Almost all children at least sometimes sweat when they eat, and almost all mothers begin to worry at the same time: what if rickets? If, at the same time, the baby has a receding hairline on the back of the head, then the pediatrician will almost 100% prescribe him an additional intake of vitamin D - for the prevention or for the treatment of rickets.
Meanwhile, if a child does not need an additional dose of vitamin D, then its appointment to a small body inflicts incomparably greater harm than if this vitamin was not enough. Therefore, before starting to act, it is necessary to soberly analyze the situation. Establishing the exact reason why the baby sweats during feeding is extremely important, because, as you understand, by our wrong actions, we - parents and doctors - can seriously harm him.
Why does the child sweat when he eats?
It is common for any person to sweat under certain conditions - this is completely normal and physiological. But some people sweat occasionally, while others - very often, and this feature is almost always inherited. If dad is sweating all over by the end of the meal, then it is highly likely that the son will experience the same. And there is no problem with that.
As for newborns, feeding for them is hard physical labor, especially breastfeeding, and even more if so-called crises occur, when milk in mother's breast temporarily becomes less. A child has to work hard to get food for himself (even from a bottle, albeit to a lesser extent), and therefore the process of breastfeeding for an infant is akin to digging a garden for an adult. It is not surprising that he can sweat while doing this, and especially if the child is weakened, for example, by a recent illness.
If, moreover, it is hot in the apartment (which is observed in the overwhelming majority of families even in the cold, and especially during the cold period of the year) or the child is dressed warmly (which also happens with almost all newborns), then it is quite natural that the child will sweat. Moreover: we often hold babies in our arms, warming them up with the heat of our body.
We must not forget that babies quickly overheat (due to not yet fully established thermoregulation processes), and that the baby needs one more clothes to wear than mom or dad put on. Moreover, a hat, if it happens in an apartment, from about two months of age already becomes superfluous too.
Two words about thermoregulation. The body of newborns does not hold well and gives off heat when necessary, and therefore the baby can easily freeze and sweat equally. Sweat glands in infants begin to work actively from about 2-3 weeks of age. These are eccrine glands, of which there are a lot on our skin (maybe up to four million), but in the area of the face, palms and feet they are concentrated in especially large quantities, and therefore it is in these zones that the child sweats more often and harder. Such sweating is a protective reaction of the body: if the scalp did not sweat, then the risk of overheating of the brain due to an increase in body temperature (and this is what happens during feeding or with strong emotional outbursts in children) would be very high!
So, in the vast majority, that is, in almost all cases, when mothers complain about the baby's sweating during feeding, the reason for the phenomenon lies in the fact that the baby is simply hot, and that this is a completely natural phenomenon.
Ask your mummies to find out if their babies around the same age also sweat when feeding, so don't worry about the uniqueness or abnormality of this phenomenon. As the nervous system matures, the baby's sweating will disappear, unless, of course, it is his individual genetic trait.
Is a child's head sweating - a sign of rickets?
But what can be done if, at the same time, a receding hairline has formed on the back of the crumbs, or the legs seem to be not very even, and even began to sleep restlessly, or crying for no reason, or gaining weight badly, or maybe something else ...
None of these symptoms indicate the development of rickets in the child. In appearance, the doctor may suspect rickets in a child if the following symptoms are present:
- softening and / or thinning of the bones of the skull;
- an increase in the frontal and parietal tubercles;
- the formation of "rickety rosary";
- slow growth rates of the child;
- decreased muscle tone;
- delay in teething, and teeth grow immediately spoiled, with poor enamel.
Once again, we draw your attention to the fact that these are only probable symptoms that can cause suspicions of the development of rickets in a particular baby only if they are complex, joint manifestation, and not separately. And then the diagnosis is not made on this basis, and the child must be additionally examined:
- make an x-ray in the area of the knee joint;
- take a blood test to determine the concentration of calcium, phosphorus and vitamin D.
It should be admitted that rickets is an extremely rare disease! Earlier, several decades ago, it was indeed very common, and there were objective reasons for this, the most important of which was the early weaning of babies. If the mother breastfeeds the baby, then he practically never develops rickets, because he receives all the substances necessary for the baby, including a sufficient dose of vitamin D, together with mother's milk. True, it is advisable for a nursing mother to take a multivitamin and an omega-acid complex.
