Infant immunity. Immunity of newborns and immunodeficiency states

The date: 17.04.2019

From the moment of birth, the baby is faced with an environment that does not always have a positive effect on his body. In order to children's body has not been attacked by foreign bacteria and viruses, the baby needs a strong and reliable immunity.

The level of defenses of the baby's body depends on the type of nutrition that he receives. In children who are on breastfeeding slightly different immunity than babies receiving artificial milk formulas.

Breastfeeding and Immunity

If the baby is fed with mother's milk, then he does not need to receive additional funds that stimulate immune defenses. Receipt breast milk guarantees the formation of passive immunity that protects the child from the effects of viral, fungal and bacterial agents.

After the cessation of lactation, the body of the newborn will retain the immunity formed when receiving mother's milk. Modern milk formulas are not able to provide the baby's body with similar protection.

Mother's milk contains antibodies, leukocytes and immune complexes. All of these components are links immune protection organism. Prebiotics are an important component of breast milk. These components create a favorable environment for the reproduction of beneficial bacteria in the intestines.

Due to this composition, mother's milk has a pronounced anti-infective activity.

Strong immunity is very important for a child at 1 year of age. This is due to the fact that within 12 months from the moment of birth, the baby is actively growing and developing. To this process was not interrupted by the development of an infectious disease, the child needs strong immunity.

If a young mother gets sick with the flu or SARS, then immune cells, produced by her body, enter the baby's body through breast milk, forming a child's protection against the virus. Thanks to this ability, women can continue breastfeeding without the risk of infecting the newborn.

Artificial feeding and immunity

If for some reason a young mother is not able to breastfeed her newborn, then this is not a sentence. have an adapted composition that contains the necessary amount of proteins, carbohydrates, fats and vitamins.

Most milk formulas contain biologically active ingredients, contributing to the formation of strong immune defenses in the body of the newborn. To stimulate the growth of positive intestinal microflora, infant formulas include probiotics and prebiotics. This is important, since 65-70% of all immunity is concentrated in the intestines.

Contemporary baby food also contains prebiotic fibers. Once in the body of a newborn, these substances enhance the barrier function of the intestinal walls and increase the resistance of the child's body to infectious diseases.

If a young mother has the opportunity to breastfeed a newborn, then she is recommended not to resort to the use of artificial milk mixtures.

How to improve the immunity of a newborn

You can understand that a newborn baby has reduced immunity by the following signs:

frequent whims, crying, drowsiness, increased fatigue;
pallor of the skin;
cases of ARVI more often than 1 time in 2 months;
the absence of an increase in body temperature in a baby with signs of a cold;
an increase in the size of the lymph nodes (axillary, inguinal, submandibular, cervical);
tendency to develop allergic reactions;
digestive disorders and signs of intestinal dysbacteriosis (diathesis, constipation, diarrhea, allergic dermatitis).

Important! Regardless of the type of nutrition, when one of the signs of reduced immunity appears, parents need to show the baby to a pediatrician. Independent use of immunostimulating drugs is strictly prohibited.

If the baby needs an additional increase in the body's defenses, then parents are advised to use the following tips:

If a young mother is faced with a choice between breastfeeding and artificial feeding, then it is recommended to give preference to the first type. Breastfed babies are much less likely to get sick.
Hardening is useful for a child of the first year of life. From the first days of a child's life, it is recommended to arrange air baths that help increase immunity. As the baby grows older, it is recommended to include water hardening. The baby must be dressed according to the weather, avoiding hypothermia and overheating.
Parents need to carefully monitor the hygiene of the newborn. Clothes, toys, dishes and other household items must be kept clean.
When introducing complementary foods, it is recommended to be careful not to cause an allergic reaction in the child to unfamiliar foods.
If the baby is sick with SARS, then parents are not recommended to self-medicate. This question must be entrusted medical specialist. The use of antipyretic drugs is indicated only when the body temperature rises to 38 degrees. The indiscriminate use of antibiotics and immunostimulants can lead to negative consequences for a newborn.
Parents are advised not to refuse routine vaccinations. Vaccination can protect the baby from the development of serious infectious diseases.

In order for the immunity of the baby to be strong and reliable, parents should take care of this from the first days of the child's life.

The word "immunity" comes from the Latin immunitas - "immune, freed from something." It used to be thought that people with good immunity were simply immune to infectious diseases. Later it became clear that immunity not only protects us from infections - the range of its "duties" is much wider. This a complex system, to which many organs are connected, is able to distinguish its own cells and their components from those of others. The target of the immune system is most often microbes and viruses - carriers of alien genetic information that invade the internal environment of the body. To maintain this environment, the body must repel the invasion of infectious agents. And when it comes to immunity, most often they mean the body's ability to fight infectious diseases. A person carries many of them during his life. As a rule, anti-infective immunity from this becomes stronger. It can also be strengthened with the help of various methods, primarily vaccination.

