How to properly conduct a pregnancy test with iodine in urine and paper: examples of a positive result

Iodine to determine pregnancy: help in the early stages

Today, you can easily determine pregnancy at home with the help of simple medicines that are in every home medicine cabinet. There are special cassettes and test strips on sale. The fair sex always wants to find out about their situation as soon as possible. Even in ancient times, women could determine pregnancy using iodine.

How the test is carried out

Some methods of detecting pregnancy using pharmaceutical products are widely used in our time. Even though such experiments are not as convenient to use as, for example, test strips, the effect after them will help determine whether there is a pregnancy or not. One such option is a pregnancy test with iodine and paper . Such a solution will be very inexpensive, and it can also be found in any home. Conducting research using this method will be quite simple.

Difficulties with menstruation, including delays, do not always cause joy. In some cases, conceiving a child does not bring happiness due to some difficulties. To determine exactly why pregnancy occurred after sexual intercourse, you need to carry out a diagnosis with simple iodine.

To do this, you need to prepare in advance the following components :

Jar for analysis. Such a container must be completely sterilized. To carry out diagnostics, you can use simple glass jars, plastic cups or special containers from the pharmacy.
Completely clean pipette. If the product has already been used before, the result will be inaccurate or even false.
Paper - it is best to use white colors, without any shades (yellow or gray).
Iodine. The product must be used fresh; if it has expired, it should not be used.
Urine collection. Urine is allowed to be collected in the morning; it is important to wash first. When washing, it is forbidden to use soap with fragrances or dyes in the composition, as this can also adversely affect the result.

There is a certain principle for conducting a pregnancy test . Share of this needed:

Collect biological material (urine) into a prepared container.
Take a blank sheet of paper; stationery sheets or paper for printing on a printer are also suitable for this. A strip is cut off for convenient analysis.
The paper is dipped into the urine, and then taken out and placed on a previously prepared clean surface.
Place a drop of iodine on wet paper. If the color of the substance remains or changes to blue, then conception has not occurred.
If the shade is purple or lilac, then this indicates pregnancy.

Pregnancy check

Pregnancy testing with iodine without paper. If the test with paper and iodine fails or it is uncomfortable, then you can significantly simplify your task and carry out the procedure without a white sheet. Only in this case the test must be carried out very carefully.

Auxiliary components will be:

iodine - high-quality and not expired;
glass or plastic glass - completely clean;
new pipette.

The prepared container is filled with urine. The glass is placed on a flat table. After this, a small amount of iodine is collected with a pipette. Next, the pipette is brought close to the glass and dripped into the urine. The reaction will happen in a couple of moments. If the drop dissolves completely, then no pregnancy has occurred. If the iodine stain remained, then conception still occurred.

It is best to carry out such tests before the ninth week of gestation, since this method will no longer be as effective after this period.

Why does iodine dissolve?

To get a more accurate result, it is important to follow all the rules and requirements of the procedure. Otherwise, there is a very high chance of getting a false result. In the second trimester of pregnancy, the iodine test is no longer carried out, since it does not give results. At this time, the woman herself should already be sure that she is pregnant. One drop of iodine from the 12th week of pregnancy will actively dissolve in water and indicate a lack of conception, although the period is already high. Iodine is effective, like litmus paper, until the tenth week of pregnancy.

In addition, determining pregnancy using iodine may not give results if the woman does not follow the main rules:

For diagnosis at home, it is very important to use only morning urine. The experiment with the collected material must be carried out immediately, since after a while it no longer brings good readings. The maximum delay time for the procedure can be up to twenty-five minutes.
Before the analysis, you must take a shower using baby soap.
It is important to take white paper for the procedure only from new packaging so that dust does not accumulate on it and various stains do not appear.
New iodine or one that has been properly stored and approved for use is also used.
When performing a paperless test, it is very important to drop the iodine directly onto the surface of the urine to prevent the drop from spreading due to the force of the fall.

Of course, you cannot be completely confident in this testing method, since there is a possibility of obtaining an incorrect result. But in some cases, when there are no special test strips nearby, it would be right to try the test in this way, since there are no costs for it. And even if the test result turns out to be negative, but you are sure of the situation, be sure to visit a gynecologist, he will help to accurately determine whether there is a pregnancy or not.

