Baby sauna – When can babies be taken to the sauna?
With baby in the sauna. Taking a sauna is rightly popular with young and old. Children or pregnant women and even babies can also be found in the sauna. A sauna session stimulates the metabolism and has a purifying and detoxifying effect. It also rejuvenates the skin and strengthens the immune system and cardiovascular system. So there are rightly many good reasons to visit the sauna again and again and regularly. However, parents wonder whether it is sensible or even safe to visit the sauna with babies. From a medical point of view, there is nothing to be said against it, as long as a few important rules are observed.
When are babies allowed in the sauna?
Pediatricians state that a sauna session with a baby is generally possible from the age of about 4 months. For the sake of the child’s well-being, the mandatory U4 examination should therefore be waited for first. Many mothers would also like to be able to take a sauna again soon after giving birth. This is also possible without any problems if the birth was without complications and there are no other medical reasons for not doing so.
However, it is always advisable to ask the pediatrician for advice before the first sauna session with baby. This is important to ensure that the baby is completely healthy and tolerates the sauna session well.
How to take a sauna properly with your baby
Experience has shown that small creatures like a baby do not tolerate the heat in the sauna nearly as well as adults. Starting with an initial 3 minutes, a sauna session with a baby should last no longer than a maximum of 6 minutes. In this case, 2 sauna sessions with a sufficient break in between are completely sufficient as a daily workload.
Even the normal 194 °F sauna cabin is not suitable for the offspring, rather 140 °F is the maximum temperature. Because with it no damage is to be feared by the heat effect. Babies are also extremely sensitive to essential oils, which are often used in sauna infusions. Babies should therefore always stay in the sauna completely without infusions of any kind.
Risks of a baby sauna
The greatest risk is when a baby is not gently and carefully introduced to heat exposure. However, this can cause lasting damage to the health of the little one. Parents should therefore never take it too well or overdo it. An ill-considered infusion can quickly lead to an enormous increase in heat in the sauna cabin. This is quickly too much of a good thing for a baby. It is always important to keep a close eye on the behavior of your offspring and to leave the sauna cabin immediately if they are visibly uncomfortable.
Great importance should also be attached to not letting the little one go into the sauna thirsty. This not only prevents possible circulatory problems, but also prevents the child from suddenly starting to whine in the sauna cabin. This would not only be unpleasant for the mother or for the parents, but also disturbs the other sauna guests.
Mothers should also not make the mistake of taking their child for a cold shower or even into the plunge pool after the sauna. Instead, a short cooling down in the fresh air or with some lukewarm water by hand is perfectly sufficient to cool down the little body.
Advantages of a baby sauna
Anyone who introduces their offspring to saunas on a regular but careful basis will notice how beneficial the pleasant warmth is. Relaxation occurs quickly and sleep can also improve. These and other positive effects of the gentle sauna warmth show quite clearly that healthy babies benefit from regular sauna baths.
As could be determined in many cases, the infants were always in perfect health afterward. Of course, the baby sauna also has a relaxing effect on the psyche and musculature, similar to that of adults. And also the defense forces of babies can only profit from regular, but careful sauna courses.
In German-speaking countries, however, baby saunas are not yet as widespread as they are in Finland, for example. In public sauna baths in this country, mothers or parents should also find out beforehand whether it is usual and permitted to take babies into the sauna area. This is because age restrictions often apply, with the little ones only being allowed into the sauna area from the age of 3.