However, immunity does not only protect us from infections. Sometimes the body perceives as enemy agents and completely harmless, at first glance, components of the surrounding world: some foodstuffs, the smallest mites that live on the skin, exfoliating epithelium of domestic animals, plant pollen. Sometimes the immune system begins with excessive zeal to protect the internal environment of the body from their penetration. This overreaction is called an allergy. Its manifestations, such as sneezing, coughing, watery eyes, reddening of the skin and itching, in fact, are the ways in which the body defends itself from "interveners".

But the body can perceive as dangerous not only strangers, but also its own own cells. This applies, in particular, to malignantly degenerate, genetically altered cells. As long as the immune system recognizes and neutralizes them, the person is protected from cancer. In addition, immunity fights those body cells whose genetic structure has changed as a result of the action of viruses or some other harmful factors.

Thus, the consequences of the work of the immune system can be twofold: on the one hand, it protects the body from dangers, and on the other hand, its inadequate response can cause a serious deterioration in health.

The immune system has two main components. The so-called cellular immunity is the struggle of cells of the immune system with foreign substances. Humoral immunity is the production of antibodies, or immunoglobulins (they are usually divided into five classes), which also help neutralize foreign structures.

How does infant immunity work?

The immunity of a child of the first year of life differs from the immunity of adults in a significantly lower maturity. Its formation occurs mainly in the first 12 months. By the age of one, the child has a sufficiently developed immunity, and meeting with infections is less dangerous for him. The baby is born with antibodies obtained in the womb through the placenta. These are antibodies of only one, but the most important class in terms of protection against infections - IgG. Various diseases of a pregnant woman, especially those accompanied by pathology of the placenta, can lead to a lack of them in the fetus. In addition, the duration of pregnancy affects the number of antibodies in a newborn. The transfer of antibodies from mother to fetus occurs in the last trimester of pregnancy, so in babies born much earlier, at 28-32 weeks of gestation, the level of protective IgG antibodies is very low: these children are less protected from infections.

The disintegration of maternal antibodies occurs during the first year of life, while by about 3-6 months a significant part of them already decays. And, although from the first days after birth, the body begins to produce antibodies on its own, at first their number is not enough, and in the first three months of a baby's life, only maternal antibodies protect. After 12 months, the child fights infections only on his own, which by this time is already sufficient. By the end of the first year, cellular immunity is already ready for "defense".

One of the features of the immunity of children in the first months of life is the inability to localize, limit the infection: any infectious process can "capture" the child's body completely (doctors call this the generalization of the infection). That is why it is necessary, for example, to take care of a healing umbilical wound very carefully: if you do not prescribe in time medicines with its suppuration, the child may develop blood poisoning.

It is because of these features of immunity that children of the first year of life require special conditions of stay and special care. For infants, infectious diseases are an undesirable and risky thing. Therefore, children of the first year of life must be protected in every possible way from contact with infections. True, this can not always be done, since a person is surrounded by a huge number of microorganisms from which it is impossible to isolate, for example, fungi of the genus Candida, streptococci, virus. If the baby is still sick, doctors do not rely only on the strength of his immunity, but prescribe medication.

The imperfection of the immunity of infants is also expressed in the fact that the immune response may be inadequate, therefore, in children of the first year of life, allergies very often develop, mainly food. And, although its manifestations are often harmless, serious diseases are also found in some children - for example,. A sick child usually needs strict diet, in which you have to limit it in many foods. Fortunately, with age, with the maturation of the immune and other systems, the manifestations of dermatitis usually soften.

Breast milk plays an important role in the formation and maintenance of the child's immunity: it contains a significant amount of maternal antibodies. True, antibodies obtained in this way act only in the intestines. They protect the child well from intestinal infections. In addition, breast milk proteins are devoid of allergenic properties, so breastfeeding is the prevention of allergic diseases. But it has practically no effect on the level of antibodies in the blood, so respiratory diseases or infections spread through the blood, a child who is breastfed, get sick as often as an "artificial" one.

Lack of immunity

For millions of years, nature has selected for subsequent reproduction only those human individuals who have strong immunity. Therefore, she created quite powerful genetic barriers that prevent the birth of children with pronounced hereditary defects. Nevertheless, such diseases are known. According to different classifications, there are from 40 to 80. The most common and least serious illnesses occur in one child out of 3-4 thousand, and the rarest and most severe - in one out of 1-2 million.