Performance indicators

Women who are just planning to become mothers, especially when trying to get pregnant continue for more than one month, are very sensitive to every failure. It is for this reason that there is no need to panic and worry too much when, after conducting a test with iodine and paper (without using paper), the result is negative.

Moreover, when other symptoms (for example, basal temperature) reduce faith in an early pregnancy. Those who use this method and believe in its effectiveness say that tincture of iodine alcohol reacts positively to hormones in a woman’s urine. In reality, this is not how things happen.

When using paper. Upon contact with starch (or other components that contain starch), iodine begins to change its color from the usual brown to purple. This change in the color of urine on the sheet is not due to chemicals in the urine, but due to the raw materials from which the paper is made. Another reason for the color change may be the loss of protein compounds - amyloids - in the urine. Such substances begin to appear with the development of dangerous diseases in the kidneys. If, before the iodine test, you did not think about a possible pregnancy, and the procedure gives a positive indicator, then in this case you need to either change the paper to a new one, or go to the clinic and have your urine tested.
If we talk about the dissolution and non-mixing of iodine with urine due to changes in the density of urine in a pregnant and non-pregnant woman, then such a reaction is unfounded from a scientific point of view. Most likely, such conclusions were made after the coincidence of several indicators during the study.

Application of soda

To detect a possible pregnancy using soda, you need to collect about one hundred grams of urine in the morning, and then pour a teaspoon of soda into the container with urine.

During this process the following reactions can occur :

the urine began to hiss and characteristic bubbles appeared - this indicates not pregnancy;
there is no reaction between urine and soda, in this case the active substance simply precipitates - pregnancy has occurred.

Determination using bulbs

Onions are most often used to improve mood. To conduct such an unusual experiment, you need to take two onions and plant them in different containers.

On one container you can write - pregnant, on the second - not pregnant. After this, you just need to wait to see which bulb will grow first up to four centimeters. The one that comes first will indicate your condition.

You can also identify your situation by simple symptoms that are characteristic of this condition: a delay in the menstrual cycle, vomiting and nausea in the morning, increased breast sensitivity, frequent changes in the emotional background, taste, and an increase in basal temperature.

It would be best to take your urine and blood tests to a clinic for laboratory testing, in which case you can count on a more accurate result. Since even the largest diagnostic institutions cannot accurately (with one hundred percent certainty) say about the accuracy of the procedure’s indicators, therefore you should not believe in folk recipes at all.

It is imperative to remember that with any first symptoms and doubts about conceiving a child, it is very important to trust the doctor and undergo a proper medical examination and research.

Special test strips that can be found in pharmacies also cannot give a one hundred percent accurate result. A clear diagnosis can be made only after donating blood for analysis, and even determining the hCG level. Based on the numbers that were obtained after the analysis, the woman’s pregnancy week (one, two and five) will be accurately determined.

It is very important to consider in what particular situation a woman is conducting research with iodine. At this time, an ectopic pregnancy may already begin in her body.

In this case, a woman can bring her body to death by relying on the correctness of the method and visiting the treating specialist in time. With this process, a pipe rupture and severe bleeding may occur; it is especially dangerous if a woman lives in a small town or village, where it is very difficult to quickly get to the hospital, or the ambulance takes too long.

Reviews for the iodine test

After an iodine pregnancy test, not all women's reviews are positive. Some say that this method can be used, while others completely deny it. An incorrect result should be expected when the procedure was carried out without observing the main rules. It is also necessary to take into account various processes in the human body, which as a result can negatively affect the chemical composition of urine. This is why iodine can lead to false readings.

I looked through a large number of forums, and once came across a discussion between two sisters about how they used the iodine method to determine pregnancy. Moreover, one girl was eight months pregnant, and the second was not. The indicators were true for two girls at once.

I have long known about this method of determining pregnancy at home without going to the doctor. Out of curiosity, I decided to do it myself, when there were no reasons for pregnancy. A drop of iodine quickly dissolved in the urine and left no trace of itself.

Now there are certain suspicions of pregnancy, so I decided to repeat my experience with iodine and check its results on special strips. As a result, a drop of iodine did not dissolve in urine, but immediately sank to the bottom. The result was correct, which confirmed my confidence in the effectiveness of such a process. The test also showed two red stripes.

After I experienced a delay, I decided to conduct a trial test using strips from the pharmacy - they showed the true result. I simply couldn’t believe my eyes at that moment.

