When is the child's immune system perfect?

This is an automatically translated article.

Children often get sick at the time of weaning from 6 months to 3 years old is a condition many parents often encounter but have not found the cause? Is it because the child's immune system is weakened? When does a child's immune system mature?
Video content is professionally consulted by BSCKI, BSNT Dang Thi Ngoan, Pediatrician - Neonatology, Vinmec Ha Long International Hospital

1. Children's immune system

The immune system of infants and young children is the child's natural defense system against pathogens such as bacteria, viruses, parasites,... and other harmful environmental factors. A healthy immune system will help children develop optimally in the first years of life as well as have a long-term impact on their health.
Unlike the nervous system, the body's immune system is more complex and is located everywhere in the body such as tonsils, throat, digestive system, bone marrow, skin, lymph nodes, spleen, mucous membranes. thin inside the nose, throat, and genitals.
The scattered distribution in many locations helps the immune system to form and store cells, as well as maintain continuous activity to keep the whole body healthy.
At birth, the baby's immune system is very good thanks to the system of antibodies received during pregnancy and through breast milk. However, "passive immunity" does not create long-term resistance because then antibodies begin to decline sharply over the next 6 months. Therefore, babies need to be breastfed immediately and exclusively breastfed until 6 months of age because this is a passive source of antibodies to maintain immunity.
From 6 months of age onwards, the maternal IgG antibodies transmitted to the child have decreased a lot, at this time the child's immune system is not yet complete, but it is not until 3-4 years of age that this system can fully produce these antibodies. Antibodies help fight infections. The interplay between the passive and active immune systems in the period 6 months to 3 years is the time when children become susceptible to infectious diseases such as diarrhea, respiratory infections. or allergies.

2. How to strengthen the immune system in children?

In children, the first 5 years (especially 2 years after birth) is a golden period to strengthen the immune system. When a child's immune system is strong, they are less likely to get infections, and if they do get sick, they will recover more quickly. Therefore, parents can strengthen their baby's immunity in the following ways:
2.1. Breastfeeding In the first stage, when their own immune system is still immature, babies need a lot of immune antibodies from their mothers. This is also the reason why the World Health Organization recommends that babies be exclusively breastfed for the first 6 months of life and continue to maintain breast milk with a reasonable complementary diet until the child is 2 years old.
2.2. Promotes gastrointestinal health 70% of the body's immune system is located in the digestive tract. To help keep the digestive system healthy, parents should not introduce solid foods too early and give them age-appropriate weaning foods. Mothers can give children naturally fermented yogurt regularly, with a variety of vegetables and fruits, thereby helping the digestive system to balance between beneficial bacteria and harmful bacteria.
2. 3. Limit antibiotics Using antibiotics easily leads to an imbalance of intestinal bacteria, making the digestive system worse and as a result, the child's condition cannot be improved. more sick. Therefore, mothers need to remember to use antibiotics only when absolutely necessary and strictly as prescribed by the doctor. In case of having to use antibiotics for children, children should eat yogurt, supplement with digestive enzymes, important micronutrients, vitamins and essential amino acids so that children can quickly recover from illness and rebuild their system. Balanced gut bacteria.
2.4. Vaccination is a method of creating specific active immunity, the vaccine stimulates the body to generate specific active immunity against an infectious disease. Therefore, the vaccination schedule of children focuses mainly on the first 2 years of life. Therefore, parents should give their children full vaccinations according to age to create a healthy immune system for the baby.
Hopefully the above information, parents have more useful information to protect their baby's intestinal microflora and also protect the immune system to help them avoid many infections to be healthier.

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