Severe immunodeficiencies are caused by disorders simultaneously in several parts of the immune system. Their symptoms are uncontrollable uncontrollable diarrhea,. The child's development stops. And only with timely treatment, such children can be saved.

The cause of less severe immunodeficiencies may be any violation of the cellular or humoral part of the immune defense. Most often, this is a hereditary deficiency of any class of immunoglobulins. It manifests itself in various purulent infections, for example, bronchitis, skin lesions, diarrhea, which are difficult to treat and sometimes turn into chronic form. Of course, the manifestations of severe immune disorders in question are significantly different from those eating disorders and household infections that usually occur in children of the first year of life. With immunodeficiencies, these problems take on a completely different scale.

However, more often in children there are mild cases of immunodeficiencies, such as selective immunoglobulin A deficiency. This is a benign immune disorder that often does not affect the development and health of the child.

As a doctor, I often meet parents who, having read about all sorts of diseases, begin to diagnose their child, including those related to immunity disorders. Only a doctor can adequately assess the state of immunity in such cases. Observing the baby for months, the district pediatrician, if necessary, will refer the child for a consultation with an immunologist. It is important for parents to understand that children should get sick - this is absolutely inevitable. And if the baby manages to cope with the disease in the “set” terms, then everything is in order with his immunity.

On the subject of vaccinations

Some parents delay vaccination, believing that it is too early for their child to be vaccinated - he still has immature immunity: "he will grow up, then we will do it." This is mistake. Firstly, the baby's immune system is ready to respond with the formation of immunity to the introduction of a particular vaccine (the doses of the vaccine administered and the timing of vaccination optimally correspond to the state of the immune system). Secondly, protection against infections is most relevant in the first year of life.

AT different countries vaccination schedules differ very little, since they are compiled in accordance with objective state infant immunity. Therefore, I advise parents, without special medical justification, not to get involved in the game of postponing vaccination under the pretext that the child has "immature immunity."

It is widely believed that for children with CNS, the timing of vaccinations should be shifted due to the alleged characteristics of the immune system. Actually the diagnosis perinatal lesion The central nervous system, with the exception of its most severe forms, is not a reason for withdrawal from vaccinations. On the contrary, such children especially need vaccination, because infectious diseases in them, as a rule, are more severe than in others.

Is it possible to stimulate the immune system

To strengthen the immunity of the baby, breastfeeding and timely vaccination are necessary first of all. Proper nutrition and general strengthening procedures (walking in the fresh air, massage, etc.) are also good: such activities have a beneficial effect on general development child, on the vascular, nervous, hematopoietic and other systems. But, unfortunately, they do not have a direct effect on immunity.

I would like to reassure parents once again: immunity is a very strong, very stable system - nature has made it so over millions of years of evolution. If we compare the strength of the immune and skeletal system, then I, as a clinical immunologist, believe that the first is more durable. It's harder to break than bones. She does not need support with medicines, because nature has made sure that the immunity of the vast majority of children is good.

Mikhail Yartsev
Head of the Department of Immunopathology in Children
Institute of Immunology, Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation, MD

Article from the March issue of the magazine.

Discussion

This is definitely a continuous campaign for vaccinations! Let's start with the fact that grafting is an unnatural phenomenon that was invented by man and not so long ago. Evolutionary processes are far more significant. Mother nature took care of us. Think for yourself about the emergence of new forms of influenza, for example...

08/24/2007 03:14:31 PM, Ailen

not an article, but a continuous campaign for vaccinations. And what about the content of mercury and aluminum in vaccines, which probably greatly increase the immunity of infants.

http://www.homeoint.org/kotok/vaccine-s/blaylock1.htm

12.12.2006 01:10:06

Poleznaya stat "ya, vse bolezni i imunitety individual" ny. Ggudnoe vskarmlivanie i zakalka plyus zdorovy obraz zhizni samix roditelei estestvenno pomogaet.

And in our family there are two children (3 months and 2.5 years old) and it is not possible to avoid infections. If one is sick, then the second child or one of the adults is immediately sick. And no massage and hardening does not help. It all depends on the living conditions and the child himself.

And it seems to me that artificial or breastfeeding is not so important. And it is important whether the child is hardened and in what conditions he lives. If, by the way, to do wet cleaning once a month, then anyone will get snotty. Or dressing a child in 25 blouses at an apartment temperature above 20 degrees ... Good luck to everyone :)

Hello! Breast-feeding? I had a lot of milk, no artificial substitutes, massages, exercises, walks, but still, every month I get acute respiratory infections, tonsillitis ... Why?

