Human immunity is laid mainly in the prenatal period and in the first years of life. That is why it is so important to monitor the health of the baby – this will ensure a trouble-free and happy life in the future.
If a child gets sick more often than his peers, can catch a cold from any draft or wet feet, recovers for a long time after each illness, has a tendency to allergies, it can be assumed that his immunity is weakened.
Reason 1. “Background” factors
Some children up to a certain point please their parents with good health, and then suddenly a bunch of sores pile up out of the blue. The first thing to look for with a doctor in such cases is “background” factors, that is, concomitant diseases. They can be dysbiosis or intolerance to any foods, hypo- or hypervitaminosis. Also, the child’s immunity is likely to be weakened after severe illnesses (pneumonia, sore throat, intestinal infections) or any surgical intervention.
Reason 2. Controlled taking of medications
Immunity can be congenital and acquired. And the second prevails in an adult, because his body has more “experience in dealing” with various infections. Immunity is acquired only through contact with the pathogen, and in no other way. Therefore, if at the slightest sign of a cold or fever you are ready to give your child an antibiotic, remember: this is not the best service to future health.
Reason 3. Failure to comply with the general rules of disease prevention
For a child, this concept includes not only familiarity with hygiene at the level of hand washing and fruit.
First of all, the following are important:
- daily routine,
- regular walks,
- healthy diet,
- sufficient physical activity.
We may not care about ourselves, sitting in front of the computer all day long and eating sandwiches. And with a child, it is important to follow the same banal recommendations that all pediatricians in the world give: to be outdoors a lot, to eat fruits and vegetables regularly, to follow the daily routine. Because all these components have a significant impact on the formation of the immune response in babies – a healthy body correctly recognizes external dangers and adequately protects the growing body from them.
Reason 4. Extremely sterile environment
Of course, no mother will like that her baby is sick. But, oddly enough, too healthy children grow up to be sick adults.
The main component of good immunity is immune memory, and the body acquires it only after successful recovery. Therefore, by wrapping children, avoiding winter airing and hardening, parents often stimulate a decrease in immunity themselves.
Reason 5. Artificial feeding
This reason is important for the child in the first year of life, but it is not so simple. With mother’s milk, the baby does receive antibodies that protect his body in the first months, but for children 1 month and older, this immunity works only locally – in the intestines. That is, breast milk will protect the baby from intestinal infections, rotavirus and others.
Babies who are fed with artificial formula are more prone to a variety of gastrointestinal diseases because their immune system is weaker. However, regardless of the type of feeding, colds and airborne infections are the same for all babies.