Modern adapted milk formulas also cover the daily requirement of a newborn for the main nutrients, so there is no reason to worry unless you feed him instead of animal milk (goat or cow).
For a vitamin D deficiency due to a lack of sunlight to form, you need not go outside for weeks or even months. Hardly any adequate mother is locked up with a child, even though it's winter outside.
In a word, if a child sweats while feeding or his palms and feet sweat a lot, then this in no way indicates the development of rickets. But this does not mean at all that you do not need to do anything on your part.
What if my baby sweats while feeding?
Even if the child does not sweat (and if so, even more so!), It is necessary to maintain optimal microclimatic conditions in the living room: the air temperature is not higher than 22 degrees (better if 18) and the air humidity is not lower than 50% (better if about 70%). In the summer, ventilate the rooms and mop the floors more often; in the winter, do not build up high temperatures with heating and use a humidifier.
Do not wrap up the baby, do not wear too much. It is not at all necessary that he is "frozen", like you, for example, but it is very likely that the opposite is true!
Try to keep breastfeeding until the right time and pay special attention to your own diet, and be sure to go for a walk: at any time and in any weather, if the baby is healthy. Of course, not in direct sunlight during the hours of its highest activity.
And be healthy!
Especially for - Margarita SOLOVIEVA
There are situations when young mothers notice spontaneous sweating in a newborn baby during feeding. Most often, the child's head sweats, as a result of which the place where she was lying becomes wet. This condition can scare a nursing woman, since these signs were not previously present.
In most cases, this problem occurs for physiological reasons that are not due to internal pathology.
Causes
If a nursing woman has discovered spontaneous sweating in a child during feeding, then before looking for ways to eliminate it, it is necessary to find out the reliable cause of this condition. These reasons can be both physiological and pathological. Sweating during feeding is caused by the following physiological factors:
- Hereditary predisposition. If one of the child's parents is prone to excessive sweating, then the baby is more likely to inherit this trait. In this case, the child is completely healthy and does not need medical help.
- Previous respiratory illness. If the day before the baby has had a viral infection, then sweating must be taken as a consequence of the disease. This problem disappears on its own after 2-3 days.
- High temperature in the room where the baby is being fed. Many mothers, fearing hypothermia, prefer to wrap up the baby before feeding. In such conditions, the baby quickly overheats and begins to sweat heavily.
- Tired feeding. If the baby has spent a lot of energy while eating, then against the background of physical fatigue, he has sweating. In this case, a wet head serves as a prevention of heatstroke.
- Overheating of the body. If the baby is wrapped up during the day, and is covered with a blanket before feeding, then the baby's body overheats in a matter of minutes.
- Violation of the rules for caring for an infant. Clothes, bed linen and other household items must comply with hygiene standards. If this does not happen, then even clothes made from hot material lead to sweating in the newborn.
Physiological causes do not always lead to head sweating when feeding a newborn. There are pathological factors that provoke this condition:
- Nervous system pathologies. Deviations can be observed both from the central and from the autonomic nervous system. Sweating occurs mainly in the frontal part of the newborn's head. In addition, with nervous disorders in infants, arms and legs sweat, sleep is disturbed.
- Rickets. Excessive sweating is one of the signs of this serious illness. There is rickets against the background of a deficit. This pathology is characterized by sweating during feeding and during sleep. Additional symptoms may indicate the development of rickets, such as an unpleasant smell of baby urine, bald patches in the back of the head, sour smell of stool, anxiety, delayed physical development and softness of the cranial bones.
- Vegeto-vascular dysfunction. In this case, the motor function of the vessels is disturbed, which is caused by a violation of their nervous regulation. In addition to sweating during feeding, a newborn baby has weight loss, decreased appetite, pallor of the skin, and uneven breathing.
How to help your baby
If the sweating of the head during feeding is due to any disease, then only a medical specialist can help the baby. If sweating was provoked by physiological reasons, then parents need to heed these recommendations:
- The temperature in the living room where the newborn child is located should not exceed 22 degrees. Humidity indicators are also important, which should not exceed 70%. Before feeding the baby, the mother is advised to ventilate the room, first transferring the baby to another room.