04/25/2003 10:41:45 AM, Olga

The statement about the same frequency, but I also want to add about the severity of the consequences and the need medical care are absolutely incorrect. Artificial feeding increases the risk of serious respiratory diseases, not just intestinal ones.

Thank you very much for the article :))) A very necessary and useful article.

Comment on the article "Immunity - from the cradle and for life"

The cold season is just around the corner, but it is advisable to prepare for it in advance. And summer is perfect for that! In order to summer period benefited immunity, it is recommended: 1) Lean on fresh vegetables and fruits 2) Spend as much time as possible in the fresh air 3) Take sunbaths 4) Do not neglect water procedures in reservoirs 5) Get enough sleep 6) Eat right 7) Go in for sports HOW TO NOT BE SICK? All these measures will help to make the immune system more resistant to infections ...

Discussion

I realized a long time ago that effective method- this is hardening, but it does not give a quick result, daily actions are important here and then the effect will be for life

I wanted to ask the doctor, how do you feel about flu shots? We now have a lot of them in the clinic, they do it for free. Is this a prevention of SARS?

Over time, the dependence of a person's health on his mental state becomes more and more obvious. More recently, public opinion was such that diseases are caused by viruses, drafts and bacteria, and what is happening in the psyche is so, nothing. But it turned out that mental condition of a person is the factor that determines whether a person will succumb to external disease-causing factors or not. Immunity depends on the mood of a person, this has already been proven. BUT...

Hepatitis vaccination is now done in the maternity hospital, if the mother has not written a refusal. On the advice of a friend from vaccination room I did not consent to the vaccination. As far as I know, doctors also do not have a clear opinion about the need to vaccinate newborns. Now I'm wondering if it's worth it? But there are a number of questions: - is the vaccination effective? - from what forms of hepatitis it will protect? - What is its duration? - What tests should be done before vaccination? - what are...

Discussion

1. yes, only mom can decide, you can refuse. But vaccination protects against a serious infection, does it make sense to refuse? the question is very ambiguous.
2. vaccination is effective, it contributes to the formation of immunity against this infection
3. there are 2 vaccinations - against hepatitis A and hepatitis B, therefore, they protect each from its own type of hepatitis
4. with all vaccinations, immunity is maintained for life
5. before vaccination for 3 days - a general analysis of blood and urine, if everything is in order with them, then on the day of vaccination the child is examined by a pediatrician and gives permission for vaccination
6. Complications can be local and systemic. Local - redness, induration and pain at the injection site, general - allergic reactions up to anaphylactic shock. This applies to any vaccination. There are many contraindications elevated temperature to deviations in urine tests. The doctor will not give permission for vaccination before he examines the child's condition and excludes all contraindications

Recorded in Moscow a sharp increase incidence of measles. In January 2012 alone, 75 such cases were noted, in 80% of them children under 2 years of age were sick. The main reason for the increase in morbidity is the refusal to preventive vaccinations. In connection with the current situation and in order to stop the further spread of the infection, it is recommended that children and adults who have not been ill and not vaccinated against measles be vaccinated. Measles is spicy infection viral nature...

Discussion

Now I’m thinking about whether to vaccinate my child with measles-rubella-mumps a year or postpone it closer to entering the kindergarten. Another concern is that after the illness, immunity remains for life, and after vaccination for 10 years. passive pregnancy planning-looked like an alien. Obviously, no one but me has ever asked such questions, I have not received an answer. So I’m thinking whether it will turn out that children (girls) will be unprotected from the disease just at the most dangerous age in terms of the course. Maybe it's better to really get sick in childhood with everyone?

“We are going, we are going, we are going to distant lands ...” Is it worth taking a child under one year old on a long trip? Recreation is important, especially family vacations. It's romantic, educational, fun. Most modern families can no longer imagine life without trips to distant foreign lands on a well-deserved vacation. There is also the sea, comfortable hotels, unusual sights, a lot of souvenirs and amazing memories. But then a child appears in the family, and life changes dramatically. Well, do not drag, in fact, the baby ...

Even those parents who are systematically engaged in strengthening the child's immunity should be aware that there are so-called critical periods in the development of the immune system, when a decrease or change in the nature of the body's defenses is of a physiological nature: Neonatal period. Due to a sharp change in the conditions of existence during this period, significant fluctuations occur in the child's immune system. 3-6 months of life. At this time, that immunity is just completing its effect ...

