Is it possible to bathe a child after vaccination: a reminder for parents

Vaccination is a necessary procedure. It is thanks to prevention that many epidemics have been overcome. However, due to voluntary refusals and inattention to vaccinations, diseases are beginning to return.

Young parents are often afraid of possible complications after receiving the vaccine. However, following simple preventive measures will help avoid deterioration in the child’s well-being. One of the cornerstone questions in this matter is: “Is it possible to bathe a child after vaccination?”

Why is swimming prohibited?

Often, getting a few drops of water on an injection wound causes parents to panic. It’s worth figuring out why you can’t get the vaccine wet, and whether accidental getting wet is really that scary.

Harm of water procedures:

A common reaction to any vaccine is fever. This is how the body reacts to the introduction of prophylactic doses of viruses and bacteria; this is a normal manifestation of a working immune system. When it is hot, pediatricians strongly discourage water treatments during the first 24 hours. This is due to the fact that hot water will cause an even greater increase in temperature, and cold water can cause vasospasm, which will lead to overheating of the internal organs.
Another negative effect of the bath is the development of skin reactions: after getting wet, the injection site may turn red and begin to itch. This is due to local effects: tap water contains various impurities that irritate damaged skin. An injection is a microtrauma, a small wound, and it must be allowed to heal. Scratching and rubbing can trigger inflammation. And then a long-term deterioration of the condition and a severe reaction are guaranteed.
Exciting effect. When swimming in warm water for a long time, the child may become overexcited and restless, and it is not recommended to create unnecessary stress on the nervous system.
After vaccination, the baby is weakened, this in itself is a big burden. And bathing makes it worse; even slight hypothermia can cause illness.
Water, especially in open water, may contain harmful bacteria that can cause infection to the baby or cause allergic reactions.

For these reasons, doctors recommend completely avoiding swimming on the first day.

Whether it is possible to wash after vaccination in the following days will be decided by the parents. It all depends on the baby’s well-being. If he is healthy, cheerful and active, it means that his body easily coped with the load and is able to endure swimming without problems.

When and who can get vaccinated?

Vaccination against coronavirus is allowed 30 days after any other vaccinations, according to the Moscow mayor’s website. However, it does not protect against the flu, so it is recommended to get both vaccinations. Coronavirus vaccination recommendations also state that the vaccine should not be given to those who have suffered acute coronary syndrome or stroke in the past year. Contraindications also include chronic systemic infections, tuberculosis, neoplasms, hepatitis B and C, syphilis, and HIV.

Those who do not have a high temperature (37 °C or more) will be able to get vaccinated. Before the procedure, the patient must be examined by a health care worker, who must be informed about existing chronic diseases, other vaccinations, and previous acute respiratory viral infections. Based on these data, the decision on vaccination will be made.

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“In addition, both women and men should not take part in the study if they plan to conceive a child in the next three months,” the mayor’s website states.

According to the chief freelance specialist in obstetrics and gynecology of the Russian Ministry of Health, Professor Leila Adamyan, it is better to start planning a pregnancy or undergoing in vitro fertilization (IVF) two to three months after vaccination against coronavirus. “Even a couple who does not want to have a child today, but has one in the project, must be vaccinated [against coronavirus], and in the near future - [in] two, maximum three months, can switch to IVF and planning pregnancy directly.” , said Adamyan.

The doctor assures that the risk of complications after vaccination is “a thousand times lower” than harm to the body from COVID-19, especially if it is severe. It is worth considering the influence of special medications that are used to treat the disease.

Bathing rules

In order not to worsen the child’s condition, you should follow simple rules when washing:

You should not force your baby to take water procedures if he does not like them or does not show a desire to splash around;
if washing helps to calm and relax the child, you can leave it as a daily routine, just do not keep the baby in the water;
if parents have doubts, it is better to replace the bath with a light warm shower or wiping with a towel;
Temperature changes should be avoided;
Do not rub the child with a washcloth, as this can further injure the skin at the injection site;
You can add decoctions of chamomile or oak bark to the water; they have antiseptic properties and will soothe irritation;
avoid hypothermia after swimming;
if redness appears on the skin near the area, lumps have formed, you should not swim;
You should not wet your child if he is not feeling well: he has become lethargic, drowsy, or has a fever.

Complications after bathing occur due to improper preparation for water procedures or mistakes after taking a bath. The task of parents is to create a safe environment, monitor the baby’s behavior and prevent scratching.

Doctors' opinion

Many therapists and pediatricians advise refraining from water procedures after vaccinations. But now such advice is given by doctors less and less, since there are no negative consequences for the child’s body from contact with water. If you do not bathe children for too long, avoid hypothermia, and immediately wrap them in a towel after bathing procedures, the risk of catching a cold is very small. Doctors recommend not bathing your child after vaccination in order to further prevent and avoid fever, cough and runny nose.

Dr. Komarovsky believes that if the baby feels well after vaccination, then there is no need to introduce restrictions. You can continue to live as usual, go for walks and swim.

Conclusion: swimming after vaccination does not pose any threat to the baby’s health and swimming is possible. The main thing is the baby’s normal body temperature, just monitor his well-being and avoid hypothermia. By following simple precautions, you can continue to carry out water procedures as usual.

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When should you not swim?

In general, water procedures are useful for the baby, because they help strengthen, increase immunity, help calm him down after a hard day, and restore energy balance.

However, there are a number of cases when you should refrain from taking a bath after vaccination.

