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Hardening rules. How to start tempering correctly: tips, recommendations

Humanity has known about the benefits of hardening since ancient times. It was not for nothing that the traditions of the Russian bath included mandatory procedures dipping into cold water in summer or snow in winter. Yes and Orthodox tradition Christmas fonts, in addition to spiritual cleansing, significantly contributed to strengthening physical health. Since then, a lot of water has flown under the bridge and our lives have changed in the most dramatic way. But the question of how to properly begin to harden still remains very relevant. What's the benefit similar procedures, where should a beginner start, at what age can hardening begin, and what is needed for this?

How to start hardening - the benefits of hardening

Both folk and official medicine are unanimous in their approval of hardening and beneficial effects procedures of this type on human well-being and health. Scientific background the benefits of hardening are based on the fact that skin humans contain many so-called cold receptors, influencing which ice water, you can solve several problems at once:

  • Strengthening immunity to colds and viral diseases.
  • Stimulating the overall tone of the body.
  • Normalization of metabolism and activity of cardio-vascular system.
  • Getting rid of excess weight, from sagging skin and wrinkles.

Gaining a boost of energy and Have a good mood.

Water hardening

Of course, dousing cold water is not a panacea at all. Moreover, in several cases, the use of such procedures is strongly discouraged.

Hardening is contraindicated for people suffering from serious heart disease or experiencing problems with blood pressure.

Do not douse with cold water if you have a cold or the presence of purulent wounds on the body and in some other situations. In any case, before you begin to harden, you must consult with a qualified specialist.

  1. Who can do hardening? If you don’t take into account separate categories, which were discussed above, then hardening is recommended for absolutely everyone, regardless of gender and age. It's unique and affordable way feel young full of energy, a healthy person!
  2. What is needed for hardening? In addition to the healing effect, the undoubted advantage of hardening is the availability of this method of healing the body. For hardening, you don’t need any special tools or equipment - just a bucket of cold water or a simple shower! Therefore, it is quite possible to harden the body at home. However, you will still need something besides water: the desire to look younger and the ability to overcome your own laziness!
  3. How to start tempering correctly? It would seem that what could be simpler than a bucket of cold water? However, doctors and experts strongly recommend that a beginner begin to harden his body gradually. IN otherwise the body experiences so much severe stress that procedure, instead positive effect, can bring exactly the opposite. So, an approximate algorithm for hardening classes for a beginner looks like this:

At the first stage, it is quite enough to accustom yourself to washing your face with cold water every day. Moreover, you can start with water at room temperature, lowering the temperature every day. At this stage, as at all subsequent ones, regularity and consistency of procedures are very important. They must be performed not only at home, but also on trips, business trips, at a party, and so on.

Having gradually accustomed the body to morning cold baths, you can proceed directly to hardening. In urban environments, the procedure usually takes place in the bathroom using a bucket filled with cold water. To begin with, you can pour the water in the evening - it will reach room temperature overnight. Then you need to use the same strategy as in the initial stage, gradually making it colder. After dousing, it is very important to thoroughly and intensively rub the body with a dry towel to stimulate blood flow.

With a lack of time, which almost every city dweller experiences, instead of a bucket of water cold shower with mandatory rubbing after the procedure.

In many cases, this is even more convenient, but it must be remembered that exposure to an ice shower must be strictly dosed in order to avoid hypothermia.


Hardening methods You can go a slightly different route. Since for many, being under a cold shower requires overcoming certain psychological and sometimes physiological barriers, you can use a rubdown soaked in cold water with a towel. When the whole body (not just the face and hands) gets used to, you can proceed to pouring water from a bucket or get up under a cold shower.

As you get used to cold water, you can increase the duration of the procedures. This is very important point. There is no need to “take the bull by the horns” and set some kind of world records both in water temperature and in time. Graduality and not fussiness - these are the principles of successful hardening! For example, with a shower you can simply increase the time, and in the case of a classic douche - the number of buckets (up to two or even three).