- The daily ones in the fresh air are useful. For this, a park or quiet alleys are suitable.
- It is not recommended to wrap up the baby excessively, both at home and on the street. The newborn should be dressed appropriately for the weather.
- After a preliminary consultation with a doctor, the child is prescribed a prophylactic course of vitamin D. This will avoid rickets.
- If a woman is breastfeeding, then she is advised to take care of maintaining lactation without transferring the child to artificial milk formulas. When breastfeeding, it is important to follow the breastfeeding woman's diet. For information on what can be included in the diet of a nursing mother, see the link
Sometimes mothers of babies notice some peculiarities in the health of their child. The room temperature is normal and the baby is sweating. His hair gets wet and moisture accumulates in the folds. This state occurs not only during sleep, but also during wakefulness. Why does the baby's head sweat during feeding? The reasons for this condition will be discussed in this article.
Why does the baby sweat?
Basically, the causes of increased sweating are normal and completely harmless to the health of the child. His sweat glands are not yet fully formed, usually at 5-6 years of age. Interruptions in their work are not uncommon.
The baby's head sweats - is it a norm or a deviation? A weak baby's body is not able to quickly rebuild during temperature changes, even if these changes are insignificant. For an adult, such fluctuations are completely invisible, and the child may freeze or become hot.
The reasons for which the baby sweats include:
- air temperature over +28 degrees;
- children's clothing made of synthetic materials;
- taking medications that cause sweating as side effects;
- motor activity.
If the mother has removed the provoking factors, and the child is sweating, then the cause of this condition lies in something else.
Consequences of overheating
Why does the baby's head sweat during feeding? At a room temperature that is normally perceived by adults, the child may experience discomfort. To prevent the baby from overheating, the following guidelines should be followed:
- Parents should stop wrapping their baby at an early age. This should not be done with older children either.
- Sweat glands begin to function in infants after 3 months. The child should be dressed in the same room as the adults. When walking on the street, outerwear is additionally added.
- It is best when the air temperature in the room is + 19-20 degrees.
- The humidity level in the room should not be 50-60%.
- In hot weather, it is necessary to avoid the open sun, and it is best to be in the shade.
If parents follow these simple rules, they will significantly reduce the possibility of overheating of the baby.
Cold symptoms
What other reasons why babies head sweat? When colds occur, the child's body temperature rises, which happens often. In this case, it is important not to overlook the symptoms of more serious problems. It is best to visit a pediatrician with your child.
Especially the help of a doctor is needed if, in addition to increased sweating, the baby has:
- cough;
- runny nose;
- eyes turn red;
- the baby is shivering;
- his palms and feet are hot.
If you experience these symptoms, you should give your child more fluids, which in turn will cause an increase in sweating.
Hereditary factors
The baby's head sweats a lot - is it worth worrying? When external factors have disappeared, then parents can make an assumption about the emergence of internal. Some babies may develop a genetic pathology - hyperhidrosis, which is characterized by increased work of the sweat glands.
The disease has the following types:
- General when the whole body sweats.
- Local or localized, which has the following types: palmar-plantar, axillary, face and head sweat heavily.
Secondary hyperhidrosis can develop due to the occurrence of such pathologies:
- diabetes mellitus;
- mental illness;
- being overweight;
- cancer diseases;
- diseases of an infectious and endocrine nature.
Parents should not panic, usually only the primary form of pathology is diagnosed in infants. If the study does not reveal anything, then you need to wait a while until this condition goes away on its own.
Development of rickets
Consider the reasons why babies have head sweats. Is it dangerous? In this case, the symptoms may indicate the onset of rickets. With the development of pathology, the child's skeletal system is incorrectly formed, which occurs due to metabolic disorders and the lack of vitamin D in the body in sufficient quantities.
Rickets is characterized by the following symptoms:
- Shudders and restless sleep.
- Fear of harsh sounds, increased irritability.
- During the examination, the pediatrician notices a softening of the bones of the skull.
- The urine smells sour.
Signs of illness are especially noticeable when the baby sweats a lot while sleeping or feeding. Sweat irritates the skin and produces an acidic odor. The baby is experiencing unpleasant sensations, so it rubs its head on the pillow. As a result, bald patches appear.
