Why do babies sweaty hands and feet?

The article is professionally consulted by Master, Doctor Nguyen Thi An - Pediatrician - Neonatologist - Department of Pediatrics - Neonatology - Vinmec Ha Long International Hospital

Sweating in babies is very common, especially night sweats. Night sweats in babies is a phenomenon in which a child's body sweats without regard to weather factors, occurring only when the child sleeps (usually at night). Children are more prone to night sweats than adults.
Sweat is composed of water, salt and waste products. Of which, water accounts for more than 90%. Therefore, if you often sweat, your body will lose a large amount of water and salt, which can lead to fatigue and exhaustion.
There are 2 types of thief sweat:
Physiological thief sweat: In children, the metabolism takes place more strongly than in adults, so sweating is a way for the baby's body to radiate heat. In this case, stolen sweat does not adversely affect the baby's health; Pathological night sweats: This condition is common in children with rickets. The telltale sign is that the baby is sweating a lot but not because of the weather, the environment, especially sweating a lot when breastfeeding, after sleeping. In addition, children also show signs of poor eating, big bones, protruding chest, ... The places that often appear a lot of thief sweat are the back, forehead, armpits, hands and feet of children.

For babies, the phenomenon of excessive sweating of the hands and feet may be because the nervous system that controls sweating is not yet fully developed. In this case, if the baby is still nursing well and gaining weight well, parents do not need to worry because when the baby gets older, it will heal on its own. There are also cases where people still sweat a lot until they grow up. At that time, the doctor may recommend surgery to remove the nerve ganglion that controls sweating.
In addition, the phenomenon of sweating hands and feet in infants can also be caused by:
Vitamin D deficiency: In young children and especially infants, when bones are strong, if vitamin D is deficient. D, children are prone to sweating a lot. In particular, some babies born prematurely, with low birth weight, rickets, infections or digestive disorders are prone to vitamin D deficiency and night sweats; Sleep apnea: Premature babies may experience sleep apnea. This phenomenon can last about 20 seconds, manifested as pale skin, wheezing, body sweat a lot; Hyperhidrosis: Hyperhidrosis syndrome can be seen in young children with the expression of hands and feet sweating a lot even in a cool, airy space; Congenital heart disease: If the phenomenon of sweating in children not only occurs during sleep but also occurs when the baby participates in other activities, it may be due to the cause of the child's cardiovascular disease; Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS): If a baby sleeps in a too hot, stuffy, or secretive bedroom, he or she may fall asleep, sweat a lot, and stop breathing - SIDS ; In addition, there are other causes such as: Children with calcium deficiency, zinc deficiency, autonomic nervous system disorder or sympathetic hyperactivity.

When the baby's feet and hands are sweaty, parents can take a soft towel to wipe the baby and then gently massage the baby's hands and feet for a while to make the baby feel warmer. To overcome sweating in babies, parents can apply the following measures:
Vitamin D supplementation: There are many ways to help supplement vitamin D for babies. That is, parents can let their baby sunbathe in the morning (6-9 hours in summer, 9-10 hours in winter). Only expose the baby's skin to light, do not let the child's eyes be exposed to direct sunlight; To keep the baby cool: Create a spacious and airy living space, so that the baby's bedroom is not secretive and stuffy. At the same time, parents need to clean the child's body and add enough water to the baby's needs; Pay attention to nutrition: Breastfeeding mothers or children who are eating weaning should eat cool vegetables, tubers and fruits such as oranges, squash, gotu kola, collard greens, ... and should limit the types of foods. hot, greasy foods to avoid sweating. At the same time, parents should give their children more fresh fruit or fruit juice to prevent vitamin deficiency in children. If applying the above measures is not effective or the infant sweats on hands and feet for a long time accompanied by some serious symptoms such as fever, delayed teething, delayed walking, slow fontanelle,... Parents should take the child to the doctor for timely examination and treatment.
With many years of experience in examining and treating diseases in children, now the Pediatrics Department at Vinmec International General Hospital has become one of the major health care centers, capable of examining , screening and treatment of many specialized diseases in children. Therefore, if the child shows signs of sweating a lot, parents can take the child to Vinmec International General Hospital for examination and receive support and advice from doctors and experts.