Before consulting a gynecologist, I decided to do an additional test with iodine and paper. On paper, a drop of iodine quickly changed its color to lilac. Finally, I was convinced that the desired pregnancy had occurred. I also carried out the second test without paper, a small drop remained at the bottom. To make sure of all the results, I went to my doctor and received a positive answer. The gestation period is six weeks.

Is there a chance that a woman will be pregnant if the test is negative?

If you strictly follow the instructions, then in most cases the tests give the correct result. However, the possibility of error exists and cannot be excluded. You can minimize it by doing a repeat test a couple of days after the first test.

The appearance of false negative results is associated with the individual characteristics of the body. For example, this happens when ovulation and fertilization occur at different points in the menstrual cycle. As a result, the implantation of the egg will occur later than in most other cases.

The time when implantation occurred is of great importance, as it affects the level of hCG. If the second test is negative and the delay persists, you need to visit a doctor to find out what the problem is.

Will an iodine test help determine conception?

Often a situation may arise when it is urgently necessary to determine whether conception has taken place or not, but it is not possible to resort to the help of special tests or examinations. It is in such situations that popular advice can come in handy. An iodine pregnancy test is one of the most common among all other testing methods. Is the test reliable and how to conduct it?

To summarize, let's talk about the most important things:

A pregnancy test using iodine, according to reviews, is one of the few reliable folk methods that can show whether conception has occurred or not.
The reliability of testing with urine and iodine is not 100 percent, so it will be extremely difficult to say for sure that the procedure will help determine whether conception has occurred or not.
Simplicity and a minimal set of “inventory” are one of the most important advantages of this technique.
Considering the specifics of testing, it is necessary to adhere to the rules of the procedure in order to obtain the most accurate results.
Also, do not forget that pathological changes in the functioning of the genitourinary system can also affect the result.
There are other popular ways to determine pregnancy. Read about them in our next article.

Do you trust people's advice? Perhaps you know another method of determining pregnancy that can be used at home without resorting to pharmacy rapid tests? Share your opinions and useful tips with us and our readers by leaving comments at the end of the post.

Pregnancy detection using iodine

Now, if you have the slightest suspicion that you are pregnant, you can confirm or deny it very easily. There are special tests for this that are sold at any pharmacy. In a few minutes, you already know everything.

But many are impatient, or want to know the results very early. Or it happens that you would like to know about the condition right now, but the pharmacies are already closed. Then folk, proven remedies can come to the rescue.

One of these methods, which has already been tested by time, is iodine. Determining pregnancy using iodine is a very common, accessible, simple method. Its popularity is based on the theory that the solution reacts with the urine of a pregnant woman, which contains a large amount of hormones and trace elements. When merging, it oxidizes and changes its normal properties.

One of the easiest ways

Determining pregnancy using iodine will not cause any harm; it is absolutely safe. The main thing is not to take the solution internally. Often, having listened to friends enough, young girls can misinterpret the situation and cause irreparable harm to their health.

Even if you are not pregnant, iodine taken orally with some other components can cause bleeding, which can only be stopped by professionals.

Test procedure

In order to determine whether you are pregnant or not, there are several methods based on iodine. It will take some preparation. To do this you will need:

napkin, sheet of paper (must be from new packaging);
small plastic, glass (preferably) containers;
the solution itself;
pipette.

Since the preparatory process is simple, a minimum number of items is required, several tests can be carried out at once.

The first option is to determine the state of pregnancy using iodine. It relies on the fact that iodine will act as an oxidizing agent, which you will need.

Collect a small amount of urine in a glass container.
Dampen a paper towel or paper in it.
Place the paper on a flat surface (board, stand, table, etc.).
Pipette the solution.
Apply a few drops to the paper.

The reaction will occur immediately, and the result will be visible to the naked eye. If the iodine has not changed its color, remains the same brown, or it has become a bright dark blue color, then no reaction has occurred, you are not pregnant.

But if the stains from iodine drops on the paper become intensely lilac or purple, then most likely you are pregnant. The positive result that should appear when determining pregnancy with iodine can be seen in the photo and video.

Lilac color means positive result

Using the second method, you must follow this sequence.

