TAKING CARE OF YOUR BACK: HOUSEWORK-WASHING CLOTHES AND LOOKING AFTER BABIES AND YOUNG CHILDREN
When washing by hand, do not use a sink or basin that makes you stoop: it is better to put a bowl at the right height for you in the sink or on the draining board.
Wet clothes and bed linen are much heavier than dry ones: lifting wet sheets and towels in and out of a low washing machine is the sort of movement that might eventually cause back trouble. When taking clothes out of a front-loading washing machine, put a low chair or stool beside the machine. Put a basket or large bowl on the floor, and squatting down, pull the washing into it. Then carefully lift the basket on to the stool. Do this in stages; try to make sure that you lift only one piece of wet washing at a time. If transferring something heavy such as a large wet bath towel to the spin drier of a twin-tub machine, do it one end at a time.
Looking after babies and young children-A cot with a drop-side makes it easier to lift a child in and out; choose a cot high enough to save you having to stoop. Bringing the child’s weight as close to the adult’s body as possible reduces the amount of effort required.
When lifting a toddler from the ground, bend your knees and go down to him and lift him close to you. Swinging a child up at arms’ length can be a cause of acute back trouble.
With a rucksack type of baby carrier where the child is placed behind the parent, its weight is taken through the shoulders and across the back of the hips. If possible, get someone to lift the carrier on for you, or find a safe place to prop it and the baby, while you get it on to your shoulders.
When bathing a small baby in a baby bath, put the bath on a table where you can stand or sit without stooping. Do not try to empty the bath yourself if you have a vulnerable back, because water is heavy to carry, and baby baths are an awkward shape to lift. Get some able-bodied person to do it for you. If none is available, bale out the water gradually with a jug. This will mean several trips and is laborious, but better than injuring your back.
When dressing a child, put him on a chair or bed to avoid undue bending. For doing up shoe laces, the foot should be put up on to a box or chair. Do not stoop – squat or kneel. It helps to ask an older child to ‘hold on to you’ when lifting. This response reduces the ‘dead’ weight effect.
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