Additional types of hardening

With the listed traditional types hardening of the body in the form of dousing with cold water and rubbing, there are also additional methods healing, strengthening the body and giving it vitality:

  • Air baths. Essentially, this is charging with the window open. Here, too, the principle of gradualism should be observed. Starting with 3-minute exercises with the window open and only after 2-3 months go out onto the balcony or outside. In this case, of course, the body should be as open as possible so that the skin can “breathe”.
  • Contrast shower. A very simple system consisting of alternating cold and hot water. Stimulates blood circulation and normalizes the functioning of the cardiovascular system. It is recommended to start with a three-cycle cycle, each lasting 10+10 seconds. After 2 weeks, you can double the duration (20+20 three times), and after the same period - triple.
  • Barefoot in the snow. In winter, doctors recommend short walks barefoot in the cold for a fairly seasoned person. This not only strengthens the immune system, but is also a very good prevention of flat feet, increased sweating stop, various diseases leg veins
    Thus, almost any person can practice hardening, regardless of age and gender.

The main thing is desire, perseverance and regularity of classes!

Doctors say that in people who stop hardening, the body quickly returns to its original state in which it was before the start of exercise. We can also advise you to read from famous people!

Prepared by: Anastasia Kuzheleva

If you are tired of getting sick every time the weather changes, start strengthening your body. This will help not only strengthen the immune system, but also improve metabolism, which promotes weight loss, strengthen nervous system, heart and blood vessels. But you shouldn’t jump into the hole right away. Find out how to properly harden yourself in our article.

Before listing all the safe methods of hardening, you should remember the following:
Don’t rush to do everything at once, otherwise you’ll end up with reverse effect: you will get sick. Select several points below and gradually add the remaining ones to them one by one.
You should begin to harden only after making sure that you are absolutely healthy.
If you feel that you are getting sick, turn on a more gentle hardening mode, or temporarily abandon the procedures that made you feel worse.
Thermoregulation in children is weaker than in adults. Before you start hardening your baby, it is better to consult your doctor.

1. Walking barefoot

To prepare your body for hardening, start walking around the apartment without slippers and in the lightest possible clothes. Yes, homemade sweaters, leggings and terry robes put it on the top shelf.

2. Sleeping with the window open

Get into the habit of sleeping with the window open in the winter, and completely in the summer. open window. This will not only strengthen the body, but also have a beneficial effect on sleep. Accumulates in an unventilated area for a long time carbon dioxide, inhaling it, a feeling of fatigue arises, people begin to yawn. Sleeping in such a room is disturbing - most often you have nightmares.

3. Washing with cold water

You need to accustom your body to cold water from small things - start washing your face with cold water in the mornings and evenings. The rule applies at all times of the year.

4. Drying with a towel

To begin hardening, rubbing with a towel is one of the most safe ways improve thermoregulation, i.e. help maintain constant temperature bodies in different climatic conditions.
Wiping is beneficial for everyone except people with skin diseases or disorders.
What do we have to do? Wet a towel with water at a temperature of 35 degrees and rub the entire body until red. It takes less than 2 minutes. Gradually reduce the water temperature by a degree. In a month you will be able to wipe yourself with cold wet towel.

5. Air baths

Air has a positive effect on blood vessels and improves blood pressure. Accept air baths You can do it both at home and on the street.
At home: open all the windows in the apartment, creating a draft, and undress. After 5 minutes, close the windows, and after 10 minutes, open them again.
On the street: It’s most beneficial to take air baths while moving; if it’s warm outside, put on a minimum of clothing and go out for a walk. In the cold season, dress so as not to freeze. It should be remembered that you can easily get sick if you walk in low temperatures and high humidity. You should not harden outdoors in the event of precipitation, fog or strong wind.

6. Pouring

You should start dousing individual parts of the body at room temperature. Best time for dousing - morning. Gradually move on to dousing the entire body. If you can handle this task, gradually reduce the water temperature. So, after a few months you will start dousing yourself with cold water. To avoid catching a cold, take a warm shower before showering. If the area allows you, go outside to shower, of course, in the summer. Dousing outdoors in winter is equivalent to diving into an ice hole - it is reasonable only after several years of hardening.