Overweight
Why does the baby's head sweat during feeding? Babies who are born with a heavy weight are prone to sweating, even with minimal exertion. Sometimes this happens in cases where the baby does not move at all.
Parents need to formulate the correct diet for their child in order to prevent weight gain. It is considered large if the baby at birth had a body weight of 4 kilograms or more.
Rapid weight gain in an infant suggests a later introduction of complementary foods. Up to 12 months, the diet should include on an equal basis with breast milk and vegetables in the required amount.
When eating high-calorie foods, you need increased physical activity, for example, swimming.
If the problem of excess weight is not solved, then you should undergo the necessary examinations with a doctor. Indeed, sometimes increased levels of insulin in the blood cause extra pounds that appear due to metabolic disorders.
Disorders of the nervous and cardiovascular system
Why does the baby's head sweat during feeding? In children who have not yet turned three years old, mothers notice the following symptoms:
- the child does not fall asleep well;
- gets tired quickly;
- attention is disturbed;
- hyperactivity;
- the baby sleeps restlessly, often wakes up and screams.
Nervous irritability can cause excessive sweating, which is not always cured with drugs. Herbal preparations and adherence to the daily regimen help to quickly cope with this problem.
Pathologies of the heart and blood vessels are difficult to identify in children under the age of one year. Signs of the disease, in addition to a sweating head, include the following:
- The baby cries in his sleep, without waking up, and sweats.
- Lack of appetite and lethargy.
- Rapid, uneven breathing.
- Blueness in the area between the lips and nose.
- Shortness of breath occurs even with minimal physical exertion.
If parents observe this in the condition of their child, then it is imperative to visit a pediatrician.
The right choice of children's clothing
Why does the baby's head sweat during feeding? When a child is dressed in things made of synthetic material or sleeps on poor-quality bedding, then he may have a similar problem. For a baby, it is best to use the following types of fabrics:
- cotton - usually used in hot summer weather;
- wool is an ideal choice for winter and cold autumn;
- flax is used in the heat;
- bamboo fibers can be used for any season;
- high quality jersey;
- linen and bamboo terry in towels and bathrobes.
Sweating will stop completely or will be significantly reduced if you buy items from the above fabrics. Choosing the right clothes or bedding should be a priority for parents.
How to solve the problem of sweating?
When all symptoms of a non-medical nature are excluded, it is imperative to consult a doctor. It is important to explain to the specialist which part of the child's body sweats the most - the accuracy of the diagnosis will depend on this.
When does a baby's head sweat during feeding and sleeping? If she sweats after active games or physical activity, then this is considered absolutely normal.
When this happens during sleep, it can be a protective reaction of the child's body to overheating. After all, it is very dangerous for babies.
To prevent overheating of the baby, you must:
- Do not wrap the child up all the time, even if the mother suggests that his health has deteriorated.
- The room should be kept at an optimal temperature, you can even sleep with the window ajar.
- Sleepwear and bedding should be made from natural fabrics.
What if my baby sweats a lot during sleep while feeding? Parents should not worry in this case, because sucking on the breast and the bottle is a labor that requires a lot of effort. All the facial muscles of the baby are working, and he sweats because he gets tired. To alleviate his condition, you must do the following:
- ventilate the baby's room before feeding;
- for eating, the baby must be dressed in light clothing made from natural fabrics;
- do not put a cap on the child's head;
- the mother holding the child in her arms should also be dressed in light clothing.
A child who has sweats on the head and other parts of the body should not be treated on their own. The reason why this happens in an infant can be found out by passing a special examination prescribed by a doctor. When the specialist establishes the correct diagnosis, only then the treatment will begin.
All people, children and adults alike, sweat. Sweating is not only a natural physiological response, but also thermal control for the human body. The degree of sweating in general depends on many factors, among which physiological inheritance dominates. Nevertheless, young mothers are often worried about the question: why does the baby sweat during feeding.
The fact is that the baby, when he eats, makes serious efforts to suck milk. For an adult, this is comparable to strenuous physical labor, in which sweating is absolutely normal. Therefore, it is perfectly normal for a baby to sweat while feeding.
