Consultation for parents “How to protect your child from viruses”
Irina Bashtannik
Consultation for parents “How to protect your child from viruses”
During the season of exacerbation of viruses, people with weakened immune systems are at risk of illness, and this is especially high when regularly visiting public places. To prevent exposure to infections, many people engage in prevention, and parents worry about how to protect their child from viruses in the garden .
How to prevent infections?
Of course, treating a cold or a serious illness is much more difficult than preventing and strengthening a child’s .
In addition, frequent illnesses significantly undermine the child’s , and parents do not always approve of frequent sick leave at work.
A separate issue is the material aspect - it is always cheaper to purchase preventative medications than medications for treatment.
Maintain hygiene.
Since all measures to protect a child from diseases are a complex, in order to achieve effectiveness it is necessary to carry out all its aspects. One of them is hygiene. Many scientists have worked on research in this area and have proven the following fact. Many people believe that infections are transmitted by airborne droplets, and all colds have an impact by entering the body through the mucous membranes. However, scientists have long supported this opinion with the statement that this kind of infection is transmitted by contact. It is necessary to teach your child to constantly wash his hands : after going outside, after animals, using the toilet, before eating, and so on. Especially monitor this habit during an exacerbation of viruses .
Start to harden the child .
In order to avoid frequent illnesses, it is recommended to strengthen the child’s . How to do this without medications? Using hardening. Gradually, you can accustom your child to cooler temperatures in the apartment and take baths in cooler water than usual. You should not douse with ice water according to the general stereotype - this is not a hardening measure, and due to hypothermia, the child, on the contrary, can become hypothermic.
If it’s cool time outside, it is recommended to go for a walk more often and spend more time in the fresh air. Moreover, you should not wrap your child in very warm clothes; it is enough to select outerwear according to the weather, in which the child will not freeze or sweat. Cases where children caught a cold because they were sweating and were blown by the wind occur much more often than if the child was dressed for the weather .
Physical exercise.
Any healthy lifestyle involves playing sports. It doesn't have to be anything complicated. It is enough to simply develop a child in the direction of sports. You can do it at home, do exercises with your child , or come up with an interesting workout in a playful way. You can also send your child to a sports section ; there are many centers that work with children from a very young age. The set of exercises there is designed specifically for a certain age of children, taking into account all their capabilities.
Proper nutrition and vitamins for a child .
Proper nutrition involves healthy foods enriched with vitamins, which constitute a balanced diet. You need to monitor the child’s nutrition , find out what he is fed in kindergarten, and supplement this complex at home. Particular attention should be paid to such things in winter and during the spring period of vitamin deficiency, when the majority of the body is weakened
Child protection measures .
There are some additional tips for protecting your child from viruses in kindergarten .
• Use of oxolinic ointment. Many people have probably heard about its miraculous properties. During an exacerbation of viruses , both adults and children use oxolinic ointment; it protects the nasal mucosa from infection, and if the initial signs of a cold have already appeared, it promotes a speedy recovery.
• Consuming vitamin C. A well-known method for colds and their prevention. Eat more citrus fruits, but do not overdo it, so that the child does not develop an allergy. You can also take medications containing this vitamin.
• Use onions and garlic for prevention. They are excellent at killing germs, including those in the air, so you can simply leave the chopped onion in the room. If you don’t like the smell of onions, aroma lamps and eucalyptus oils are suitable; they also have a cleansing effect.
• Regular ventilation. Fresh air will not bring new diseases; it is much worse to breathe stale air full of germs.
• Consuming honey. It can be added to tea, eaten with nuts or porridge, or simply given to the child without any additives .
If the child does get sick , it is important to carry out the treatment to the end, without rushing to stop it as soon as possible if the main symptoms have passed. If colds are not treated completely, the risk of developing chronic diseases increases sharply.
Why do kindergarteners get sick?
In children's groups, infection always spreads with lightning speed, and group members again and again “pick up” viruses from each other and through shared toys. Before one person has time to recover, someone else falls ill, and this can continue for quite a long time. The same thing is repeated in elementary school and then in middle school. But why does this happen?
The fact is that the full development of the immune system is completed only by the age of 16-18. Until then, the child is more susceptible to negative environmental factors than adults.
Active immunity accumulates through previous infections and vaccinations by the age of 4-6 years. But working parents, as a rule, send their children to kindergarten earlier - from 2-3 years old, hence the frequent illnesses in the team.
You need to understand that immunity weakens due to a kind of conflict between the child’s body and the environment. And you need to either reconcile the child with her, or make him more comfortable. Let's take a closer look at what this means.
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How to protect your child from flu and colds
Children get sick with colds much more often than adults. A means to protect a baby from viruses has not yet been invented. There are many ways to help mobilize the child’s body’s defenses to fight the virus.
- Proper and balanced nutrition containing essential vitamins and microelements is one of the main conditions. The child's dishes should include red pepper, dill, rose hips, and red currants.
- Walking in the fresh air should be regular, even if there is bad weather outside.
- An active lifestyle and sports also play a big role in disease prevention.
- A child needs a proper daily routine and adequate sleep of 10–12 hours.
- The child should develop with your support and care. Mental and psychological stress must be overcome together.
- Wet cleaning of the room and regular ventilation will prevent the appearance of viruses and pathogenic bacteria.
- When someone in your family gets sick, try to isolate the child and wear medical masks.