Care from the first days of life. And even earlier The birth of a little man is the birth of a thousand questions from his parents. How to protect children from diseases? Send them to Kindergarten Or is it better to grow as long as possible at home? How to make such a diet so that a child from a very young age is accustomed to proper nutrition? Whether there is a general recipe healthy childhood? After all, the most important thing for many young parents is to lay the foundations that will allow the child to grow up healthy and ...

What about ceftriaxone? it is even given to infants. They cured me of pneumonia during pregnancy, and then they pricked me after childbirth

Immunity - from the cradle and for life. How does infant immunity work? The immunity of a child of the first year of life differs from the immunity of adults in a significantly lower maturity.

Discussion

Hardening, as they say below, is very effective. But, not every child welcomes and accepts dousing, but with legs it is possible (the allergist advised me to temper the whole family in this way). Two basins are taken - with hot water (so that the leg can hardly endure) and with cold. We get up, step over with both feet alternately in the basins (for a few seconds - about 5), it is important to finish in the cold! Then wipe dry and put on socks. It is advisable to do it twice a day and REGULARLY. In case of illness, do not cancel, but you can repeat up to 5 times during the day. Great results in a month. True, this requires patience and time - mothers are often too lazy to bother ...

We had the same thing - the children swam in the sea at a pace. water 16 degrees - everything is ok (I would also let them out on the snow if they suddenly wanted to), they gave an attack on any virus. bronchitis. Cured with douches + yugas (I believe in dousing more).

Discussion

Today, the approach to Rh-conflict pregnancy and treatment of newborns with HD has not changed much and remains traditional in many respects. And not because our medicine has not moved forward in these matters, but because of the same poverty of our clinics, lack of equipment, medicines of not the best quality (expensive clinics are not meant). What is not problematic for any European clinic is often impossible for us. Therefore, we still have quite strict restrictions and prohibitions, in particular - not to breastfeed in the first few days. This is a normal precaution. And if somewhere in prosperous Europe it is allowed to feed, then in our country it is not worth fighting with doctors, defending feeding. Therefore, if you are planning to give birth in Russia, and not abroad, then nevertheless, I would advise you not to focus on Western medicine, but on the capabilities of the clinic, maternity hospital where you will find yourself. In Moscow, maternity hospitals are now very decently equipped, even those in which they give birth free of charge. Surely there is some specialized in Rh-conflict pregnancies, they can tell about this in the LCD.

Immunity - from the cradle and for life. These are antibodies of only one, but the most important class in terms of protection against infections - IgG. spread through the blood, a breastfed baby...

Discussion

It’s the 21st century in the yard, what to guess, insufficiency or not ... Pass tests and check everything, and if the diagnosis is confirmed, then mom chooses what to do. You can express milk and bring it to a lactose-free enzyme with lactase (it’s not a problem to buy today), transfer it completely to a lactose-free mixture or to mixed feeding, when your own enzyme is present, but not enough, then it’s right to alternate the mixture and the breast. we did this from 2 to 6 months, there was a deficiency against the background of staphylococcus aureus. Now I give both milk to the baby and yogurt. I take Lactase Bakzdrav and add it to milk, or along with the starter culture in the process of making yogurt. In any case, it is impossible to deprive the dairy of Lyalya, this is the main food for up to a year for sure.

08.10.2017 16:17:05, Svetlana 125

Newborn babies are so small, defenseless and vulnerable. They depend on their parents for everything and need their protection, including the protection of the immune system. And although newborn babies have all the same immunity organs as an adult, they function in a completely different way. The work of such bodies is imperfect, they are not fully formed and are not able to carry out the necessary amount of protective measures. In addition, the amount of the immune component that is produced by the immune system is simply negligible, and besides, it has an inferior structure.

Immunity in a newborn baby

The main line of protection for babies against harmful agents are antibodies received from the mother - these are immunoglobulins G. Initially, they protect the child in the womb and are transmitted through the placenta, and after the birth of the baby, class M immunoglobulins enter the body through breast milk. But depending on some reasons, the child may not receive the necessary antibodies, becoming even more vulnerable. These reasons include:

Infectious diseases of a woman during pregnancy lead to the suppression of an already vulnerable immune system. As a result, the baby can not only not receive the necessary antibodies, but also become infected with the same infection. Especially dangerous are the diseases of women, which are accompanied by a disorder of the placenta;
Decreased level of immunity in the mother initially. Pregnancy places additional stress on a woman's immune system. It should protect two people from malicious agents. And with a lack of immune components, both the mother and the baby will lack protection;
Short duration of pregnancy and corresponding prematurity. Antibodies are passed from mother to child in the last third trimester, and babies born before term are deprived of this opportunity. The levels of protective immunoglobulins in premature babies will be much lower than those in full-term babies.