All of them are associated with a deterioration in the child’s well-being and the appearance of any side effects:

drowsiness, lethargy;
itching at the injection site, redness;
nausea, diarrhea;
headache;
aches in muscles and joints;
runny nose, cough;
rash;
sweating

Bathing can be resumed only after the condition has stabilized. The weak condition is caused by decreased immunity and resistance to the acquired disease.

Sometimes lumps appear at the injection site. This is not a dangerous condition. The nodules are caused by the product getting into the subcutaneous fatty tissue. As the drug is absorbed, the seals will decrease.

How long should the vaccine not be wetted?

The document compiled by specialists from the Russian Ministry of Health states that contact with water should be avoided for 3 days. This means that you can wash in the shower so that water does not get on the injection site.

For protection, doctors recommend covering the injection site with a gauze pad and a small piece of film, and fixing them with a bandage on the upper part of the arm before starting hygiene procedures. If water gets on the graft, there is no need to panic. It is enough to immediately blot the body with a clean towel (do not rub).

There is no need to be afraid of undesirable consequences either. Foreign doctors, on the contrary, advise those vaccinated against coronavirus to apply wet, cold wipes to the injection site to reduce pain and itching.

What kind of water should you not swim in?

Bathing in a home bath can be started from the second day after vaccination, provided that the child feels well.

You cannot visit public baths and swimming pools for up to 5 days. A large number of people and, accordingly, viruses gather in these places. A child can easily become infected. For the same reason, you should not attend physiotherapy: there are many sick people in the clinic.

Swimming in open water is contraindicated for 5 days after vaccination: in addition to the high content of pathogenic microorganisms in the water and crowds of people, there is a risk of overheating or hypothermia. Trips to lakes and rivers will have to be postponed.

Bathing rules by type of vaccination

Depending on the type of vaccination, behavior during the post-vaccination period will be slightly different. Some types of injections allow you to immerse yourself in the bath almost immediately, while others require a longer quarantine.

Vaccination against measles, rubella, mumps

Since one vaccine contains components of 3 diseases, it is difficult to predict how it will affect the baby’s condition. Usually the first 24 hours are difficult: the child becomes capricious, feels unwell, sleeps and eats poorly. Therefore, you should refrain from swimming in the first 24 hours.

Also, to avoid scratching and false reactions to the vaccine, do not get the injection site wet. There are quite a lot of impurities in water that can cause itching on the skin.

After Mantoux vaccination

How long can you keep the Mantoux vaccine wet? The injection site must be protected from water for 3 days. There's no need to swim anymore. It is believed that water reacts with the components of the vaccine, which leads to a distortion of the result. Actually this is not true.

Tap water is chlorinated, which leads to irritation of the injection site. The skin will itch after water, the child will scratch it, which will lead to inflammation. And because of this, the reaction will be distorted.

After DTP

DTP is one of the most difficult vaccinations for a child’s body. Almost every child develops a fever in the first day or two after it. This is a reaction of a properly functioning immune system: it begins to develop protection against 3 diseases at once.

You need to monitor your baby for 48 hours: a delayed reaction to the injection may develop. It is better not to swim during this period. This will create an increased burden, and it will be very difficult for the baby to tolerate the vaccination. If there was no reaction initially, then after the bath procedures the temperature may rise.

If after 2 days the baby feels well, then you can go to the bath and resume evening bathing. Is it possible to wet the vaccine against tetanus, diphtheria, whooping cough? There will be no catastrophic consequences, but the injection site may itch.

Another question that young parents have is: “Is it possible to go for a walk after the DTP vaccination?” If the child feels well and the weather is good outside, then fresh air will not hurt.

However, you should avoid close contact with other children or attending matinees: at first the immune system is weakened, the baby can easily catch any infection.

After BCG vaccination

After this vaccine, you only need to focus on the baby’s condition. If he feels well, then the evening bath can not be cancelled. The child tolerated the injection well. Bathing will no longer be stressful.

If the child does not feel well, then you will have to postpone visiting the bath until the condition stabilizes. Some children recover in 1-2 days, others need a week.

To maintain hygiene, you can use the shower or switch to wiping with a damp towel.

After hepatitis vaccination

Strict quarantine is not required. Water treatments are not prohibited even on the first day. You can safely swim in the evening of the same day, if there are no side effects, or the next day, when the condition has leveled out.

However, you need to choose the water temperature. The optimal setting is considered to be up to 39 °C.

After polio vaccination

The question here is what kind of vaccine was it? After the oral drug, you can swim almost immediately: there are no injuries on the skin, which means there will be no local reaction. The oral vaccine does not cause much worsening of the condition.

If you were given an injection, the reaction will be more complex. In this case, you need to monitor the child's condition. It is better to wait a day before bath procedures. Then there will definitely be no complications.

Is it possible to wash after getting vaccinated against coronavirus?

When asked whether it is possible to swim after being vaccinated against coronavirus, most doctors give an affirmative answer. Vaccination is not a contraindication to personal hygiene. Even the document sent to vaccination centers by the Ministry of Health does not say that washing is prohibited.

Medical practitioners consider the recommendation not to wet the vaccination site to be outdated, and its mention in an official document is an attempt by officials to play it safe. The coronavirus vaccine is injected deep into the muscle with a very thin needle. The skin is slightly damaged during the injection, so the likelihood that pathogenic microorganisms enter the wound with water is minimal.