Why do six-month-old babies sweat so much?

Several of my neighbors’ babies are already 6 months old. They are all very cute, but I found that they have a common symptom, which is sweating. Although the older generation said that this is a normal phenomenon for children, the parents are still very worried. Every day, they see dense beads of sweat on the babies’ heads and clothes that get wet soon after they are put on. The mothers are still very anxious, so they came to the hospital to consult a doctor.

Children sweat a lot when they sleep, and a considerable part of it is physiological hyperhidrosis. Physiological causes

1. The metabolism is vigorous; the sympathetic nervous system needs to be fully developed.

2. Be active and lively after going to bed, then fall asleep.

3. Drink hot milk or beverages before going to bed.

4. Too many clothes or quilts.

5. The room temperature is too high. Physiological sweating will naturally improve as the child grows older. For those with severe sweating, you can ask a pediatric Chinese medicine doctor to prescribe Chinese medicine.

Pathological causes

1. Vitamin D deficiency rickets

2. Malnutrition anemia and physical weakness.

3. Tuberculosis. Weak children often sweat in patches on their head, chest, and back after daytime activities or after falling asleep at night. This is more common in children around one year old and children before and after weaning. Malnutrition and sweating often occur due to insufficient food intake caused by improper feeding, or inadequate absorption and utilization of food after intake. If you sweat excessively due to the dysfunction of the autonomic nervous system, which leads to excessive secretion of sweat glands, you can eat glutinous rice and wheat porridge, which has the effect of strengthening the spleen and replenishing deficiency, stopping sweating and calming the nerves. Add 50-100 grams of glutinous rice and wheat to water every day, cook it over low heat, then add sugar or meat floss to make porridge and eat it. Note that if you sweat a lot not only in the first half of the night but also in the second half of the night before dawn, or if you sweat on one side or the lower half of your body, you should go to the hospital for a check-up.

Pathological sweating occurs when the child is in a quiet state, such as sweating caused by rickets, which manifests as obvious sweating on the child's head in the first half of the night after falling asleep. Because the pillow is irritated by sweat, babies often shake their heads and rub against the pillow when they sleep, resulting in sparse hair and loss of hair on the pillow, forming typical annular hair loss on the pillow, which is medically known as "occipital baldness". It is an early manifestation of rickets in infants. As long as vitamin D and calcium are supplemented in time, rickets can be controlled and sweating will stop by itself.

If a child sweats not only in the first half of the night but also in the second half of the night and before dawn, it is usually a sign of illness, the most common of which is tuberculosis. Tuberculosis also has other symptoms, such as low fever, fatigue, loss of appetite, flushed cheeks, etc. Children with tuberculosis tend to sweat easily during daytime activities, which is called spontaneous sweating, and sweating at night is called night sweats. If you suspect your child is infected with tuberculosis, a lung X-ray or a tuberculin test should be done for timely diagnosis and treatment.

Heart disease, diabetes (hypoglycemia), tuberculosis or breathing problems during sleep, because the internal pressure (lesions) of the body causes the sympathetic nerves to be in a state of tension all the time, may also cause "night sweats" or "cold sweats on hands and feet". This is a long-term symptom. If parents are worried, they can take the baby to a pediatric clinic or hospital for examination, listen to the heartbeat for abnormalities, feel the belly for lumps (tumors), check whether the upper respiratory tract is unobstructed or whether the baby has allergies, etc., to eliminate doubts in their hearts.

The above is the doctor’s introduction and analysis on why six-month-old babies sweat a lot. The neighbors are relieved by the doctor’s introduction. However, the doctor also said that sweating is not a bad thing for babies, but if sweat remains on the surface of the skin for a long time, it will cause certain damage to the baby’s skin. Therefore, when the baby sweats, parents should pay attention to protecting the child’s skin.