One of the common problems that young mothers turn to the pediatrician with is a hot head in newborns. What could be the reason for this and how can parents help their child in such a situation?

Why does the baby have a hot head?

It is known that a hot head indicates a disease and an increase in temperature. However, it must be taken into account that the temperature in the womb, where the child was for 9 months, is 38 degrees. At birth, the baby finds himself in completely new conditions for his body, in which his skin quickly cools, so the newborn is always placed to the source of heat - the mother. In an infant, the process of thermoregulation is not fully formed. With that in mind, don't worry too much if your little one has a hot head.

Another reason for this problem may be improper care of the baby. Due to the fact that most of the time the baby is in a recumbent, inactive position, a young mother, worrying, may over-wrap him or dress him in too warm clothes. And this, in turn, leads to overheating of the child's body. To avoid this problem, read the article. Also, to prevent overheating, it will be useful to pay attention to the air temperature in the crumbs room.

Teething can also cause a hot head in an infant. In this case, an increase in body temperature may not be observed.

Thermoregulation problems in infants

In infants, heat production is carried out as a result of oxidation processes in the brown tissue of the fatty layer, which is located on the neck, between the shoulder blades and behind the sternum. Due to the work of the thyroid gland, the amount of energy that the baby needs for proper heat transfer is formed. In addition, when freezing, the baby's muscles spontaneously begin to contract, thereby raising the body temperature.

The processes of heat transfer in adults differ from the same processes in the body of infants. So, in an adult, fever is accompanied by active sweating. In a newborn child, the sweat glands are poorly developed, therefore, at elevated temperatures, the vessels of the skin expand, which enhances heat transfer. And when the temperature drops, subcutaneous fatty tissue acts to help an adult. In an infant, it is practically absent, which leads to rapid hypothermia.

In connection with such differences, as well as with the immaturity of the thermoregulation mechanism, indicators from 36.4 to 37.2 degrees are considered acceptable in infants.

The baby has a hot head, but there is no temperature - what to do?

In most cases, this situation is the norm or indicates the features of children's thermoregulation. Often a hot head indicates that the baby is hot, so open it up and allow air to enter the body. Regularly ventilate the room in which the baby is located (the recommended temperature should not exceed 23 degrees). Make sure that the baby's clothes are only made from natural fabrics.

Spend more time outdoors if possible, especially during the warmer months. In summer, try to avoid exposure to the sun to avoid overheating.

Constantly monitor the baby's body temperature by regularly measuring it. If the baby's head remains hot for a long time, seek help from a local pediatrician. In this case, the following symptoms deserve special attention:

• excessive anxiety;
• hair loss;
• sweating;
• increased excitability.

The temperature of a certain area of ​​the skin is determined by the individual characteristics of the child. And remember that often a hot head is not a sign of illness.

What to do if the baby has a hot head? How dangerous is this condition of the child and is it dangerous at all? This question often haunts young parents, so now we will try to give an exhaustive answer to it. And also find out what are the features of thermoregulation in young children, and how this process differs in babies and adults.

How is thermoregulation in newborns?

In both children and adults, body temperature is regulated by the hypothalamus, a special department located in the diencephalon. But at the same time, the endocrine and nervous systems play an equally important role in this process. So, the thyroid gland, adrenal glands and pituitary gland directly affect the production of heat by the body. In general, thermoregulation is a complex of chemical and physical processes that give a person the opportunity, if necessary, to increase or, conversely, reduce heat production.

Muscles and digestive organs, in particular, the liver, help the body to “warm up”. It is the chemical processes of thermoregulation that are more involved in this mechanism, which, as studies show, are quite well developed in newborn babies. On the contrary, the vascular system is responsible for heat transfer, as well as sweating. Due to their special physiology and insufficient development of the skin, it is harder for children to cool themselves. That is why the baby has a hot head without fever is a normal condition. This, as a rule, is not associated with malfunctions in the body; the cause of this condition is most often banal overheating.

