How can a child protect himself from colds before surgery? The most effective ways to protect your baby from colds. How to protect your baby? Precautionary measures at the household level: basic prevention of ARVI in children

How to protect your child from colds?

A few simple tips to avoid childhood illnesses in the fall.

It would seem that just recently there was standing outside the window summer heat– and now autumn is just around the corner with all the seasonal delights: colder weather, drizzling rain, and then frosts... A child’s body is much weaker than an adult’s, and therefore with the onset of autumn the number of children who catch a cold increases sharply. Many doctors believe that seasonal diseases are quite normal phenomenon. But still: is it possible to protect a child from a cold? Can!

To protect your child from catching a cold during a seasonal outbreak, follow the following tips, simple but effective!

Teach your baby to breathe through his nose

This simple recommendation is very important. The fact is that it is the nasal mucosa that becomes the very first barrier that stands in the way of microbes. When breathing through the nose, a significant part of the microbes are neutralized before they enter the body. This means breathing through your nose is the first way to avoid illness.

The child should always have a clean handkerchief

It is best to use disposable paper tissues - this will prevent the spread of infection. In addition, a useful habit is to sneeze not into your palm, but into the crook of your arm: after all, germs easily migrate from all surfaces in the house to the baby’s palms, and from there straight into the respiratory tract.

Don't forget the onions and garlic

Natural phytoncides of onions and garlic have the excellent ability to kill microbes - and therefore it is very useful to leave a saucer with chopped onions or garlic cloves in the room where the child sleeps. In addition, you can put finely chopped garlic in a Kinder Surprise container.

Ventilate the room

Even if there is bad weather outside, take fifteen minutes to ventilate the rooms. Fresh air is an effective remedy for germs. Stop smoking indoors once and for all - tobacco smoke tends to seep into any cracks, and it does not affect the child’s health in the best possible way: in particular, significantlyreduces immunity .

Do not neglect medications to prevent colds

Currently, there are a number of homeopathic medicines that help not only cope with colds, but also prevent them (for example, Oscillococcinum or Anaferon). Homeopathic medicines are particularly effective in the most early stages disease and the ability to prevent infection. However, it is worth remembering that the effect of such drugs is significantly reduced when taken regularly: to achieve maximum effect You should not take the same remedy more often than once every six months. However, you can always alternate medications.

Strengthening the immune system

Strong immunity guarantees that both cold weather and seasonal outbreaks of colds will not have any effect on the baby. How to strengthen a child's immunity?

Proper nutrition

The baby's diet should have enough vitamins and minerals. Store-bought vitamin and mineral complexes created specifically for children are quite suitable for this. But sometimes parents prefer not to give their child pharmaceutical drugs, but to make do natural means. If this is your position, try to include foods in your child’s diet.rich in vitamin C , especially important for immunity: rose hips, black currants, sweet peppers, citrus fruits (best consumed together with the crust), sea buckthorn, kiwi, cabbage (especially Brussels sprouts, broccoli, cauliflower, red cabbage), garlic, viburnum berries, rowan berries, strawberries. Also good for the immune systemvitamins A and E.

Remember that products for children's table must be natural! Semi-finished and instant foods, when consumed regularly, have a bad effect on the health and well-being of the baby.

Active lifestyle

Physical activity helps strengthen the body. Run,swimming , cycling, scootering, rollerblading, walking - all this only benefits the baby’s immunity. Particularly useful physical exercise on fresh air. If the baby walks a lot, runs, jumps, actively explores the playground, climbing wherever possible - rejoice, most likely his health is strong enough to withstand diseases.

Temperature changes

An organism that is accustomed to withstand temperature changes can also resist colds. Therefore, dousing with cool water and visitingbaths or saunas . Note that any hardening procedures must be introduced gradually - gradually reduce the water temperature, and in the sauna start with just a few minutes.