7. Contrast shower

A contrast shower will speed up metabolic processes and improve the functioning of the cardiovascular system. The main rules of a contrast shower are to spray the entire body with a stream of water and not delay switching between hot and cold water. Start with several cycles of 30 seconds hot water - 10 seconds warm - 5 seconds cold water. Remove it after a week middle part cycle, leaving only hot and cold water. After a week, complicate the task - 20 seconds of hot water - 10 seconds of cold. In a month you will be able to take cold and hot shower 20-30 seconds of hot water, 20-30 seconds of cold.

8. Hardening the feet

Hardening your feet is useful for both general strengthening immunity, and for the prevention of flat feet or hyperhidrosis - increased sweating. Fill the bathtub ankle-deep with room temperature water and walk around in it for a few minutes. Gradually reduce the temperature by 5 degrees.

9. Bath

Bathhouse, sauna are also good source hardening After the bath, you can plunge into cold water, douse yourself with cold water, or jump into the snow. remember, that sharp changes temperatures for unprepared organism dangerous. If you have just started to harden, the point “cold after the bath” is no longer necessary. Take a warm shower.

10. Swimming and winter swimming

Swimming in the river in summer is also one of the ways to harden yourself. It is rare when the water in the rivers of central Russia warms up by more than 25 degrees. If you have been hardening yourself for several years, try to swim for a few minutes or at least go into cold water for a short time during the rest of the year. And at baptism, plunge into the ice hole.

How to properly temper yourself at home? This is a difficult question for those who are accustomed to cozy, heated apartments, warm sweaters and jackets.

On the one hand, why do we need hardening at all?To specifically cool yourself, test your strength, torment your body, lowering your temperature over and over again?

On the other hand, look at the street animals. Their standard of living is not the best, but they don’t know what a cold or bronchitis is.

Now look at yourself again.A little draft - snot, - temperature. Somehow it doesn't work out well.

The influence of controlled exposure to cold on the human body

Scientists have long proven that temperature changes cause activation protective forces body.

Maintaining the influence of this stimulus always leads to improved resistance to disease.

Such activation, regulated by the person himself, with a competent approach leads to a favorable state of internal organs. Simply put, it is useful to harden yourself.


Hardening will help you improve your health

And you will experience the following positive changes:

  1. Vessels. Due to temperature changes, their walls sharply contract and relax, this strengthens them. Capillaries and skin maintain elasticity and youth. And we, for a moment, have 100 thousand kilometers of them!
  2. Heart. If you measure your pulse level after a douche, you will notice how much it has increased. Hardening affects the heart rate, the strength of each push and can heal and increase the tone of the main human muscle.
  3. Blood. The number of leukocytes improves and blood cells. Healthy blood circulation is accelerated, congestion is broken, internal organs washed with blood, which facilitates the delivery of nutrients.
  4. Muscles. Many “walruses” note that after a certain period of dousing and diving into the ice hole their physical strength increased. Here, an increase in regeneration in the body, constant enrichment of cells with blood, and the alternation of “strong tension and complete relaxation” play a role.
  5. Metabolism. It increases, toxic elements are removed from the body, nitrogen from food is better absorbed.
  6. Psyche. After such procedures, a person feels completely relaxed. His sleep is sound, and he will wake up vigorous and fresh.

Who can be tempered

Besides medical contraindications(tumors, inflammation, blood diseases), it is worth considering your personal mental type.

Hardening is ideal for calm,... People with increased nervous excitability You should think twice before you start hardening.

This is especially true for children, who may be suitable for completely different recreational hobbies, for example, sports.

Advice: carefully analyze your health status before.

Rules for carrying out any hardening procedures

Perhaps this is not the first time you have asked yourself the question, how to properly start tempering yourself at home, and think that you are completely ready for the method.

However, do not forget about psychological side question.

Yes, we tend to be afraid. It seems that it is already in the human genes to run from the frost to your warm nest.

But as practice shows, comfort in large quantities brings nothing but laziness and excessive relaxation of the body. As a result, we get illnesses, apathy, etc.