Sterilize the container that you have prepared for collecting urine.
Collect urine in it, in a small amount.
Place on a flat surface until the liquid stops vibrating.
Pipette a small amount of iodine.
Gently place one drop of solution into the urine, without spilling the liquid.

Afterwards you need to observe. If a drop of the solution spreads and mixes with the contents of the container, you are not pregnant. It happens that the solution remains on the surface or goes to the bottom, without losing its shape. It is this reaction that shows the presence of an interesting situation.

When the result is negative

Advantages and disadvantages of the method

Using traditional methods such as iodine to find out whether you are pregnant or not is a kind of chemical experiment. Of course, many doubt it, because it, like any other method, has its pros and cons.

The advantages of this method:

everything you need is at hand;
quickly, there is no need to even leave the house;
the method is absolutely safe;
in this way you can determine pregnancy in the early stages, the result can be known earlier than the usual test, which can be purchased at the pharmacy;
a kind of entertainment while you wait for a diagnosis from a specialist.

Disadvantages of this method:

there is no 100% guarantee, even if the iodine test shows a positive result, you need to consult a specialist;
it is necessary to follow the instructions exactly, drip iodine into the liquid carefully, the outcome of the test depends on this;
You only have 25 minutes to perform the test, after which the urine will be invalid.

Rules of the technique

If you decide to trust the old method and conduct a pregnancy test using iodine, you need to remember some rules:

the test can be performed at any time of the day, but morning urine will be most reliable;
urine should not have been collected more than 25 minutes ago;
Before collecting urine, you should not use hygiene products with fragrances or dyes, as they can distort the results; it is better to use regular baby soap that does not have additives;
the paper should be new, just like the napkin;
The iodine must be fresh; if it has passed its expiration date, the test will be invalid;
the pipette must be brought as close as possible to the reagent; do not drop from a height, otherwise the solution will spread and the result will also be invalid;
the pipette and container for carrying out the test must be sterilized, the pipette can be boiled;
The test can only be performed up to the tenth week of pregnancy.

This method will not cause harm

Several reviews about this method.

I heard about these methods from friends, and sometimes came across them on the Internet. And when hour X came, I decided to try it, why not. In fact, a few weeks after conception, the iodine turned purple (which means pregnancy), but I used the most sensitive tests, as the manufacturers promise, and no result occurred. I bought different ones, all showed negative results. I was even a little upset. I took a test after the delay, and lo and behold! Positive result. So iodine did not fail and showed results early on.

I used a method where you need to soak a napkin in urine and drip iodine on top. But I read that if the color does not change, then pregnancy has occurred. Therefore, when the solution did not change color, I decided to do a regular test from the pharmacy a few days later. Accordingly, he showed pregnancy, so I decided that all sorts of grandma’s recipes were all nonsense. But imagine my surprise when my mistake was explained to me. Now I even respect such methods. Iodine did not disappoint.

Hi all! I went back to old recipes today and used both methods. The first one, when I dropped it into a cup of urine, a drop of iodine dissolved, which means I’m not pregnant. When I did the second one, I wet a sheet of paper and according to the instructions, the color turned purple, which means I’m still pregnant. Who can tell me which result is correct? Maybe in the first one she raised her hand too high? I can’t do the test yet, it doesn’t show, it’s too early, but I really want to find out.

About the author : Borovikova Olga

Indications

The test reading method is also slightly different for different systems.

Test strips have two cross bars for indication. The appearance of one means that the result is considered valid, the appearance of the second means that the fetus is developing.

first line	second feature	meaning
No	No	test is invalid
There is	No	no pregnancy
No	There is	test is invalid
There is	There is	presence of pregnancy

The first line is always clear, but the second, signaling pregnancy, may have different intensity. In some cases, it may be pale or have unclear outlines. This should still be counted as a positive result. The reason may be a small amount of hCG in the urine.

Tablet modules usually also use a similar principle. However, the dashes are shown in a special window.

The results of the tablet test are deciphered as follows:

0 dashes – test is invalid,
1 dash – no pregnancy,
2 dashes – pregnancy.

In the case of a jet test, the results are displayed in the form of pluses and minuses (plus - positive result, minus - no pregnancy), or transverse lines.

Electronic devices may display the message “pregnant”/“not pregnant”. The most advanced systems show not only the test result, but also, in the case of pregnancy, how many weeks the fetus has been developing. For example, the inscription “1-2” means 1-2 weeks, “2-3” means 2-3 weeks, “3+” means more than 3 weeks.