- Avoid hypothermia and overheating of the baby.
- Teach your child to observe the necessary hygiene rules.
Prevention, folk remedies, strengthening the immune system
Currently, the entire population of the planet is concerned about the coronavirus epidemic. Many rushed to pharmacies and bought antiviral drugs, while others began to self-medicate. It is important to note that doctors say that if a person is not sick, there is no point in such measures and drugs can only harm health. You can only try to strengthen your immunity to enable your body to cope with the disease more easily. Some people recommend folk remedies such as chopped garlic, ginger or cloves, as well as drinking as much water as possible, possibly acidified with lemon. Just do not forget about the load on the kidneys, which will have to cope to remove water from the body. Take more vitamins and eat a nutritious and balanced diet.
Material on the topic Coronavirus and children: prevention, symptoms, treatment and prognosis
Remember what you should not do to treat and prevent coronavirus without the advice of specialists:
- take any medications, immunomodulators;
- drink drinks containing alcohol;
- do not self-medicate with folk remedies;
- do not use any antibiotics;
- If wearing masks, change them regularly.
Important! If you notice symptoms such as fever, difficulty breathing, gastrointestinal disorders, do not leave your home under any circumstances and call a doctor immediately!
How to protect your child from colds in winter
Prevention of colds and flu is necessary in winter, since at this time the risk of infection increases several times. The disease can be prevented by specific and non-specific types of prophylaxis.
Specific prevention means vaccination. Additionally, use children's antiviral drugs.
Nonspecific prevention involves taking measures aimed at improving the health of the child’s body. This includes proper nutrition, hardening, walks in the fresh air, physical activity, and drinking a liter of water daily.
Many people believe that summer trips to the sea with a child will get rid of colds in winter. Any move to a new place is stressful for a child’s body. In order for your vacation to be useful and fulfilling, you must first undergo adaptation to a new place, and only then begin hardening. This especially applies to infants and preschool children.
How to protect your child from a cold if the mother gets sick
If a nursing mother falls ill with a cold, breastfeeding may not be stopped. With mother's milk, the baby also receives protective antibodies. Interrupting feeding can deprive the baby of this protection, and then the baby becomes more likely to get sick. In addition, switching to manual expression can lead to breast mastitis. You can drop breast milk into your baby's nose. To reduce the elevated temperature, the mother can take paracetamol.
If the mother of an older child falls ill, then in order to avoid infection with a cold virus, you need to follow some rules:
- The child needs to be isolated. If this is not possible, then use masks and change them more often;
- During your illness, avoid visiting close relatives and friends;
- If possible, take your child out into the fresh air;
- ventilate the room more often;
- The child’s bed linen and towels must always be fresh and clean;
- when coming from the street, wash your baby’s hands and face well;
- Each household member should have their own dishes;
- Place a plate with finely chopped garlic and onion next to the baby's crib.
Sanitary standards
Parents often complain that kindergarten is either too hot or cold. Some people are sure that “the heat doesn’t break your bones,” but it’s hard to agree with this. Kindergartens are subject to special SanPiN requirements. Ideally, the air temperature in the rooms where the baby sleeps, plays music or exercises should be 19-20 degrees, and in the locker rooms, playrooms and toilets - 21-23 degrees. The duration of ventilation depends on the outside temperature, wind direction, and the efficiency of the heating system.
For most of the year, when central heating is on, the indoor air can be very dry. And this makes it easier for infections to spread - the mucous membranes dry out and lose their ability to keep harmful microorganisms from entering the nasopharynx. Therefore, it is advisable to have a humidifier in the group. At home, you should also keep such a device in the nursery. As a last resort, you can use plates of water.
Of course, the body’s protective ability depends not only on the air that the child breathes - it is important how much he sleeps, what and how much he eats, how he is treated at home and in kindergarten, whether he has friends, and how psychologically comfortable he is.
Preschool children should rest not only at night, but also during the day. In kindergartens, “quiet hour” usually lasts 3 hours. At this time, you cannot make noise; sometimes teachers allow those who are awake to draw quietly, but not always - and sometimes children suffer, staring at the ceiling for hours. Therefore, it will be better if parents begin to accustom their baby to naps during the day, even before entering kindergarten.
As for nutrition, it should contain a lot of vitamins and fresh herbs. Try to give your child less food produced in factories - the simpler the products and closer to nature, the better: cereals, vegetables, and, if possible, country eggs and milk. It is also better to make bread and pastries at home.
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Particular cough. How to distinguish whooping cough from a cold? The most difficult aspect of kindergarten life is psychological. Previously, the child communicated mainly with relatives, spent most of the time at home, among his own things and toys, as a pet of the whole family. And now a lot of strangers appear in his life, and he also has to adjust to a new daily routine and follow a bunch of rules. All this is very difficult for a little man. But parents have the power to make their baby feel more comfortable away from home. Let him take his favorite toy with him to kindergarten. Bring a comfortable pillow and blanket to sleep on. After kindergarten, spend time in silence, without TV and noisy companies - it’s better to take a walk with your baby in the park. Whenever the opportunity arises, pick up your child from kindergarten early or arrange an unscheduled weekend with grandma. And, of course, try to make friends with the teachers - after all, they are the ones responsible for the child while you are not around.
And most importantly, listen more to your child and his natural needs, and not to general rules.
