The health of the baby must be monitored from the first months. In order to raise immunity to a newborn child, some parents begin to intensively patronize the baby or, on the contrary, try on it all methods to strengthen the body. Of course, good health from childhood is a guarantee that in adulthood a person will be healthy, but you should always adhere to the rule: "Do no harm".
On the immunity of newborns and infants
Strengthening the immune system in a child up to a year has some specifics, since immunity at this age in children is not yet fully formed and has a number of distinctive features:
- In the human immune system there are ten classes of immunoglobulins - protective antibodies. In children up to a year, only one of them is in an active state - this is immunoglobulin G, which he receives during intrauterine development. The production of all other immunoglobulins is in a dormant state. Until about 6 months, maternal antibodies (immunoglobulins G) are present in the baby’s body, after six months their number decreases, since the child begins to form its own specific immunity. The first three months the baby’s body is protected exclusively by maternal antibodies, and its own immunity gains strength only by the year. Due to such features, children under one year of age are especially prone to colds and allergies.
- The child receives maternal antibodies in the last trimester of fetal life, therefore, children born prematurely, at 28 - 32 weeks, will not receive them from their mother and after birth they are distinguished by weakened immunity.
Therefore, before interfering with the baby’s immune system, you need to make sure that it really needs support. If a child has had ARVI 3-4 times a year, is not prone to frequent allergies, then you should not take any emergency measures in order to increase immunity.
Doctor Komarovsky advises: immunity video
What factors affect immunity and its strength? Is it true that during pregnancy, the baby receives immunity from many diseases from the mother? To find out the state of the immune system, is it enough to do a normal blood test or do you need any specific tests? Evgeny Olegovich Komarovsky will answer these and other questions.
Signs of Immunity
Here are some signs that the baby's immunity is weakened:
- Frequent SARS (every two months or more), with complications in the form of tonsillitis, otitis media.
- No fever in inflammatory and infectious diseases.
- Constantly enlarged cervical and axillary lymph nodes.
- Phenomenon dysbiosis: diarrhea, constipation, allergic dermatitis, diathesis.
- Fatigue, drowsiness, moodiness, pallor of the skin.
- Hypersensitivity to allergies.
If the baby has such violations, then parents should immediately show the child to a pediatrician. Do not rely on vitamins, only with the help of them you will not be able to raise the child's immunity to a normal level.
How to increase and strengthen the child’s immunity?
There are several tips on how to raise the baby’s immunity immediately after birth and to support the baby’s defenses during the first year:
- Give preference breastfeeding. Even if there is not much milk at first, continue to stimulate lactation. Breastfeed as long as possible, according to the latest WHO recommendations: breastfeeding is mandatory for up to 1 year, since milk is a source of nutrients and specific antibodies for the baby, and up to 2 years old - preferably for the psychological support that the baby continues to need. Today, it is well known that breastfeeding infants are less likely to get sick, and this is not only because they are better protected immunologically. A more favorable psychological background (closeness of the mother) in these babies is also
helps strengthen immunity. - Tempering procedures increase the immunity of the infant.
Air quench You can start from the first days of life. And in the future add water procedures. Do not wrap the baby, teach from a young age to endure discomfort. Walk a lot, especially in summer and do gymnastics. - Cleanliness is the key to health. Watch the tidiness of the child, the cleanliness of toys, dishes and personal hygiene items. About hygiene >>>
- Watch your baby’s nutrition. Use caution in introducing new foods that may cause allergies. Try to provide your child with a complete diet rich in vitamins and other essential substances, give your baby fresh fruits and vegetables. From 7 - 8 months, the baby should receive fermented milk products, they are important for maintaining the intestinal microflora. About complementary foods >>>
- If the child is sick with SARS, do not abuse drugs, especially immunomodulators and antibiotics, do not bring down the antipyretic temperature if it is below 38.50C. Most of these drugs are contraindicated in children under 1 year old or are prescribed in extreme cases only by a doctor. Let the baby’s body cope with common colds on its own. Drink multivitamins adapted for a given age.