Regular exercise combats bad mood
  1. Always warm up before your procedure. Insufficient preparation of the body before dosed cooling is a common mistake.
  2. The ideal way to do this is with simple warm-up exercises: twirl your arms, legs, and pelvis, rub your body until you feel hot and take it moderately. hot shower. You shouldn't sweat.
  3. Please note that different parts of the body have their own temperature: the stomach is hot, the feet and legs, on the contrary, are cool, etc.
  4. When you heat the surface of the skin, it will fill with blood and the blood vessels will respond more readily to the cold.
  5. If you harden on a cool body, vasospasm will occur and there will be no correct reaction to your actions.

How to properly temper yourself with cold water at home?

  1. Warm up, do some squats, walk around, dry off naturally.
  2. Afterwards, you can even crawl under the blanket to restore blood circulation. After 20 minutes you will feel that it is getting hot - get up and get dressed.
  3. This way you won’t get sick, even if you’re new to this business. It is also important to cool the head at the same time to avoid blood stagnation or even disturbances in the functioning of blood vessels.
  4. Start from the top of your head, then your shoulders, chest, and the rest of your body. If you do not plan to pour your head, wash your face and wet your cervical region.
  5. This is especially true for people with diseased, inelastic vessels.
  6. Increase the duration and strength of hardening procedures gradually.
  7. Hardening increases only if you adhere to this mandatory rule.
  8. At the same time, it is important not to get stuck in one place and constantly move forward, lowering the degrees.
  9. Try not to dry yourself with a towel afterwards.

Also consider the following:

  1. Invigorating procedures such as hardening with cold water are best done in the morning, immediately after waking up. At this time, the body is still uniformly warm, the body's response will appear much more readily.
  2. Hardening hot water maybe before bed. This will make it easier to fall asleep.
  3. Use not only controlled cooling, but also body heating. Porfiry Ivanov, the creator of the well-known health system, argued that a sauna or steam bath cleanses, and cold removes mucus and toxins.
  4. Pay special attention to the neck, feet and palms as areas supplied big amount reflex points. They have a significant impact on many internal systems.
  5. During menstrual cycle You can continue to massage, but exclude procedures that can cause a rush or outflow of blood from the pelvic area.

Advice: start to harden yourself by moving from sunbathing in summer to air - in autumn and - in winter.

How to properly harden yourself at home from scratch?

You should start small; the first stage can be partial rubdowns.

Warm up as described above and fill your palms with water. Splash it forcefully onto yourself, then rub your skin until completely dry.

Start with the largest areas and work down to the small ones.For example, chest, abdomen and ending with arms.

Treat your back with a wet towel.

Start with room temperature at 20°C and lower this line a few points each subsequent time.

Achieve the condition where the skin quickly turns red. This means that the body has responded to your efforts. It's incredibly beneficial for circulation.


Dip it in water and tie it around your body like you would tie a bath towel after a shower.

Rub your body intensively through it until you feel hot. This type of rubdown is ideal for elderly and frail people.

If possible, ask for help. The temperature limit starts around 15°C and decreases, gradually reaching 10–12°C.

After mastering this point, you can move on to more serious ones:

  1. It is preferable to choose early morning for douches, 6–7 o’clock - perfect time. If it is more convenient for you to exercise in the evening, make sure that it occurs 3 hours before bedtime, otherwise you will toss and turn in bed until midnight.
  2. Warm up your body with rubbing and exercise.
  3. Fill with water at the selected temperature (below 10°C) plastic basin or bucket. The main thing is to hold it comfortably.
  4. Kneel down, between or on your heels, and slowly pour the water over yourself, starting from the top of your head, and work your way down. The procedure lasts a few seconds, no more. If you don't want to get your head wet, wash your face and rinse your neck.
  5. You can also plunge your head into the bath. The water should completely cover the body, and the duration of exposure should not exceed 15 seconds.
  6. After a bath or douche, run, jump, shake your abs.
  7. An excellent solution would be to exercise with dumbbells. This further activates the bodily response to the action. You will be better cleansed and energized for the whole day.