Electronic test readings can be stored for a long time in the device's memory.

Pregnancy test with iodine and urine

Pregnancy is a long-awaited event in a woman’s life. But it’s not always possible to buy a test strip at a pharmacy or visit a doctor. Then traditional methods come to the rescue, for example, a pregnancy test with iodine and urine.

Signs of pregnancy in a woman

After conception occurs, hormonal changes occur in a woman’s body. The level of the hCG hormone increases, the basal temperature rises, etc. Any woman wants to find out about conception as early as possible, and pharmacy tests show results only after a delay. In order not to suffer while waiting, women resort to folk recipes, for example, one of the helpers in determining conception is an antiseptic iodine solution. How to determine pregnancy using a test with iodine and urine?

Iodine pregnancy tests

Iodine is an antiseptic that is used to treat abrasions and wounds. But there is an opinion that upon contact with a portion of urine, the iodine solution changes color and may indicate the presence of conception. During pregnancy, the amount of microelements and hormones in the urine increases, so the antiseptic reacts and the color of the urine changes.

There are 2 pregnancy tests that involve iodine and urine.

Methodology	Description
Paper	To determine pregnancy using a pregnancy test with iodine and urine, a woman needs to prepare a sheet of paper, a pipette, and iodine. Loan to take away a portion of urine. A small piece of paper is soaked in urine and a couple of drops of iodine solution are added. Then the results are evaluated:

the color of the iodine solution has not changed and remains dark brown - there is no pregnancy;
urine under the influence of an antiseptic has changed color to purple, dark blue - there is pregnancy

If a woman has a positive/negative pregnancy test result with iodine and urine, it is too early to draw conclusions. You should immediately visit a doctor to confirm or rule out pregnancy.

Reliability of pregnancy tests with iodine

A woman who is planning a child reacts sharply to a negative or positive result. It’s worth noting right away that traditional methods and signs of determining pregnancy do not provide 100% accuracy. The accuracy of diagnosis using a pregnancy test with iodine and urine also depends on the rules of the procedure:

The study is recommended to be carried out immediately after waking up.
Before urinating, a woman should toilet her genitals without using cosmetics with fragrance or dye.
The middle portion of urine is taken: the first streams are passed, then a portion of urine is taken, the last streams are passed. This is how an average portion of urine is collected for subsequent testing.
No more than 15 minutes should pass from the moment of selection of the biomaterial to the examination.
Urine is collected only in a sterile container, iodine is poured in with a new pipette. Otherwise, iodine will react with foreign substances and the result will be unreliable.
When conducting a pregnancy test with iodine in a jar, urine drips gently, barely touching the biomaterial. If you instill an antiseptic abruptly, the drop quickly reacts with urine and the analysis turns out to be unreliable.
A pregnancy test with iodine is carried out before the delay, but no later than 11 weeks of the expected pregnancy.

There is an opinion that iodine reacts with hormones contained in a woman’s urine, which is why the color changes. However, this opinion is erroneous. Let's look at why the color of urine changes:

Paper. Iodine reacts to starch and other substances contained in paper, so the color scheme changes. The degree of color change depends on the material from which the paper is made.
Kidneys. A purple tint appears due to the loss of proteins or amyloids into the urine. These elements occur in kidney diseases.
Jar. There is an opinion that a drop of antiseptic remains on the surface of the jar due to the density of urine. But there is no scientific basis for this technique. The conclusions could be drawn due to several coincidences.

There is an advantage to detecting pregnancy using iodine. You can carry out the technique for free, and you don’t have to wait long for results. However, there is also a drawback. This is a folk research method, and there is no guarantee of its reliability. And according to reviews from women, tests can be false positive and false negative.

Traditional methods do not guarantee the accuracy of the results. According to patient reviews, men can also have a positive test result. Therefore, if the result is positive or negative, the woman needs to visit a gynecologist and undergo additional examination.

