin, but need to cover the head, face and genitals of the baby. little. If the weather is cold, don't take off all your clothes, it will cause the child to get cold and not have time to adapt. You should bathe your baby in sections, like revealing a bathing area for your baby each day.
Time for each sunbathing In the beginning, when you first practice sunbathing your child, you should only sunbathe for 5 minutes, then gradually increase the time when your baby gets used to it and when the baby is older. But the maximum time is not more than 20 minutes each time. Some notes when sunbathing for children: You should choose a place to sunbathe for your baby that is quiet, fresh and avoids dust and smoke from the outside environment. Minimize exposure to direct sunlight on the baby's head because there is a risk of affecting the brain. Do not expose to indirect sunlight through shielding tools such as glasses, clothes, umbrellas...
While the baby is sunbathing, talk to him or her, caress him to make him feel comfortable. Depending on the region, the amount of sunlight is different, so if you are in a sunny area, you should let your child bathe for a shorter time. After sunbathing, the baby should be breastfed to make up for the loss of water due to perspiration or can breastfeed while sunbathing.
If after sunbathing the baby has a rash on the skin or has any other unusual signs, you should stop sunbathing and monitor the child. If you don't see any improvement, you should bring your child to the doctor to see what the problem is.
In short, children should not sunbathe indirectly through the glass because it does not help children absorb the vitamin D needed by the body. Therefore, parents need to pay attention to sunbathing properly to help children stay healthy and limit the bad effects of UV rays in the sun.

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