Water bath after eating: yes or no? How to avoid congestion in children.
What is true in the indication to wait three hours after eating before taking a bath? We talked about it with the pediatrician to live the summer safely
Is it really true that you have to wait three hours before swimming in the sea? Is it scientifically proven or an exaggeration of grandparents and parents? Is there really a risk of congestion in children or is immersion in water always possible without any health risk?
The Ministry of Health, through the Aquatic Education project, recommends not entering the water until at least three hours have passed between a full meal and two from one another First of all it is good to remember that the phenomenon of congestion is not just a problem for children, but also of adults.
What is congestion?
Congestion is defined as a gastrointestinal disturbance that occurs after a meal. So it can manifest itself as particularly intense abdominal cramps that can even lead to fainting. In reality, congestion itself is hardly defined because it is a very precise term in the colloquial context, but from a medical point of view it finds ambiguities.
For this the Istituto Superiore di Sanità uses a very general definition of congestion, that is, an excessive accumulation of blood in an organ in a part of the body.
Is the problem of congestion in children therefore related to digestion and temperature?
After lunch, digestion causes a lowering of blood pressure as there is an increase in the recall of blood in the digestive system. It is therefore necessary to avoid causing vasodilation, exposing the child to heat and heat, because the lowering of the pressure can cause fainting or heat stroke. In fact, it is also for this reason that children should not be exposed to the sun during the hottest hours of the day, usually from 10 to 17.
Why is there so much apprehension about taking a bath after eating?
The aspect that scares the most of the risks of bathing in water is the so-called hydrocution, that is the phenomenon that can cause a sudden loss of consciousness and that can actually cause you to risk drowning when you come into contact with cold water. , this regardless of whether you have just eaten a meal or not.
When can this happen?
If the children all sweat into cold water there can be a sudden loss of consciousness due to a thermal shock that occurs in our body. It is a mechanism that depends on a nervous reflex and determines a vasoconstriction in the areas in contact with the cold, therefore upper and lower limbs, and which moves the blood volume towards the rib cage and, therefore, further strains the heart. You must always avoid sudden changes in temperature by gradually letting children enter the water, especially if they are sweaty and hot; because it is the difference in temperature between the water and the baby that determines the danger of hydrocution.
Symptoms of congestion in children
How is congestion recognized in children? What are the signs that should alert parents?
When there is a particular discomfort of the baby, he has purple lips, has particularly cold extremities, has chills, goosebumps or any attitude that makes him weird and disturbed.
How to prevent congestion in children
What are the recommendations that parents must follow to avoid such a danger?
What is important to do, in the attitude towards children, is certainly to avoid eating abandoned meals if you intend to make them play, exercise or bathe in water as much as possible, limiting fats as much as possible. difficult to digest and generate heat loss, and proteins. During the summer it is therefore recommended to prepare lighter meals preferring carbohydrates and possibly also include fruit which contains simple sugars that are more easily digestible.
Congestion in children: what to do?
In the event that the child complains of one of the typical symptoms of congestion, what needs to be done to keep him safe?
It should be taken out of the water immediately and warmed so that peripheral vasoconstriction can resolve.
In this regard, it is good to remember how, once taken out of the water, children must be placed in a sheltered environment and not under the sun, as exposure to sunlight is a further danger for the safety of children.
Risks and consequences of congestion in children
Congestion, hydrocution, intake of frozen drinks; the climatic conditions of summer can represent a very serious danger for children, above all because their digestive system is more delicate than that of an adult and because they could underestimate the alarm signals launched by their body.
Is there a difference between swimming in the sea or swimming in the pool after eating?
If the bathroom is in a small pool with hot water, the sea has shallow water and the water is very warm, you can safely allow the child to bathe without waiting for the famous three hours. However, it must be remembered that the child must always be under the supervision of the adult for the entire time he is in the water, also because the risk of drowning for the child is possible even in a few centimeters of water.
Dear mothers, after reading our article we recommend that you visit our Luxury Kids website!
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