Reliable methods for determining pregnancy

Not a single traditional method of pregnancy testing will confirm a fertile conception 100%. There are a number of methods that help to guarantee whether you are pregnant or not:

Delayed menstruation or the body’s first signal of a fertile conception. However, this method cannot guarantee a 100% positive result, since a delay in the menstrual cycle can be due to nervous shock, hormonal imbalance, poor nutrition, diseases of the genitourinary system, and so on. Therefore, two or three days of delay in menstruation cannot indicate a fruitful conception.
Pharmacy tests. Online pharmacies have test strips available over the counter that indicate pregnancy upon contact with urine. There are cases of false positive and false negative results.
Blood test for hCG. It is carried out in laboratory conditions and can be taken starting from the tenth day of conception. However, the analysis will not be entirely accurate. The hCG blood test will be informative only from the first day of the delay.
Basal temperature. After fertile conception, the basal temperature rises to 37.1-37.3 degrees. If this temperature does not change before the expected cycle, then there is a possibility of pregnancy. It is worth remembering that all women are individual. And to determine pregnancy in this way, basal temperature should be measured 1-2 months.
Feeling. A woman may feel nausea, general weakness, and dizziness after fertile conception. However, doctors came to the conclusion that toxicosis simply does not happen before the delay. A woman's placebo effect triggers wishful thinking. Toxicosis develops on average 4-5 weeks after fertile conception.
Ultrasound diagnostics. The most reliable method is the results of ultrasound. During the examination, the doctor determines the duration of the expected pregnancy, monitors the development of the fetus, and notices the slightest deviations.

Only a gynecologist can confirm or rule out pregnancy after a personal examination and examination of the woman’s tests. Iodine is only an auxiliary technique.

Buying a pregnancy test at the pharmacy or determining conception with iodine is a woman’s choice. Don't be upset if the result is negative. At the first opportunity, you should visit a gynecologist, who will make the correct diagnosis.

Researcher at the Laboratory for the Prevention of Reproductive Health Disorders of Workers at the Research Institute of Occupational Medicine named after. N.F. Izmerova.

Signs of pregnancy in a woman

Is it possible to detect pregnancy using iodine?

Iodine, or more precisely, its alcohol solution, is found in almost every home. It is an affordable and effective antiseptic, used mainly in the treatment of wounds and cuts. But there are also unconventional ways to use it, one of them is a pregnancy test with iodine.

How reliable is this method and how to use it correctly? Let's look at the features of determining pregnancy at home using iodine.

How is an iodine test performed to detect pregnancy?

There are two ways to perform the iodine test. In both cases, the basis is the interaction of the urine of a woman who suspects pregnancy with an alcohol solution of iodine.

Using paper

To increase the reliability of the results, you need to properly prepare for the test. You will need:

Carry out genital hygiene - wash and dry with a towel.
Collect your morning urine sample in a clean container.
Take a pipette, iodine, a sheet of paper without drawings (you can use office paper).

Now you need to moisten the paper with urine, take a few drops of iodine into a pipette and apply it to the sheet. If the paper acquires a purple or blue tint, the result is considered positive; if it turns brown, the result is considered negative.

Methods for determining conception using traditional methods

It is not uncommon for traditional methods to be used as a pregnancy test. We must not forget that their reliability is questionable.

Using baking soda

To confirm conception, you can use baking soda. Pour a little powder into the container with urine that was collected in the morning. The appearance of bubbles indicates imminent motherhood. When the crystals settle to the bottom, there is no pregnancy.

With a bow

An ancient method to check for pregnancy. This is a kind of fortune telling. You need to take a couple of onions. Make a positive guess for one of them, a negative one for the second. Plant and watch the growth. On which of them the greenery will rise to 4 centimeters faster, that will be the answer to the question asked.

This method has no medical basis; it is considered entertainment, and not a real method that can indicate conception.

Ring and hair

Tie a wedding ring to your hair and bring it to your stomach. If it begins to move, this indicates life has begun. Its movement in a circle indicates the birth of a girl, and when it makes reciprocating movements, that is, it moves like a pendulum, there will be a boy.

By pulse

To confirm pregnancy, you can look for a pulse in your abdomen. The desired point is located 7-8 centimeters below the navel. If a pulse was found in the indicated place, you need to expect a quick addition to the family. The reliability of this method is very doubtful and has no scientific basis.

According to dreams

It has long been believed that a fish seen by a woman in a dream indicates that she will soon become a mother. It doesn’t matter what kind of actions you perform with fish in a dream - eat, cook, hold in your hands, buy or catch.

To dream of swimming in clean water also indicates the speedy conception of a child.