How to increase immunity for a healthy baby

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1. How to increase immunity for a healthy baby

In the first years of life, the child's immune system is not yet mature, so children often get sick. Especially in the current summer weather, when the heat lasts for a long time, children are very susceptible to respiratory and digestive diseases. Therefore, mothers need to pay attention to strengthening their baby's resistance to help them be healthier. However, children of different ages need different ways to strengthen their resistance. Specifically:
To increase the infant's resistance: The most important thing is to breastfeed exclusively for the first 6 months. Breast milk has many factors that fight infections and help strengthen the immune system. Breast milk is the most effective method to help infants fight diseases such as diarrhea, meningitis, pneumonia... Breastfeeding regularly helps babies' brains stay healthy. Therefore, mothers should breastfeed exclusively for the first 6 months and continue for about 2 years and possibly beyond. Increase resistance for children over 1 year old: Due to the immature immune system of children, children are often affected by the dangerous effects of inhaling tobacco smoke from adults. Secondhand smoke increases the risk of sudden infant death. Therefore, to increase the child's resistance, the mother needs to keep the baby away from secondhand smoke. It is best that family members should not smoke. In addition, feeding children yogurt every day is also a way to strengthen children's resistance. Because yogurt is a product of fermentation and contains beneficial bacteria for the body. According to research by experts, children who do not eat yogurt will have a higher risk of catching colds, sore throats ... than 19% of children who eat yogurt.

2. How to effectively strengthen children's resistance

2.1. Diet full of nutrients, fortified with green vegetables and fruits

A complete, balanced and varied nutritional diet will provide your baby with all the nutrients and vitamins necessary for physical and intellectual development, and at the same time help increase resistance to baby and protect the baby from the risk of disease.
According to the recommendations of nutritionists, the baby's meals should ensure adequate and balanced 4 groups of nutrients: fat, protein, carbohydrates, vitamins and minerals. Should increase green vegetables and fruits in each meal; Avoiding foods that are greasy, too salty or too sweet will not be good for your baby's health. When a child is sick, parents need to focus on providing adequate and reasonable nutrition for the child in order to increase the child's resistance to quickly recover from the disease; Do not abstinence too much, causing the baby to fall into a state of loss of strength, the body is weaker and more difficult to resist pathogens.

2.2. Add more foods containing vitamin A, vitamin C, zinc, selenium...

As is known, vitamin A is an important micronutrient that helps strengthen the immune system function, increase the ability of cells to fight pathogens, protect the body from attack by micro- viruses and bacteria. Meanwhile, vitamin C will support to increase the baby's resistance and quickly recover damaged cells. Zinc , selenium have good effects in fighting viruses and increasing the baby's resistance. Therefore, to protect children from minor illnesses as well as infectious diseases, digestive and respiratory diseases, parents should give their children foods containing vitamin A such as carrots, red meat, and animal liver. , water spinach, sweet potato; vitamin C such as oranges, tangerines, strawberries, green peppers; foods containing zinc, selenium such as lean meat, fish, egg yolks...

2.3. Have your baby fully vaccinated, use antibiotics as directed by the doctor

Right from the time you are pregnant and when your baby is born, both mother and baby need to be fully vaccinated to prevent some diseases such as viral hepatitis, encephalitis, diphtheria, tetanus, whooping cough, Chickenpox, measles... Besides, parents should not arbitrarily or abuse antibiotics for their children without the appointment of doctors. Because of the indiscriminate use of antibiotics, the wrong dose will lead to antibiotic resistance. At that time, the body cannot fight the invasion of bacteria, making the child more susceptible to illness.

2.4. Give your child enough sleep and regular exercise

Letting children move, play and explore nature at reasonable intervals can help them increase their resistance.
Good sleep, enough sleep will create the best conditions for the development of the child's body and brain, and at the same time help improve immunity, strengthen the child's resistance. Parents should practice the habit of going to bed and waking up on time; should feed or nurse more in the afternoon so that the baby does not wake up in the evening because of hunger; Children should not be too active at night, which can make them startle and wake up while sleeping. In addition, children should be encouraged to be active every day through a number of activities such as playing with them, letting them walk, jog, cycle, swim... Regular exercise helps children eat well. Better absorption of nutrients, increased immunity and resistance.

2.5. Supplement products to support increasing resistance

In addition to eating, exercising, parents can actively add products to support children's resistance in each stage. There are many products on the market to help increase resistance and stimulate appetite for children.
The improvement of symptoms can take place for a long time, so it is recommended that parents be calm and persistent when supplementing with nutrients for children, even through eating or functional foods. In particular, the use of functional foods should choose those of natural origin that are easily absorbed, do not allow simultaneous use of many types or continuously change the types of functional foods.
In short, children have immature immune systems, which are difficult to fight against pathogens from the outside as well as adapt to changes in weather. In the current complicated situation of the Covid-19 pandemic, increasing the baby's resistance becomes even more important and necessary. Mothers need to pay attention to maintain a diet full of nutrients, green vegetables, fruits, pay more attention to their baby's sleep or if necessary, they can give children additional support products to increase immunity. resistance.
Parents should supplement their children with supportive products containing lysine, essential micro-minerals and vitamins such as zinc, chromium, selenium, and B vitamins to help fully meet their child's nutritional needs. At the same time, these essential vitamins also support digestion, enhance nutrient absorption, help improve anorexia, and help children eat well.
Parents can learn more:
Signs of zinc deficiency in children
Micronutrient deficiency and failure to gain weight in children
Please regularly visit Vinmec.com website and update useful information to take care of your child. Take care of the baby and the whole family.
For more nutritional knowledge and child care for each age, parents should regularly visit the website vimec.com and make an appointment with the leading doctors, pediatric and nutrition experts of the National General Hospital. Vinmec when needing advice on children's health.