However, measures to strengthen the immune system are not a panacea or a magic pill: it will take time for them to have any tangible effect. In addition, you need to constantly strengthen your immune system. But once you achieve the result, you are unlikely to regret it - your baby will get sick much less often, become stronger and healthier.

Hello again to all readers!

I am glad to see you on the pages of the ShkolaLa blog. It seems like two-thirds of winter is just around the corner, and colds and acute respiratory viral infections are mercilessly decimating our ranks. But the end of the third quarter is already visible ahead, I wouldn’t want to miss important topics and test work, and I just wouldn’t want to get sick.

Lesson plan:

Basic Rules

Widespread ARVI is not a reason to skip school and not go to kindergarten. Considering that colds are transmitted and viruses travel from one organism to another along the airborne path, it is important to teach the child the basic rules so that in the absence of parents nearby he can somewhat protect himself.

Strengthening the immune system

During seasonal outbreaks of colds, this is a real savior. I agree that the sled should have been prepared in the summer, but it wouldn’t be superfluous to consolidate the result or at least try to increase the level of protection, even when time has been lost.

What does children's immunity depend on?

Proper nutrition

It’s no secret that the right amount of minerals is the key good health. If your refrigerator does not have stocks of fruits and berries frozen from the summer, you will have to look at the pharmacy for vitamin-mineral complexes that will become their full replacement for the winter season.

From what you can find on store shelves now in the middle of winter, you can safely buy everything containing C. For example, these are citrus fruits, kiwi, cabbage and sweet peppers.

Active lifestyle

Strengthens the children's body. Anything you can do in winter will be beneficial. And it’s better to do sports not in a closed gym, although this is also useful, but in the fresh air. There are fewer viruses wandering around in search of “prey.”

Hardening

The body, accustomed to temperature changes, will not wither when it suddenly becomes ten degrees colder outside, and will not become limp when someone nearby sneezed a couple of times. But here you won’t get healthy right away - you need to do it gradually. But it’s better late than never!

Mode

Increases the resistance of the child's body good dream, which requires at least 9 hours a day. Mental stress must be diluted with physical stress and, after an active day, rest in peace and quiet.

Grandmother's chest

A strong immune system is, of course, great, but it is far from a panacea or a pill for all diseases. It takes time. Therefore, I suggest using folk remedies to help him.

Our grandmothers advise putting garlic drops into your nose at the first sign of illness. You can make a garlic solution from juice diluted with water 10 to 1. You can instill it a maximum of 5 times a day so as not to burn the nasal mucosa.

Instead of garlic, you can make drops of grated onion pulp, which is filled with water. It infuses for an hour, the liquid is drained, and the gruel is mixed with a quarter of a small spoon of honey.

Warm milk with honey or berry juice helps to support a child’s body and not get sick. In general, to prevent ARVI and colds, you need to drink a lot and often.

It is also very useful to gargle and rinse your nose with herbal decoctions - chamomile, sage or calendula.

If you are in quarantine at home

What to do if mom gets sick or dad comes home with a fever and “French pronunciation”?

These simple tips help maintain children's health and protect themselves from unnecessary sick leave, even when everyone around them is not entirely healthy. Do you have your own tricks on how to save yourself at the peak of ARVI and colds? Share them in the comments! And don’t forget to subscribe to the blog news so you don’t miss new articles)

Our expert - pediatrician, candidate of medical sciences Ekaterina Uspenskaya.

Viruses live everywhere

Acute respiratory diseases according to their localization are divided into infections of the upper and lower respiratory tract. The upper respiratory tract is the nose, mouth, pharynx and larynx. The lower respiratory tract is represented by the trachea, bronchi and lungs.

The most common are upper respiratory tract infections. Such diseases usually include rhinitis, sinusitis, adenoiditis, tonsillitis, pharyngitis, laryngitis. All these diseases are caused by viruses. And they are accompanied by all the familiar symptoms: sore throat, runny nose, cough, fever. And the flu also causes headaches, muscle pain and chills. These symptoms develop within one to two days after the child has been in contact with someone who is sick.