How to properly temper yourself at home from scratch for children?

Raising a healthy child

How to properly harden children at home? Sometimes it’s scary to even talk about this topic.

How is it possible to take a warm, favorite lump and pour a tub of cold water on it?

It's scary to even think about it, but it's important condition health. For example, the Yakuts dipped a newly born baby in snow and water and immediately wrapped him in skins.

D children grew up and had excellent health! People with poor immunity do not live long in Siberia. What do we have?

Our baby is wrapped up as warmly as possible, placed in diapers in a heated room, and God forbid there is an open window somewhere!

But the truth is that from the first minute of life a child is ready for the most severe tests of a new reality for him.


His immunity works to its fullest and if this connection with nature is not interrupted, he will work like this all his life.

And you should start not with hardening, but with organizing the child’s existence.

Such “natural upbringing” is often in dissonance with pediatrics, but those parents who are seriously concerned about their child’s health are surprised how they “worked for the pharmacy” for so long, because the process itself is simple, and the result will not be long in coming.

Rules, to How to properly temper a child at home:

  1. Start by increasing your physical activity. Let him finally know what it is long walks on the street.
  2. Don't be afraid of light rain or wind. This is nature: both you and your child are part of it. In almost any kindergarten or school there is clearly a lack of sports.
  3. Give the baby to a section or circle. Believe me, the sooner you start, the stronger your immunity will be in the future.
  4. Clothing should protect, but not hinder movement. If you are going for a walk, remember that the baby should not sweat, but he will move actively. It would be reasonable to gradually reduce the amount and thickness of clothing, observing the child’s well-being.
  5. Nutrition is another “pillar” on which health is based. Never force your child to eat if he doesn't want to. If he doesn't eat, he hasn't spent enough energy. Force feeding will lead to another problem in the future - an eating disorder.

If you are sure that you have fulfilled all the previous conditions, you can proceed to direct hardening:

  1. In infancy, start with air baths, gradually increasing the amount of time spent on this from 5 minutes and above at 20°C, then move on to walking barefoot around the house.
  2. Hot and cold rubdowns are good: dip a towel in water and fast movement wipe the baby. You can start at room temperature and gradually lower it.

Hardening strengthens the nerves, gives strength, normalizes blood pressure, increases endurance and gives reasons to be proud of oneself. If you decide to harden yourself, do it correctly, that is, systematically and without fanaticism - then you will forget about colds, stress and weather dependence.

We have known since childhood how beneficial hardening is. Hardened means hardy, vigorous, healthy... He is not threatened by flu epidemics, he is not susceptible to colds and is not afraid of drafts. Hardening is the simplest and most accessible way to strengthen the immune system, get rid of many ailments and simply improve not only physical, but also psychological tone.

Hardening rules

Experts identify two most important rules for hardening. The first is gradualism, the second is regularity. If you decide to prepare yourself in advance for Epiphany bathing in an ice hole, then you need to start not with diving into a cold plunge pool at home, but with air baths or at least with contrasting foot baths. The body must get used to the cold, otherwise you can catch pneumonia or best case scenario cold. And the second important point: if you start to harden yourself, quit this activity after a day or two, and then return to it again, you will have to start from the very beginning. Skin receptors, blood vessels and the nervous system will become unaccustomed to the effects of cold on them, and hardening procedures will bring neither pleasure nor benefit.

Contraindications to hardening

It is not recommended to harden people who have problems with the heart and blood vessels or diseased kidneys. In the list of contraindications hypertonic disease, violation cerebral circulation, thrombophlebitis. Temporary contraindications – colds, flu, exacerbation chronic diseases, attack bronchial asthma, trauma, bleeding, food poisoning, spicy mental disorder. What can I say - if you harden yourself from a young age, then there will be no problems with your health later.

When starting hardening procedures, it is advisable to quit smoking and give up alcoholic beverages, just like when playing sports. And before we proceed directly to water procedures, you need to get a good night's sleep to feel more energetic. And, of course, it is best to start hardening procedures after light morning exercises.

