Are newborn babies afraid of heat and cold?

Newborns are not afraid of cold or heat. There is no scientific basis. The newborn's thermoregulation center is not perfect, sweat glands are underdeveloped and muscles are underdeveloped. They are not only afraid of cold, but also afraid of heat. Because the body temperature in the mother's uterus is obviously higher than the general indoor temperature, the baby's body temperature will drop after delivery, and then gradually increase, reaching or exceeding 36℃ within 24 hours after birth. The most suitable environmental temperature for newborns is called neutral temperature. When the ambient temperature is lower than or higher than the neutral temperature, the body can increase heat production or heat dissipation through adjustment to maintain normal body temperature. When the change of ambient temperature exceeds the baby's adjustment ability, it will cause the baby's hypothermia or overheating.

Because the function of the baby's thermoregulation center has not been fully developed, it is reasonable to take necessary heat preservation measures for the baby. There are three reasons: first, the baby's body surface area is relatively large (calculated by kilogram weight, the body surface area of newborns is twice or more than that of adults), and the heat dissipation area is large and easy to dissipate. Second, although human adipose tissue has heat insulation effect, the subcutaneous fat of newborns is thinner, which is obviously less than that of adults, and it is easy to lose heat. Third, the newborn has a special posture, a large exposed area and increased heat dissipation. But when the ambient temperature is too high, the baby dissipates heat by increasing the evaporation of skin moisture. When the water evaporates excessively and the effective blood circulation in the body is insufficient, the baby will have a high fever, which is the reason why the newborn has dehydration fever. Therefore, folk parenting customs always think that newborns are afraid of cold and heat, which has no scientific basis.