Children preschool age Most often people become infected with ARVI in kindergartens, shopping and entertainment centers, and sometimes at home - from parents who have a cold. After all, viruses are transmitted quite easily:

by air if you find yourself close to someone who is sneezing or coughing;
after a simple handshake with a sick person (or playing together in the case of children);
upon contact with personal hygiene items of a virus carrier.

This is why the prevention of respiratory diseases is so important both before the start of the ARVI season and when it begins.

Often the first wave of ARVI occurs in mid-September. A little later, the clinics are filled with patients who have received complications due to untreated colds - with tonsillitis, sinusitis, otitis... This time is the peak of queuing to see doctors, taking sick leave, and buying up all the “healing” medicines.

But illness can be avoided if you follow simple but reasonable rules.

Be an example for your child. Don’t be lazy to do exercises with him, wipe yourself with a damp towel - also together!

Don't bundle up your child, dress him according to the weather. A sweaty child quickly becomes hypothermic and falls ill.

A month before the onset of cold season, you can take a course of taking immunomodulatory drugs based on ginseng, echinacea or another “natural healer”. This will increase the baby’s body’s resistance to viruses in the children’s group.

Take vitamin complexes. Their main action should be aimed at strengthening the child’s immunity. The main vitamins for you now are C, A, E, D.

During the epidemic season, rinse your child’s nose after returning from crowded places with solutions based on sea salt.

Ventilate the apartment (especially the baby’s room) more often, wash your hands more often, and wet-clean the house more often.

Organize proper nutrition. The child's diet should contain as many vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants as possible. Where can I get them? They are present in vegetables, fruits, fish, fermented milk products and clean drinking water.

Don’t rush to give an antipyretic! © Thinkstock

Original recipes children's health given by Professor Vladimir Tatochenko

The first cold is the first cold for a child. Just after treatment, the first day in kindergarten or school, you see - again snot and cough. It is in such troubles that winter passes unnoticed... Are colds and coughs really constant companions of winter?

“Children’s cough in half of the cases is on the conscience of the parents,” say progressive doctors. And “AiF” through the mouth of Vladimir Tatochenko, professor Science Center children's health RAMS gives whole line very valuable advice:

About prevention from the pharmacy: Neither oxolinic ointment, which compassionate mothers love to smear on their child’s nose, nor any other preventive measures against colds and coughs will save you! Giving a healthy child full of chemicals will only cause harm.

Is it possible to hide from a cough? Unfortunately no. A cough does not play hide and seek... And the desire to lock a child in the house, to protect him as much as possible from a potentially dangerous society is illogical! The concentration of pathogenic organisms in the fresh air is a priori lower than in any closed space. Everyone go outside!

ARVI, acute respiratory infections and their faithful companions - coughs and colds - are afraid of water. Wash your hands as often as possible! A child will rub his eyes with his hands hundreds of times a day, get into his nose and mouth. If you wash your hands every half hour, the risk of catching an infection will be reduced to a minimum.

The house should not be too warm and dry. When the nasopharyngeal mucosa dries out, resistance to disease decreases. The optimal temperature in the apartment during the day is +21...+22°C, at night - +17...+18°C. An open window in winter and summer is a must! Duvets that provide a greenhouse effect are very undesirable.

Don't go to the cinema in the off-season! While a child goes to his group in kindergarten or to his class at school, he practically does not get sick, because he gets used to the microbes that circulate in the group. When groups mix, children become infected and here it is, the “long-awaited” cough!

Did you dress yourself? Now dress the child, but “worse.” That is, give him one less clothes than yourself. Why? Because on a walk you will stand while your baby makes circles on the carousel slides or move about three times less while he just runs around you.

Is it +5...+10°C outside? Give your child a T-shirt, shirt and jacket. When it gets closer to 0°C, get a warmer jacket. These clothes are enough to

Tights under pants (if there is no frost) are unnecessary. Enough socks.

