Cold limbs: When to worry?

A cold infant with limbs and limbs is quite normal, but if this is accompanied by other symptoms it could be a warning sign of some serious medical problems.

Are your baby's limbs always cold? This makes you worry about whether your baby is having problems or not? If you have a headache because of this problem, do not worry too much. See the following shares of aFamilyToday Health for some more information and knowledge related to this issue.

Becoming a parent is a joy, a joy, but also a lot of anxiety. In the infancy stage, the baby is too small and fragile, so the baby will need more attention and care from parents. Cold limbs and limbs are quite normal phenomenon in young children, if not accompanied by fever or other symptoms, you do not need to worry too much because this is a sign that the baby's body is working properly.

Cold limb infants: What is the cause?

In the infancy stage , the baby's development is still happening at a very fast rate. If the baby's hands or feet are cold, the condition is almost always related to the circulatory system. The reason is that the baby's circulatory system is not yet complete, so it will take longer for the blood to be put on the legs or arms.

The limbs are the peripheral parts of the body, so the blood will give priority to other important organs of the body such as the heart, lungs, brain, kidneys ... And the limbs are the last part where blood flows to. Even a delay in blood circulation can cause your baby's limbs to turn purple. Therefore, compared to the central region (torso, head), the limb temperature may be slightly lower.

Some babies also have the phenomenon of sweating hands and feet, causing heat to lose faster, so the limbs are colder. Therefore, the phenomenon of infants suffering from cold hands and feet is quite normal.

According to research, it takes 3 months after birth for the baby's blood circulation to fully adapt to life outside the womb. Therefore, when you see this phenomenon, do not panic, please calmly check the baby's body and wear socks to keep the baby warm.

What is this condition sign of?

Although cold limbs is a fairly common phenomenon in babies, it can sometimes be a warning sign of conditions such as:

Lack of vitamin B12: Fingers and feet are dense concentrations of nerves and the largest locating place on the human body. Meanwhile, vitamin B12 is essential for the production of red blood cells in the bone marrow, nerve sheaths and proteins. Therefore, the lack of this vitamin will make the fingertips and toes of the child cold.

State of anemia in infants will cause insufficient blood supply to the hands, the feet of the children. This will lead to cold hands and feet.

Strong phlebitis : Veins are responsible for supplying blood to more distant organs such as arms and legs. When the child's veins are damaged or inflamed, the baby will suffer from cold limbs and serious consequences if not promptly intervened.

Acute pneumonia: A child with cold hands and feet during the cold season can indicate acute pneumonia . If pneumonia, in addition to cold hands and feet, infants also have symptoms such as skipping feeding , diarrhea ...

A baby's limbs are cold: When is it necessary to worry?

The phenomenon of children under 3 months old with cold limbs is normal, less dangerous. However, parents still need to pay close attention to their children. Don't worry if your baby has cold hands and feet and still:

Normal skin color

Normal activities

Very alert, when called to puberty is quick and easy

Cry hard, reflexes normally

Lips, tongue are not dry, not purple, not thirsty ...

In the case, the infant cold limbs are accompanied by symptoms such as:

Fever higher than 39 ° C

Pale or even pale skin

The child's reactions are not as sharp as usual, laugh or cry a lot for a few hours

Difficult to wake up the baby

The baby is lying still, lethargic

Lips and tongue are dry, eyes are sunken, sunken, when breathing feels bulging, chest concave

There were some chills shivering

Hard neck, blisters on the skin, a rash when pressed

Crying continuously ...

You need to take your child to the doctor right away as this can also be a warning sign of dangerous problems such as meningitis . If not treated in time, the child is at risk of death.

What should parents do when an infant's limbs are cold?

Cold limbs are a normal phenomenon, not causing many problems. However, you can still take steps to keep your baby warm:

Let your baby wear long sleeves, socks (socks) to cover the whole body and help the body redistribute heat. However, if the ambient temperature is normal, do not wrap the child with a towel or dress to keep the child warm because the child will sweat if it is too warm, and heat cannot escape. This can make the baby's limbs more susceptible to cold.

When the baby's feet and hands are sweating, you can wipe the baby with a soft cloth and then gently massage the baby's hands and feet for a while to make the baby feel warmer.

For older and walking children, mothers need to avoid letting them walk barefoot on the cold stone floor. It is best to buy indoor slippers for the baby. When your baby is a little older, you can also let your baby soak his limbs with warm water and salt ginger before bedtime.

Always keep a baby's body warm in winter or on cold days. In particular, hands and feet are the parts that have much contact with the outside so they need to be properly kept warm.

Regular sunbathing for children between 6 and 8:30 am to avoid the risk of calcium deficiency. If you live in an area that is too cold or too hot, you need to choose the right time to sunbathe for your baby.

When your child reaches the weaning age, you need to feed your child a variety of iron-rich foods such as egg yolks, beef, soybeans ... At the same time, feed your baby fresh fruit or fruit juices to prevent lack of vitamins.

Cold limb is a fairly normal phenomenon. Over time, as the baby gets older, the circulatory system will also improve. Therefore, when you encounter this phenomenon, do not worry or panic.