Hardening sequence

If you - " indoor plant“, accustomed to living in an unventilated room and catching a runny nose from the slightest breath of breeze from an open window, you need to follow the sequence of hardening procedures with special care. Experts have drawn up an action plan for beginners.

So, the first stage includes:

  • Air and sunbathing;
  • Rubdowns;
  • Contrast procedures.

Second phase:

  • Barefoot in the snow;
  • Pouring water;
  • Swimming in reservoirs.

First stage

1. Air baths

The optimal temperature for adults is 14 degrees, for children – 22-24. If you live outdoors, go out into the garden in the morning, to a quiet place protected from the wind. Strip down to your swimsuit. Make a few simple exercises or just walk around. To get started, two minutes will be enough.

If you are a resident of a metropolis, you will have to be content with a balcony. True, your neighbors may notice you, but don’t be shy, maybe your example will encourage them to do similar things. useful activities. The next day, increase the duration of the air baths by a couple of minutes. As a result, your stay in the cold should reach 30-40 minutes. You can also gradually move to lower temperatures.

2. Rubdown

After your receptors have become accustomed to the cool atmosphere, we proceed to wiping the body with cold water. We take a fairly hard towel, wet it and start wiping. First we rub the neck, then the chest, arms and back. Some experts advise drying without wiping, and then rubbing yourself until red with a dry towel. The last step is to wipe your feet with a wet towel and then with a dry one. Now that you feel the heat throughout your body, you need to dress warmly and have breakfast. Experts take 2-3 months for these procedures.

3. Contrast procedures

This includes contrast baths and contrast shower. We start with the baths. By the way, this procedure can be performed both in the morning and in the evening, since it does not have a stimulating effect on the nervous system and therefore does not disrupt the process of falling asleep. Take two basins, fill one with cold water and the other with hot water. And in turn lower one leg, then the other, into each basin for 5-6 seconds.

By the way, this is exactly the way I tempered my little daughter. Dip one foot ten times first into hot water– for a second, then cold, etc. The baby liked it and gave the expected effect - she stopped getting sick in cold season of the year. By the way, like rubbing, contrast baths will also take you 2-3 months.

Now that your body is a little accustomed to low temperatures, let's proceed to the contrast shower. After morning exercises stand under a hot shower for 1-2 minutes. Very nice, needless to say. When you are warm enough, turn off the hot water and turn on the cold. First, direct the stream to your feet, then to your calves, knees and thighs. Then, leaning forward, water your arms, chest and neck. Why do you need to bend over? Then, so that cold water does not get on your stomach and back - at first this is not the most pleasant sensation. It is better to simply moisten your back and stomach with your hand or a wet towel. Enough time should pass before you can stand under a continuous stream of cold water.

By the way, I never decided to do this. I’ve been taking contrast showers for many years, but I don’t risk exposing my back and stomach to cold water. I'm afraid this may cause vasospasm. Why take the risk? It seems to me that it is quite enough to walk with cold water on other, not so sensitive, parts of the body, so that then, after wiping yourself dry, you will feel a surge of heat, vigor and a surge of endorphins.

Second phase

1. Barefoot in the snow

“Walks” in the snow barefoot are shown minimally seasoned people. The benefits of this hardening method are well known. It turns out that this strengthens the immune system and the tonsils become less sensitive to infections. The first time you just step barefoot on the snow and immediately wipe your feet dry and put on warm socks. Gradually increase contact with snow to three minutes, and then to fifteen. Now you are not afraid of colds or flu.

2. Pouring water

You can pour the whole body, from head to toe, or you can only pour parts of the body. Start with a partial dousing. Prepare for the procedure in the evening. Fill a bucket of water and place it in the bathroom. Chlorine and other chemicals will evaporate from the water overnight. harmful substances, and it itself will warm up to room temperature 19-22 degrees. Also prepare a ladle and a towel.

In the morning, after exercising, go out into the yard (if you live outside the city) and pour a ladle over your feet and hands, then wipe yourself dry and run into the house to dress warmly. In two to three weeks you will be ready for full dousing. In this case, it is advisable to gradually lower the water temperature to 17 degrees.