Why does a baby's head sweat when feeding: the main reasons
There are the main reasons why a baby may sweat during feeding:
- Physical activity. Feeding makes the baby physically tense. If the mother loses milk from time to time or the milk supply is insufficient, the labor of obtaining food for the baby becomes even more difficult. However, if the child is dry in a calm state, there is no reason to worry and panic.
- Emotional stress. A day that is too busy with events and a lot of new impressions can also cause increased sweating. It is very important to ensure that there is no disturbance in nervous activity. Constant increased sweating can be a signal that there are problems, and a neurologist consultation is necessary.
- Failure to comply with the temperature regime can also be one of the reasons why the baby sweats while feeding. If the room is too hot, or the child is overly dressed, sweat is a natural reaction of the child's body. This factor is quite common, as young parents are afraid to overcool their baby.
If a child is wearing more clothes than an adult, it can cause temperature discomfort.
- Rickets. Sweating can be a sign of rickets. If the child sweats too often, and a "receding hairline" appears on the top of the head, you should contact the pediatrician. Most likely, the doctor will prescribe a course of vitamin D for therapeutic or prophylactic purposes.
- Heredity. If one of the parents sweats a lot, and this is not a disease, but a feature of the body, the baby can inherit it.
- Postponed respiratory diseases. Echoes of the disease in the form of excessive sweating can affect for a long time.
- Failure to comply with sanitary and hygienic standards can be one of the reasons why the baby sweats during feeding. A mattress that is too soft or a cream that is too greasy for baby skin can lead to sweating during meals.
- Vegeto-vascular dystonia. Today, many doctors do not recognize this disease, but if a problem exists, it is better to see an experienced pediatrician.
Psychoemotional factor. Oddly enough, a baby can sweat if he just misses his mother's breast.
If you have any doubts, and you do not know how serious the causes of increased sweating in your child are, it is best to show him to the doctor: pediatrician or neonatologist. In this case, you will calm yourself down and will be able to take action in time if there really are reasons for worry.
There are a lot of scary stories for mothers. Especially impressionable women perceive every action or inaction of the baby with horror. One of the most common fears is the threat of rickets if the baby's head sweats during feeding.
As soon as the mother notices this at least once, she is seized by anxiety and a desire to immediately cure the child from this scourge. But if rickets was not planned, excess vitamin D can harm him more than its lack. Do not panic, you need to carefully study the problem and find the right solution.
Why does a baby sweat when breastfeeding?
Sweating is a natural phenomenon for anyone, even if they are only a few weeks old. The process of feeding a child is quite a serious work that requires a lot of effort. Therefore, it is not strange that he sweats, especially during periods of lactation crises, when milk becomes less and it becomes even more difficult to get it.
However, the baby has a lot of reasons to sweat - from quite harmless to quite serious. Therefore, you should not ignore this sign. By eliminating them all in turn, you can determine whether it is worth worrying and see a doctor, or just open the window.
Congenital feature
If mom or dad is prone to excessive sweating, you should expect that the newborn will have this "ability". In this case, it is not worth worrying that the baby is sweating during feeding - if there are no other warning signs, this is not a symptom of the disease.
The thermoregulation system in newborn babies is not immediately adjusted. Sweat glands begin to work as early as 2-3 weeks, but they will fully “tune in” only by 5-6 years! Therefore, children are much more sensitive to the slightest and imperceptible temperature changes for adults.
Hot
As logically follows from the previous point, the baby can become hot even when adults feel quite comfortable. In addition, with the birth of a child in a family, the desire to protect him from everything in the world often intensifies, so they dress him warmly, close all the vents and cracks so that the baby does not blow. If the house is hot, naturally, the baby sweats during feeding, and during sleep, and just like that.
The baby is already prone to sweating when eating breast milk, as this requires a lot of effort from him. If, at the same time, caring parents wrapped him up so that only his nose sticks out, and in the house +25 - it's no wonder that the baby will sweat profusely.
You should not wrap up the child - he should be wearing the same amount of clothes as the parents, plus one layer. The cap in the room becomes superfluous as early as 1.5-2 months. For a walk, you will need another layer of outerwear.
Wrong clothes
Another reason for increased sweating during feeding or while sleeping is inappropriate clothing. Synthetic, breathable materials prevent the skin from breathing and disrupt the baby's thermoregulation, which is not very stable anyway.