From the moment of his birth, however, the child can cope with the challenges that the environment throws at him. In the womb, he was in the waters, the temperature of which is close to 38 degrees, therefore, when he is born, he experiences a shock, because he gets to a place where it is 10-14 degrees colder. Brown adipose tissue helps him cope with such a temperature drop, it begins to form in the fetus at about the 26th week of pregnancy and accumulates in the body until the very birth. The baby will use it to keep warm for about the entire first year of his life.

Premature babies do not have as much brown fat as babies born on time, so they have much worse thermoregulation. The second feature of babies is that their muscles do not contract during heat production. That is, if the child does not shiver in the cold, this does not mean that he is not cold. To determine this, it is better to feel the child. If the baby has a hot head, it means that he is hot, and cool skin may indicate hypothermia.

When do newborns stabilize thermoregulation?

The first week of life for a newborn baby is marked by strong fluctuations in body temperature. Immediately after birth, a healthy child has a fairly high body temperature - 37.7-38.2 degrees. Accordingly, the baby has a hot head, and not just the torso. But already after three hours, the temperature drops, and quite strongly - to 35.2 degrees, after which it gradually stabilizes and stays at 36.2 degrees in the first three days of life.

After being discharged from the hospital, many mothers notice that the baby has a temperature of 37.2 plus or minus a few tenths of a degree, but at the same time he feels good - he eats normally, sleeps, and does not act up. In the first two months of life, such hyperthermia is considered normal, it is associated with the underdevelopment of the thermoregulation of the child. You need to be wary if, in addition to fever, other symptoms are observed: the baby has a sweaty head, he is restless, does not go to the toilet well, eats little.

From about six months in full-term children, the temperature begins to normalize, they have the processes of heat production and heat transfer, but they will not end so soon - only after a year, and in premature babies this is delayed for another 2-3 months. Overheating in babies happens even at an older age, so they should always be dressed "according to the weather."

Features of the temperature of different parts of the body in children

Also, mothers often notice that the baby has a hot head, while the hands and feet are completely cold. In such cases, the child urgently needs to measure the temperature, and if its increase is recorded, it means that there is a serious inflammatory process in the body with a high degree of probability. Due to vasospasm, the body cannot lose heat through the skin of the palms and feet, and accumulates it inside the body, causing the temperature to rise more and more.

This condition is extremely dangerous for babies and requires immediate medical attention. In general, studies by doctors have shown that on the surface of different parts of the child's body, the temperature, as a rule, is different. This is due to the fact that in some places there are more blood vessels. So, in the central part of the body the temperature is higher, and on the periphery - lower. At the same time, the toes are the coldest (in newborns, 31.7 degrees). Having felt the baby, parents may notice that the baby has a hot head in the temple area without fever, and the forehead is cool. This is absolutely normal and is connected with the same uneven coverage of the vessels of the skin.

Normal temperature for children up to a year

A slight "warming" of the body in a newborn is quite normal. As we have already said, if the temperature of the baby fluctuates between 36.5-37.5 degrees, this is quite natural and acceptable. During sleep, the child may get a little excited, so putting him a thermometer awake does not make sense. Such a measurement of body temperature will be uninformative, because it will most likely show hyperthermia, which will pass by itself after about half an hour. Also, the child may become hot if he is not properly dressed, using a large amount of clothes or things made of synthetic fabrics. When the temperature rises, you can try to undress the baby, and if the situation stabilizes, then this is not about illness, but about overheating.

Is a hot head in a baby a symptom of an illness or a norm?

By itself, the increase in temperature in the head area does not mean anything. This can become a symptom only along with other characteristic signs of diseases:

• restlessness;
• bad sleep;
• weak appetite;
• urinary retention and constipation, or vice versa, diarrhea;
• frequent unreasonable crying.

These symptoms may indicate infectious or neurological disorders.

Head sweating in a child

Often parents are interested in pediatricians why the baby's head is sweating. According to a number of experts, this is due to a deficiency of vitamin D in the body and rickets, but not all doctors adhere to this point of view. To confirm this diagnosis, you need to consult a neurologist and an orthopedist, as well as donate blood for biochemistry.

