If the child is not afraid of the cold and doesn’t complain about the cold, does he or she need to put on more clothes?

The truth: This view is somewhat one-sided. A child's active complaints of being cold can be used as a reference indicator, but it cannot be relied upon to determine whether additional clothing is needed.

Analysis: How much a child wears needs to be determined based on the ambient temperature, personal physique, activity level, and personality. Generally, if a child does not show signs of coldness (such as goose bumps, shivering, cold skin, etc.) and is able to move comfortably, then their clothing is probably appropriate.

However, it is also necessary to consider factors such as the temperature difference between indoor and outdoor, the child's activity level and individual differences, and flexibly adjust the child's clothing:

Ability to regulate body temperature: Children’s ability to regulate body temperature is weaker than that of adults, and they are less adaptable to changes in external temperature. Therefore, they need to pay attention to keeping warm before the temperature changes, especially for children with weaker constitutions.

Activity level: Children generate more heat when they are active or eating, so clothing needs to be adjusted appropriately to prevent overheating.

Pay more attention to children's feelings: Children are relatively young and often cannot or are not very good at expressing their feelings, so parents should ask their children more about their true feelings, observe them frequently or touch them more to better understand their actual needs.

In general, when dressing a child, we should not only consider the temperature, but also the comfort and ease of movement. Too much or too little clothing will affect the child's freedom of movement and comfort. Touching the back of the child's neck or back is a relatively accurate method to determine whether to add or remove clothes.

Author: Fan Yunzhu, Chief Physician of Jiahui Medical

Reviewer: Tang Qin, Director of the Science Popularization Department of the Chinese Medical Association, National Health Science Popularization Expert