If a child sweats, review their wardrobe and get rid of unsuitable clothes, leaving only cotton, linen and wool (if they are not allergic), high-quality knitwear and terry made from natural materials (for towels and dressing gowns).
This also applies to mothers - at the time of feeding, it is better to choose clothes made from natural materials, especially in hot weather.
The child has a cold
The possibility of a cold should not be ruled out. It is accompanied by fever and often sweating. Additional symptoms will help to recognize the disease in an infant:
- Runny nose;
- Cough;
- Reddened and watery eyes;
- Hot hands and feet;
- Chills.
Drinking plenty of fluids at temperatures is recommended, and this usually causes sweating. In addition, babies often sweat from medications that have this side effect. Sweating with a cold cannot be considered a negative phenomenon, as it is the body's way of avoiding overheating and losing steam.
Give your baby water more often (if he is an artificial person or already has complementary foods) or breastfeed to avoid dehydration.
The initial stage of rickets
Of course, if a baby's head sweats while sucking on the breast, this may also be a sign of rickets. In this case, there are a number of other symptoms:
- Poor sleep, shuddering, crying;
- Irritability;
- Fear of harsh sounds;
- Foul, sour urine odor;
- Skin irritation from sweat, sour odor. Because of the itching, the baby constantly rubs his head against the pillow and bald patches appear on the back of the head;
- Softness of the bones of the skull, which the doctor detects during examination.
A diagnosis can be made for sure only after a special examination and analysis. The doctor usually prescribes vitamin D for the child to prevent or treat rickets.
Do not be nervous right away, you need to study the baby's behavior, the back of his head, check if he is hot. If all external causes are excluded, you need to see a doctor. As in other cases, the treatment of rickets is much more productive in the early stages. Also, mom should know that rickets has been rare lately. It was common when most children did not receive enough mother's milk, but today many women breastfeed for a long time, and they walk a lot with their children. And this is the best prevention of rickets.
Neurological features
If the nervous system is impaired, sweating and anxiety can be signs of a disorder. In this case, a newborn baby usually sweats hands and feet, forehead and front of the head. He sleeps restlessly, gets tired quickly, and cannot concentrate.
If the doctor did not identify serious disturbances in the functioning of the nervous system, but made a diagnosis of increased nervous excitability, any drug treatment may not be required. Sometimes infusions of soothing herbs and adherence to the daily regimen are enough.
The baby is very sensitive to the emotional background in the family, so if the baby's head sweats during feeding, and there are signs of nervous excitement, pay attention to the atmosphere in the family.
Endocrine Disorders
Endocrine disorders can cause the development of secondary hyperhidrosis - increased sweating. Also, as a result of impaired metabolism, the baby may become overweight. In this case, any activity requires a lot of effort, so he sweats.
Identify the cause and then think about treatment. If the problem is overweight, you need to revise the baby's diet, but if hormonal disorders are the cause, the doctor will help you choose the right drugs.
Cardiovascular disorders
Symptoms of disorders in the work of the cardiovascular system are difficult to track down in young children, especially under the age of 1 year. Be attentive to the child and monitor any suspicious deviations from the usual picture.
You need to pay attention to the following signs:
- Increased head sweating;
- Poor appetite, lethargy, general lethargy;
- Blue discoloration of the area between the nose and lips;
- Crying in sleep, pallor, cold sweat;
- Rapid breathing, shortness of breath;
- Pain in the chest when pressed.
In childhood, disorders of the cardiovascular system are treated quite successfully, the main thing is not to delay the visit to the doctor.
What to do
All non-health causes must be excluded. First, the temperature in the room and the baby's clothes are checked. Then heredity, stress, physical activity and excess fluid are swept aside.
If everything is in order, you need to see a doctor. He will be able to pinpoint the cause of increased sweating and exclude the threat of rickets or other serious disorders. When visiting, it is advisable to tell the doctor about all suspicious symptoms, this will help him get a complete picture.
Although sweating while feeding scares many moms, it requires thoughtfulness and no panic. This will save you from unnecessary treatments and hassle, allowing you to keep the baby's health and mother's peace of mind.