Another likely cause of head sweating is the underdevelopment of the sweat glands, overexcitation, the use of synthetic clothing and downy bedding, intense sucking (this makes the child tired, sucking for the baby is a serious physical exertion).

How to cool down a child?

Before you engage in "knocking down" the temperature, you need to find out the reason for its increase. To do this, you need to understand why the baby has a hot head and other parts of the body. If it is a disease, then it needs to be treated under the guidance of a competent medical officer.

If the fact is that the baby is overheated, everything possible must be done in order to remove the factors that contribute to his hyperthermia. To begin with, the child should be undressed, you can wipe his hands, feet and head a little with a damp cloth. This will ensure that the fever will go away faster and the temperature will return to normal. It is also very important to maintain a normal microclimate in the room where the newborn is most of the time. Although he is accustomed to warmth while in the womb, after birth he does not need to be grown like a greenhouse plant in a hot and stuffy room. It is more correct to maintain the temperature at a level of 22-24 degrees and not higher, and air humidity - from 40 to 60%.

Where in the head should a child's fever be checked?

Many parents, kissing their child on the forehead, check if he has a fever. This method of temperature rise control is truly generational proven. But you need to understand that by touching this part of the head, you can only determine whether the baby has a fever at all, but this method will never give an accurate result. In addition, it is important to “not miss” when making such a diagnosis and not to kiss the baby on the temple, where, in principle, the skin is much warmer, and it may seem that the baby has a temperature of 37 degrees or even higher.

Why does the baby have a hot head

During pregnancy, the baby is in the mother's abdomen, where the temperature is always kept at around 38 ° C. Immediately after birth, the baby enters an environment to which he is not at all accustomed. The skin of the baby at birth is wet, which leads to rapid cooling, so in the first minutes the baby is immediately wiped off and placed to a heat source.

Everyone knows that a hot head means illness and fever. Often, a young mother, discovering that the baby has a hot head, panics and calls a doctor. In most cases, you should not worry, because the baby's body is not built the same way as an adult's. He has diseases characteristic only to him and his own principles of functioning. His body temperature is not constant, since the processes of thermoregulation have not yet been formed. The baby must be properly dressed so that he does not experience either cold or heat. Do not wrap your baby up at night, as this can lead to overheating.

Thermoregulation problems in infants

In humans, as well as in mammals, a constant body temperature, which does not depend on the environment. This constancy is the result of complex thermoregulation mechanisms that ensure metabolic processes. They are controlled by the central nervous system and the center of the brain - the hypothalamus. It receives signals from nerve endings and sends them to different systems of our body. Heat exchange is carried out due to heat transfer and heat production.

In infants, heat production occurs due to oxidation processes in brown adipose tissue. It is present only in the fetus and in the newborn child. Brown fat is produced from the twenty-sixth week of pregnancy and by the time the baby is born, it makes up to 8% of his body weight. It is located in the neck, behind the sternum, between the shoulder blades. A feature of this mechanism is that under the influence of the thyroid gland, maximum heat is generated at minimal energy costs. The second important mechanism in the process of heat transfer is muscle trembling. If body temperature drops, then involuntary muscle contractions increase it. If the baby is cold, he begins to cry and move actively. This leads to an increase in body temperature.

Heat transfer is the processes of sweating and tone of blood vessels. In an adult, with an increase in temperature, active sweating begins. In infants, the sweat glands are not yet developed, so the baby does not sweat much. Also, when the temperature rises in a newborn, the vessels of the skin expand, and heat transfer increases. And in the reverse order, when the tone of the blood vessels increases and the heat transfer decreases as the temperature decreases. In an adult, subcutaneous adipose tissue is well developed. The baby practically does not have it, therefore, when the skin vessels narrow, heat loss continues. A feature of the baby is a tendency to overheat due to the underdevelopment of the sweat glands, and to hypothermia due to the lack of a fat layer.