Although passionate fans of dousing with cold water claim that this procedure must be done exclusively while standing barefoot on the ground, city residents will have to perform it while standing in the bath. And the action will be no worse.

3. Swimming in reservoirs

If you have been diligently hardening yourself for almost a year using the methods described above, thanks to which you have become stronger and healthier, then you can try a cold bath. But still, experts advise visiting a doctor first and getting tested to make sure that your body is really ready for such a test. At first you can plunge for a couple of seconds, no more. Gradually, each time, your body will adapt more and more, and you will be able to increase the time you spend in cold water in the summer to five minutes, and in the winter to 1 minute.

Hardening is a wonderful thing that strengthens not only the body, but also the spirit. Take care of these useful procedures, and you will not only stop coughing and sneezing in winter, but also feel a surge of unprecedented energy and emotions.

Every mother dreams of her baby growing up healthy and strong. To do this, she tries to feed him longer breast milk, has been talking to him since birth, singing lullabies, walking for several hours a day and surrounding him with maximum love and care. Is all this enough? After all, weak immunity, unfavorable external environment, wrong image life and the emergence of new diseases, viruses and infections often cause both adults and children to get sick. What should parents do to keep their baby safe and protect him from insidious ailments? In addition to all of the above, it is worth hardening children.

Hardening efficiency

From birth to 7 years, hardening at home can prevent frequent illnesses. The purpose of hardening procedures is to make the body resistant to the effects of low and high temperatures and unfavorable influence of factors external environment.

  • strengthen the baby's nervous system;
  • contribute proper development muscles and bones;
  • activate metabolism;
  • improve the functioning of internal organs;
  • increase the body's resistance to pathogenic factors.

General and local hardening of children

Hardening procedures are indicated from the 6th-7th day of life, if as a result of an examination of the baby by a pediatrician, no contraindications for their implementation have been identified.

In order to children's body As they grow older, they respond adequately to fluctuations in temperature and humidity; general and local hardening is carried out. TO general procedures relate:

  • sunbathing and air bathing;
  • bath procedures;
  • cold and hot shower.

Local hardening procedures include:

  • dousing the feet;
  • walking on earth, pebbles, snow;
  • gargling cool water;
  • washing with cool water.

Basic rules for hardening procedures

Hardening procedures at home will give good results only when they become a daily ritual. They will not take much time and will benefit the child if parents learn a few simple rules:

  • There are no age restrictions for carrying out hardening procedures at home.
  • Hardening procedures are carried out only when the child is healthy.
  • In order to achieve maximum effect, hardening of children should be carried out systematically using environmental factors (sun, water and air), regardless of the time of year.
  • To obtain the expected results, the strength of the stimulus and the time of its impact on the child’s body are increased gradually.
  • A positive attitude and positive emotions play a huge role in the hardening process, so it is better to carry it out in a playful way.

Rules for hardening an infant

The first and main hardening procedure for a baby is air baths, during which the baby is kept naked for 1-2 minutes. The air temperature during such procedures should not exceed 24 °C.

Infants born in the summer are recommended to walk, starting from 20-40 minutes a day, gradually increasing their duration to several hours a day. The only limitation of such procedures is that the child should not be exposed to direct sunlight.

Daily bathing, at the end of which the child is rinsed with cool water, washing and general wet wiping, supports the innate resistance to the natural environment for a person.

Hardening a child from 1 to 3 years old

If the child was hardened from birth, contrast methods can be used at this age:

  • general rubdowns;
  • swimming in open water;
  • sunbathing in the morning and after 4 pm, starting from 10 minutes and increasing the time spent in the sun to 40 minutes.

Basic rules for hardening preschool children

A child from 3 to 7 years old should be in a room where the temperature does not rise above 20 C. To the above hardening procedures, you can add rinsing the mouth with water at room temperature or a decoction medicinal herbs. Gymnastics classes become more complex and lengthy, jogging is added fresh air, visiting a sauna or Russian bath.