- Do not refuse vaccinations. Of course, today there are many pros and cons of this method of protecting children from diseases: the harmlessness of artificial immunization has not been fully proven, there is a risk of complications, which stops many parents from vaccinating their babies. But, nevertheless, according to research, vaccinated children do not practically suffer from these dangerous diseases. And outbreaks of seemingly rare diseases like whooping cough, mumps still occur. Therefore, if you live in a city, often communicate with other children, travel to crowded places and plan to attend kindergarten and school, then it is better to adhere to the generally accepted vaccination calendar.
Folk remedies to enhance immunity
Here are some drinks and folk remedies that can be given to children up to 1 year old in order to increase immunity:
- Juices: apple (rich in vitamin C) and carrot juice (rich in vitamin A).
- Rosehip broth: 250 - 300 g of dried or fresh fruit in 2 liters of water, boil for 3 minutes and insist 3 - 4 hours. The broth can be given to drink crumbs several times a day.
- Stewed apricots (dried apricots) and raisins: 500 g of apricots and 1 tablespoon of raisins - 2 liters of water.
- You need to be careful with herbal teas because of the likelihood of an allergy.Sometimes you can give chamomile tea, it has a good effect on digestion and intestinal microflora, thereby increasing immunity. For children up to a year, it is better to buy ready-made teas for babies, where the composition and dosage are already balanced.
- Closer to the year, if there is no allergy to honey, you can add half a teaspoon of it to porridge instead of sugar.
- Echinacea for children under 1 year of age can only be given as a decoction. The collection (roots, leaves or flowers) is sold in a pharmacy, brew and give it according to the instructions. It is advisable to consult with a pediatrician before use.
- Decoctions of herbs (linden blossom, St. John's wort, chamomile) are useful to add to bathing water. Such baths well support the body's defenses.
- If you have already begun to introduce berries into the child’s diet, then the most vitamin ones are: lingonberries, cranberries, black currants, strawberries, raspberries.
- And, of course, if the nursing mother wants to increase the immunity of the infant and herself, then she herself must eat well, eliminate allergens and take vitamins, because breast milk is the main food for infants up to 6 months.
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In a healthy family, the baby will be much easier to stay strong. Therefore, it is important to take care not only of the immunity of the baby, but also of the whole family. Take family physical education as a rule: while the baby is still small, be sure to take it with you for walks in the park, on the ski slopes, go to the pool. This will not only enhance the health of parents and the child, but will make your family relations more friendly and warm, which cannot but have a positive effect on the general condition of each of you.
We also read: 10 ways to strengthen a child’s immunity
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Marina, this is the right decision, I would have done the same. I tried to strengthen my immunity for my son in front of the garden: they tried tempering and folk remedies. But I fell ill out of the blue (I read about immunomodulators on the Internet, I clarified them in a pharmacy, at our pediatrician. So in a hospital and pharmacy I advised one drug, Derinat. The droplets were really very effective: the runny nose that tormented us at that time removed like a hand, and over time, and the son’s soreness came to naught.
We also use Derinat. I try to start to drip it at the first symptoms of a cold. But in principle, if I’m a little too late and I don’t see that a runny nose starts, then there’s nothing wrong either. It helps at different stages. And contributes to a quick recovery. I drip it myself and grandmother. She, too, constantly picked up everything from the child. And as you know, people at the age endure everything harder and with complications. So we cured everyone with derinatom both small and old))
Such an age is scrupulous that it is scary to recover at sea, and to feed with immunostimulants, I am an opponent of such things. We were on GV for about a year, as for me, the best assistant to the immune system, and at 6 months we started giving Bifidum Bakzdrav, this is a probiotic for intestinal microflora, advised the pediatrician to help the small organism with healthy bacteria to cope with lures and at the same time strengthen immunity. I am satisfied, and introduced new products fairly quickly, without complications, and we are not ill in principle. In September, we’ll go to the garden. I give probiotics again.
We bought an Aerocraft air disinfectant! This is just salvation! When the youngest or oldest of the sons come home from a kindergarten with a cold (runny nose), it’s just a disaster! If one is sick, then know that the second will not take long. And now this problem is completely solved! Children became noticeably less likely to get sick. It is so great when no one is sick, everyone is healthy and happy! And the nerves in place))