The skin of a baby contains significantly more water than that of an adult and has a thin layer of epidermis, so the lack of warmth of a naked baby due to evaporation of moisture can be significant. Normal body temperature in an infant is considered to be from 36.4 ° C to 37.2 ° C. It is better to measure it under the arm using mercury or electronic thermometers.

Given the important features of the baby, it is necessary to organize proper care. The temperature in the room where the newborn is located during the first days of life should be no higher than 25 ° C, then 24 ° C. For babies older than a month, it should be 23 ° C. Dress your child according to the temperature. If you are worried if the baby is cold, touch his nose. On a walk, it should be a little colder than the body.

When an infant has a hot head and no temperature, in most cases this is the norm and features of thermoregulation. To stabilize, open the baby and provide air access. To avoid such situations, ventilate the room more often. If necessary, change your baby's clothes. His clothes should be only from natural fabrics. Excessive activity also leads to the fact that the head becomes hot. Alternate active and quiet games and activities. If you follow all the rules, and your head is still hot, then it is better to consult a doctor. Pay attention if the child has the following symptoms:

• increased excitability;
• excessive anxiety;
• hair loss;
• sweating.

Hot head in the baby, what to do?

If the baby has a hot head and is healthy, then try to spend more time outdoors. In the summer, to avoid overheating, go outside before eleven o'clock in the morning and after five o'clock in the evening. At this time, the sun's rays are not so active. The most suitable clothing for this will be a light jumpsuit made of natural material. Don't forget the headdress. Do not wear socks and shoes. For an older kid, you can take walks on the grass. It is better not to wear diapers, in hot weather the baby is very uncomfortable in them. If the child is hot at home, wipe it with a damp towel.

Baby hot head

A hot head in an infant may be the result of an immature thermoregulatory system. There is no temperature in this case, just because this is a variant of the norm. Heat exchange in infants has a number of differences:

1. In children, the sweat glands are not fully formed, as a result of which the child sweats little and cannot cool like adults. Therefore, cooling occurs due to the expansion of subcutaneous blood vessels. Dilated blood vessels are close to the surface of the skin in some parts of the body, and their warmth is well felt when touched, for example, on the back of the head, which gives the impression of heat.
2. Babies have brown adipose tissue that breaks down to keep the body warm with minimal energy expenditure.
3. If the child is too wrapped up or dressed in layered clothing, the body is cooled by heat transfer through the head. Therefore, often the baby's head is hot, but there is no temperature.

As a result, children are prone to overheating, since their sweat glands do not function actively enough, and to hypothermia, as a result of the absence of a thick layer of subcutaneous fatty tissue and epidermis.

Remember that the human body is more adapted to cold than to heat, and overheating is often more dangerous than mild hypothermia. Therefore, do not wrap the child in a lot of diapers and blankets, let his body breathe if the temperature in the room is normal.

Also, often parents note that the child's forehead is colder than the back of the head, and the body has a normal temperature. This is not a cause for concern, since different parts of the body have different temperatures.

This applies not only to children, but also to adults. This is due to anatomical differences - the depth of passage of subcutaneous blood vessels, their number in a certain area.

If otherwise the child's condition is normal, and only a hot head causes concern, parents should calm down. Excessive anxiety and suspiciousness is characteristic of many parents, especially young ones.

Rickets

If, in addition to the fact that the child has a hot head without a temperature, you notice a number of other abnormalities, there is a possibility of some diseases. Pay attention to such changes in the state of the baby:

• the child sweats a lot;
• he eats and sleeps poorly;
• there is excessive fearfulness, anxiety;
• hair loss;
• excitability.

The above symptoms may indicate rickets. This is a dangerous disease of the skeletal system. Its beginning must be recognized in time to prevent serious consequences. The disease develops with a lack of vitamin D, which is necessary for the absorption of calcium.

With a lack of Calcium, the bones soften, the fontanel overgrows for a very long time, and with a neglected form, bone deformities are observed - curvature of the legs and arms, chest.

The disease most often develops in the cold season, since vitamin D is produced in skin cells under the influence of ultraviolet sunlight. This is one of the reasons why it is so beneficial to take your child outside for a walk. You should not start taking vitamin D and calcium supplements on your own, it is better to consult a pediatrician.