You should wear a hat in winter; in September you can do without it, but be sure to wear a cap in the rain. There is no need to warm your head at all. Most people think that if you walk around without a hat, you will get meningitis. This is complete nonsense! Meningitis is caused by a microbe, not hypothermia.

Attention - feet! Feet should not be wet. This is an axiom.

Therefore, in rain and wet weather it is better to wear rubber boots. But you can’t freeze either. If your child complains of being cold, dress him warmly.

What to do if you start to get sick? Don’t grab pills - today there are no effective medicines for 95% of pathogens. This conclusion was made by WHO experts after testing cold remedies.

Do not suppress your fever with a strong antipyretic. It must be knocked down at 39-39.5°. And don’t try to lower it to 36.6°. It dropped to 38° - good. Without elevated temperature the immune system will not develop a good response, and the child will get sick from the same virus several times.

If symptoms worsen, call your doctor. But in general, there is no need to be afraid of colds. Children need to get sick and get immunity from coughs and colds!

A child's immunity after birth is a blank slate. Over time, when the body begins to encounter certain viruses and bacteria, it will begin to resist them. The body will produce special antibodies, which together form immunity - that is, the ability to resist various diseases. The most common childhood illness is the common cold, or ARVI. Often children, especially those who go to kindergarten, get colds very often. What to do to protect your child from colds?

Strong immunity against colds

Nature itself has endowed humans with strong immunity. Our task is not to interfere with its work and to support the body’s defenses in every possible way. How to do it?

Try to feed your baby whenever possible breast milk for as long as possible, at least up to a year. Mother's milk contains a huge amount of antibodies, which, like bricks, lay the foundation for a child's strong immunity.
Nutrition is very important in developing a healthy immune system. It should be balanced and varied so that the body receives different vitamins and microelements every day. A child's daily diet should include cereals, meat, dairy products, fresh fruits and vegetables. Moreover, if today you prepared buckwheat porridge, tomorrow give preference to rice, the day after tomorrow - oatmeal. Such variety will eliminate vitamin deficiency in the body.
Fresh air is another essential component of a strong immune system. With a child in the first years of life, you need to walk every day for at least three hours a day. If you follow this rule, your baby will get sick much less often. At the same time, walks in the fresh air can be combined with physical activity, who also plays important role in the formation of immunity.
Immunity largely depends on the functioning of the intestines. Therefore, try to avoid constipation and diarrhea.
For a baby to be healthy, he needs good sleep and no stress. Try to put your child to bed no later than 9 o'clock - sleep before midnight is extremely important for a child's body. Do not sort things out in the presence of the baby.
Follow basic hygiene rules - wash your hands before eating, after walking, etc.
Dress your child according to the weather - this is very important. After all, overheating is just as dangerous as hypothermia. Remember, you need to dress your baby a little warmer than yourself, since he lies down and practically does not move. But children over two years old need to be dressed a little lighter, because they are constantly on the move - running, jumping, climbing. Choose layers of clothing so that you can take off one blouse on the street if necessary.
In order for a child’s health to be strong, it needs to be hardened. This is one of the most powerful factors of good immunity. You need to start hardening in the summer or early autumn. Start with a simple contrast shower at the end water procedures. Let the water be lukewarm at first, then cool. Gradually increase the water temperature to 25-27 degrees.
Do not allow dry air in the room, especially in winter time. The temperature should not exceed 25 degrees - this is the limit. To get rid of this, moderate the operation of the radiators, and also install a humidifier. If you add a little tea tree oil to the humidifier water, you will get disinfected air with a pleasant aroma.

These simple rules will help you build immunity in your child. But what should you do if your baby goes to kindergarten and comes home with snot every week?

