|
The skin on your inner wrist is thinner and more sensitive to heat than the skin on your hands, so squirting milk there gives a more reliable indication of its temperature. Another potential testing area, because of its sensitivity to heat, is your elbow. The body detects hot and cold with free nerve endings called temperature receptors. These exist just below the outer layer of skin. Hot receptors are sensitive to temperatures above 90°F. (At 113°F, the body's pain receptors take over.) Cold receptors, three to 10 times more prevalent and nearer to the surface of the skin
than hot receptors, react to temperatures below 68°F. To avoid scalding an infant's mouth, always test the temperature of formula or milk, using your wrist or elbow, before feeding. You should also test water temperature when giving an infant a bath, again using your wrist or elbow, and not your hands.
|