Hydrocephalus

Another reason for increased heat transfer through the head may be hydrocephalus. This is a serious but rather rare disease caused by the accumulation of intracranial fluid.

In this case, in parallel with the fever of the head, parents can observe the following symptoms:

• the head is not only hot, but also sweats profusely;
• enlarged veins on the temples or forehead are clearly visible;
• tilting the head back;
• frequent profuse regurgitation;
• restlessness, frequent crying;
• in advanced cases - an increase in the volume of the skull.

If you notice such disorders in your child, be sure to show him to the doctor, because this disease can affect the development of the brain, cause a developmental delay from peers. Timely treatment will prevent these problems.

Adult Hot Head

Sometimes adults complain that they feel very hot, but the thermometer indicates a normal condition. A hot head without temperature in an adult in some cases is a sign of circulatory disorders, in particular in the neck and neck.

One of these diseases is vegetative-vascular dystonia. To be more precise, this is not one disease, but a whole complex of disorders of the nervous and cardiovascular systems.

Vegetative-vascular dystonia has the following symptoms:

Please note that VVD can manifest itself in the form of several of the listed symptoms. At the same time, some of them may never be observed in a patient.

If you feel like you have a hot body but no fever, it may be due to excessive anxiety and worry. Sometimes a person touches their forehead and body with cold palms, and the temperature contrast gives the impression that you have a fever. In this case, you, like children, should take care of strengthening your immunity (Immunity to help).

If, along with the sensation of heat, you observe other disorders of your health, consult a doctor and dispel all doubts.

While the fetus is in the womb, its body temperature is kept within 38 degrees. Immediately after birth, the child finds himself in a completely unfamiliar environment. In addition, the skin of the baby immediately after birth is quite moist, which means that it cools quickly. Therefore, it is very important to wipe the baby's skin in the first minutes after birth and place it to a heat source.

Everyone knows that the first sign of a person's elevated body temperature is a hot head. It often happens that a young mother, having discovered a hot head in her child, gives in to panic and calls a doctor to the house. But practice shows that in the vast majority of cases you should not worry about a hot head, since the body of a newborn child works in a slightly different way than in an adult.

The temperature of his body is very changeable, since the processes of thermoregulation are not completely formed.

In this regard, the child should always be dressed correctly in order to prevent him from overheating or, conversely, hypothermia.

The nuances of thermoregulation of infants

In every person, as, indeed, in any mammal, body temperature is constant. Such constancy is considered the result of proper thermoregulation of the body, which ensures metabolic processes. They are under the control of the central and nervous system, as well as the hypothalamus. It is the latter that receives signals from nerve endings and redirects them to various body systems. In turn, heat transfer is carried out due to heat production and heat transfer.

In an infant, heat production occurs due to oxidation in brown adipose tissue. The latter is present only in the fetus and newborn child. Brown fat begins to be produced in the body of the fetus, starting from the 26th week of pregnancy. By the time a baby is born, brown fat makes up about 8% of its total body weight.

This mechanism operates as follows: due to the work of the thyroid gland, the greatest amount of heat is produced with the smallest energy costs. Muscle tremor is the second, but no less important mechanism in the process of heat transfer. If the baby's body temperature drops, his muscles begin to contract involuntarily, thereby raising it.

Therefore, when a baby has a hot head, but no temperature is observed, there is nothing wrong with that. Most likely, this is how the peculiarity of thermoregulation of this particular child is expressed. In order for the baby's head to become normal temperature, it should be undressed a little and provide him with fresh air. In addition, the child's clothes should be sewn exclusively from natural fabrics.

By the way, the increased activity of the baby also leads to the fact that his head becomes too hot. Therefore, it is better to alternate active games with calm ones so that the child’s thermoregulation has time to work correctly.

But in the event that you follow all the above rules, and the child’s head remains still hot, you should consult a doctor. Before doing this, you should also pay attention to the following symptoms:

• increased anxiety;
• excessive excitement;
• sweating;
• hair loss.