How to protect your child from colds if he goes to kindergarten

Firstly, all mothers and fathers need to be prepared for the fact that the child will get sick often during the first year of kindergarten - this is inevitable. A clean child's body is faced with a huge number of pathogens. You just need to get through this period. At the same time, it is necessary to strengthen the child’s immunity so that illnesses are easier. The natural process of adaptation sooner or later befalls everyone - in the garden or at school. It's better to get sick in kindergarten so that absenteeism does not affect the child’s academic performance.

Viral diseases are contracted through airborne droplets, through common household items, toys, and dishes. In such a situation, the actions of workers are very important kindergarten. They must regularly wash toys, quartz the room, ventilate the room several times a day, and ensure that children follow the rules of hygiene. And most importantly, they should not accept sick children into the group - those with a cough and snot. This, of course, is an ideal scenario and is often far from reality. What should parents do in this situation? What actions depend on them, and what can moms and dads do?

During the adaptation period (the first few months), you need to lubricate the child’s nasal mucosa with oxolinic ointment. Even if it does not protect the baby from colds 100%, and it only lasts 3-4 hours, it is at least a small chance that the baby will pick up fewer viruses.

During periods of frequent colds, you can hang a garlic pendant around your child’s neck. To do this, take a plastic kinder egg, make several holes in it and put a couple of cloves of chopped garlic inside. This will allow the child to inhale healing vapors that will protect him from the virus. Before the cold season you need to take a course fish oil– it will strengthen the body. Teach your child to breathe only through the nose - the nasal mucosa moisturizes, cleanses and warms the air before it enters the lungs. If there are problems with nasal breathing (enlarged adenoids), they need to be addressed.

As soon as you notice a slight deterioration in your child’s health, you should not take him to kindergarten for at least a few days. If the baby comes home from kindergarten with snot, you need to immediately rinse the nose and give the child more water. In general, correct actions at the beginning of the disease are the key to a quick recovery. If you have an acute respiratory viral infection, do not rush to give antibiotics; besides, they are powerless against a viral pathogen. Ventilate the room, do wet cleaning, do not force the child to eat, it is better to give a lot of tasty compote or juice. These simple rules will help your child survive the disease on their own without complications.

And, of course, give your baby more foods and drinks that contain vitamin C. These are rosehip decoction, berries, citrus fruits (if there are no allergies), apples, tea with ginger, lemon and raspberry jam.

You need to be very careful when using medications for your immune system. The principle of their work is that they produce their own antibodies that fight the disease. But you do not allow the child’s body to harden and resist the disease on its own. Artificial antibodies suppress your own body. The child will begin to get sick even more severely if one day he stops taking this drug. Therefore, many immunologists are sounding the alarm and do not advise interfering with the work of a complex mechanism - immunity.

How to protect your child from colds if there is a sick person at home

It happens that dad comes home from work with a stuffy nose and high temperature. What to do in this case and how to protect the baby from infection?

If possible, try to isolate your baby. You can go with your mother to visit your grandmother for a while. If your mother is sick, the situation is more complicated.
If isolation is not possible, you should temporarily stop kissing and hugging; the sick person should wear a mask and change it often.
Be sure to pay attention to hygiene - no shared handkerchiefs, dishes, or towels.
You should place chopped onions and garlic around the house to prevent infection.
Ventilate and humidify the room often - viruses do not survive in cool and clean air, but they like dry and hot air.
You can give your child preventive rinses of the nose with sea water to wash away the virus that has entered the mucous membrane.
There is such a grass - common harmala. When burned, it emits bactericidal smoke, which disinfects the room. In the absence of a child, you can burn a bunch of dry harmala in the room where the patient was, and then ventilate everything well.

By following these simple rules, you can protect your child from infection.

One of the best means Protecting your baby is getting vaccinated against influenza. However, remember that such a vaccine must be done at the very beginning of autumn before the cold season so that the body is completely healthy. Such a vaccine will not only protect against the dangerous and serious disease of influenza, but will also make it much easier to tolerate ARVI.