Ig M, received by the baby through breastfeeding, work only in the intestines and protect children from intestinal infections. Among other things, the maternal proteins contained in milk are hypoallergenic, as a result of which breastfeeding is referred to as prevention. allergic diseases. However, antibodies from breast milk do not significantly affect general level all the antibodies of the child, as a result, respiratory diseases are equally terrible for children, both on artificial and on breastfeeding. It turns out that the level of immunity breast milk is not high enough.

Features of immunity in newborns

A feature of the immunity of newborn babies is their weakness before infections. Moreover, the child's body suffers the disease much harder. For example, a herpes infection, which in an adult or a child of 3-4 years old leads to sores on the lips, in newborns can cause damage to the body as a whole. This means that newborn babies should be protected from microorganisms, but not go to extremes.

Keeping a child in sterile conditions only leads to the suppression of his immune system. She does not receive proper training, does not learn to fight back, and as a result, such people have a reduced level of immunity, which hardly resists even the simplest infections. No matter how paradoxical it may sound. It is important to find a middle ground that will allow you not to expose the child to unnecessary stress, but will also allow him to develop normally, stuffing his bumps.

The neonatal period refers to a critical period in the development of children. This moment of vulnerability of the organism. He has just entered a new world full of an incredible amount of alien particles. They are everywhere - at home, on the street, in shops and hospitals, on new people. But lock the kid at home in soap bubble not an exit. You just need to refrain from meeting the baby with crowded places during this period of life, from unknown threats. A family hearth, familiar people and their microflora, walks in the fresh air will help the child's immune system to avoid unnecessary stress.

The immune system of newborn children differs significantly from the immune response of adults in a lower level of maturity. Throughout the entire period of growing up, she experiences changes in her functional activity. Especially big changes occur in the first year of a baby's life. At the age of six months, most of the antibodies inherited from the mother disintegrate. They become insolvent and are no longer suitable for babies to protect. And although at the age of 6 months, children already develop their own antibodies, only after a year their production becomes full-fledged. After the age of one year, the child independently begins to fight with foreign particles.

A feature of the immune response of newborns is their lack of ability to locally limit infection. That is, any infectious process that began in a particular organ is the starting point for the generalization of the infection, which captures the entire body of the baby. This is very dangerous for such a fragile organism. Therefore, careful care of the umbilical wound of the child is so important, in order to avoid suppuration and blood poisoning.

Another feature of the immune response of infants is its inadequacy and the associated increased tendency to allergies, often food. Although most of the manifestations of allergic reactions in babies are not serious, sometimes they can result in really adverse diseases, such as atopic dermatitis, which lead to a restriction in the nutrition of the child and many other inconveniences. However, upon reaching the maturity of the immune system,.

Weak immune system in infants

It is necessary to distinguish between an ordinary infection of a child, inevitable during his growing up, and a lack of immunity, in which protective system the baby is not capable of fighting harmful particles. These children need drug therapy stimulating their immune response. Symptoms reduced level immunity are:

Frequently occurring infections that occur in severe form, ending in purulent inflammation, prolonged bronchitis or pneumonia;
Frequent disorders of the digestive tract in the form of constipation or diarrhea;
Increased fatigue of the baby, constant drowsiness and moodiness;
Enlarged lymph nodes;
Absence of temperature changes in serious respiratory diseases.

These signs serve as a wake-up call for parents. If a child fell ill more than 6 times in the first year of life, then you should think about the weakness of his immunity. If such symptoms are detected, one should not delay or begin to raise the level of immunity in baby on one's own. An indispensable visit to the doctor is necessary. But even in the absence of such signs of reduced immunity, there are recommendations created to maintain the immune system of the newborn at the proper level:

Proper nutrition. At the age of up to six months, the baby feeds on mother's milk, and in its absence, a mixture. After that, they begin to introduce complementary foods. In the diet of a child of the first year of life, there should be variety and saturation with useful substances. Do not overload the fragile body with synthetic substances, and you should not overfeed the child;
The air temperature in the child's room should be in the range of 18-22 ° C, and the humidity should be about 50-70%. Be sure to ventilate the room frequently. This is necessary for the prevention of infectious diseases of the child due to the fact that hot and dry, dusty air provokes an already weak immunity, the mucous membrane of the child's nasopharynx dries up and becomes vulnerable to infectious particles;
Provide motor activity and access to fresh air;
The child must be dressed according to the weather. Children of the first year of life have accelerated heat transfer, therefore, when a child begins to move independently, one less piece of clothing should be worn on him than an adult;
Babies need to ensure timely vaccination, according to the recommendations of the doctor. So you can protect your child from such serious illnesses like polio, hepatitis, measles and many others;
Provide hardening of the baby. You should gradually accustom the child to hardening by taking air baths and rubdowns, thus strengthening his immune system and stimulating him to fight;
Compliance with hygiene standards for a newborn - important aspect his immune status. The dishes from which the child is fed, the toys with which he plays, clothes, all household items, and the baby himself - everything should be washed in a timely manner. With a probability of more than 80%, this is the key to a normal immune response of the baby. However, don't get carried away disinfectants. A newborn baby needs only the use of baby soap and boiling;
Minimize intake medicines, unnecessarily. The purpose of drug therapy for a child must be justified. Self-medication of a newborn is strictly prohibited.

Video

Only from six months, the child's own immunity begins to form, and before that, the mother's antibodies protect the baby. How to strengthen the immunity of the baby and is it worth it?

Vitamins won't help.

Immunity is the body's ability to resist infections and protect itself from negative effects. environment. When a child is born, he receives a certain amount of protective antibodies from his mother, and his own begin to be produced only after six months of life. Up to three months protective functions carried out exclusively by maternal antibodies. Own immunity is thoroughly formed in a baby by the age of one.

No need to think that if the baby does not have its own antibodies to a number of infections, you need to urgently rush to strengthen its immunity. On the contrary, it is precisely by colliding with the surrounding world that it must form independently. However, there are certain signs that indicate that a newborn needs help:

Enlarged The lymph nodes on the neck and in the armpits.
ARVI worries every two months, and complications arise, for example, in the form of otitis media.
An intestinal infection or any other is diagnosed, but the newborn does not have an increase in body temperature.
Problems that are characteristic of dysbacteriosis are diarrhea, constipation, diathesis.
Atopic dermatitis, which signals that the immune system lacks antibodies, is manifested by skin peeling, redness, and sometimes itching.
Frequent allergic reactions.
The child constantly wants to sleep, he gets tired quickly and is often naughty for no reason.

If such problems bother the baby, this is an occasion to consult a doctor. Don't start self-medicating! Vitamin complexes for such a crumb can only harm and intensify dermatitis or allergies.

Back to index

Wholesome nutrition for the mother - the health of the child

Parents should first of all seek advice from a pediatrician who will prescribe treatment. So, if there are problems with the tummy, to an infant medicines like Espumizana will be prescribed to relieve his suffering from colic. From diarrhea or constipation, lacto and bifidobacteria will save - "beneficial" bacteria that need to populate the intestinal microflora. Allergic reactions in a child indicate the need to revise the diet of a young mother or to select a high-quality formula for feeding.

How to increase the immunity of an infant with the help of food? A nursing mother should eat well so that her diet includes proteins, vitamins, carbohydrates. Then the baby will receive all the essentials in the right amount.

A nursing mother should keep a food diary, where she should write down a new product that she begins to introduce into her diet and next to indicate the reaction of the baby to it.

If everything is fine, then after 2-3 days you can enter something new. Remember the most common foods that can cause an allergic reaction - cow protein, which is present in all dairy products, and in addition, in beef, chicken, fatty fish, chocolate, citrus fruits, red foods and foods containing gluten - this is a number of cereals. and bakery products.

All this should be introduced into the diet with special attention. Ideally, introducing foods gradually, and then after six months including complementary foods in the diet, allergic reactions gradually fade away.

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We walk more and bathe in a large bath

Breastfeeding helps to strengthen the body. This is a fact already proven by the World Health Organization. It is believed that it is necessary to breastfeed a child for up to six months. It was during this period that the baby's body is still too weak and feeding with mixtures will not enrich it with the necessary trace elements and mother's antibodies. It is known that if the baby is sick, then on breast milk he will recover faster. If the mother has the opportunity and desire, then breastfeeding the baby should be up to a year, or even up to two years. This is where the psychological support that children at this age need so much plays a role.
Hardening, walking and physical activity. Mandatory in infancy bathe the child in a large tub so that he is forced to move more. If possible, visit the pool with him. At any time of the year, walk more in the fresh air and from the first months of life do elementary gymnastics - flexion-extension of arms and legs, flips on the tummy.
Hygiene. Bathe your child in the tub at least once every three days. Also, keep your toys and clothes clean. At the same time, do not bring the house to sterility - this can slow down the process of producing your own antibodies.
Start introducing complementary foods at six months. Even if the baby has enough breast milk, and he is gaining weight well, he already needs to enrich the diet. fermented milk products, vegetables. Until the age of three, follow the rules of nutrition - do not feed children foods that do not bring benefits. For example, cakes, sweets, cakes, fried foods, etc.
Be careful with medicines. Never give your baby antibiotics without a doctor's prescription. You won't be able to boost your immune system with these drugs. Do not try to bring down the body temperature of the baby if it is below 38 degrees. Thus, the body produces antibodies and there is no need to stop this process. If a Small child fell ill, try to help him not with medicines, but with a cool air temperature in the room - 20 degrees, with humid air - 45-70 percent. And also let him drink more fluids or apply to the chest.

Our health is established in infancy. In many ways, the strength of our immunity depends on how we were cared for, as well as how often and how badly we got sick in the first year of life. If the defenses of the baby's body are not strengthened in time, it will constantly get sick and grow weak.

It is necessary to properly care for the baby and in a timely manner to strengthen the immunity of the child up to a year. What is the best way to increase the defenses of the baby's body?

What is immunity?

Before trying to raise the immunity of a child up to a year old, we should understand the mechanism of the protective system.

The immune system fights all agents that carry foreign genetic information, as a rule, these are fungi, viruses and bacteria. When the body's defenses are weakened, any disease flows into a strong inflammatory process.

Specific immunity appears in us after we have suffered a certain disease. For example, a person with rubella gets sick only once in a lifetime. Acquired immunity to the causative agent of this disease does not allow us to become infected again.
Innate immunity is the body's defenses that begin to form in a child even inside the womb from maternal antibodies and continue to develop throughout his life, faced with various pathogens.

The immune system fights not only pathogens, but also eliminates the toxic consequences of their activity and decay.

The development of immunity in a newborn occurs as naturally, during the collision of the body's defenses with pathogens, and artificially - as a result of vaccination. Child care plays an important role in the formation of the body's defenses. If you place the baby in sterile conditions, his immunity will have absolutely nothing to fight against, he will weaken in relation to pathogens and begin to look for opponents inside the body, which will lead to autoimmune reactions.

Signs of a Weakened Immune System

Periodic illnesses and a runny nose do not mean that your crumbs have weakened immunity and urgently need to be strengthened. Episodes of disease, on the contrary, stimulate the activity of the immune system and train it. If the baby has a cold, do not sound the alarm, fearing that this is a sign of weak body defenses, but rather take timely care of the baby and its treatment.

Immunity should be raised if:

the baby suffers SARS, influenza and bronchitis more often than 5 times a year;
diseases pass without fever;
baby gets tired quickly skin pale, blue circles form under the eyes;
the child has enlarged lymph nodes;
visually noticeable enlargement of the spleen;
the baby constantly reveals more and more food allergic reactions;
the crumbs have dysbacteriosis, which is clinically manifested in the form of regular constipation or diarrhea, bloating and soreness of the abdomen, as well as weight loss.

If you notice these symptoms in a child under one year old, do not self-medicate - contact your pediatrician. If the need arises, pediatrician refer you to an immunologist. Doctors will help you organize care for your baby in such a way as to help the baby's body's defenses work as much as possible, and if necessary, they will prescribe you a strengthening therapy with interferon preparations.

Strengthening the child's immunity should proceed strictly in accordance with the instructions of a specialist. If you yourself, without the knowledge of the pediatrician, give a baby up to a year of serious drugs, you can harm his body.

Ways to strengthen immunity

Vaccination

The debate about whether vaccination is necessary or dangerous to the health of newborns has not subsided for decades. It is up to you to decide whether to vaccinate your child or not, but according to the WHO and the Ministry of Health, mass vaccination significantly reduces the incidence and is therefore fully justified.

Vaccination of children up to a year leads to the fact that they develop specific immunity to dangerous diseases such as poliomyelitis and diphtheria.

Breast-feeding

During breastfeeding, antibodies continue to enter the body of the newborn through mother's milk and form its immunity. Do not be afraid to feed your baby when you are sick - because in this way you will significantly strengthen his defenses.

It is noted that breastfed babies have stronger immunity on average than artificial ones, so try your best to continue breastfeeding your baby for at least a year.

hardening

Hardening is a well-known way to strengthen the immune system. But this is not about diving into the hole and dousing cold water, - by such actions you can only harm the child's body. Hardening refers to the care of the baby, in which he will get used to slightly lower temperatures.

Reasonable hardening of children up to a year, which can increase immunity, consists in regularly arranging air baths for the crumbs and excluding excessive wrapping:

Several times a day, for example, when changing a diaper, let the baby lie naked for about five minutes. In case of an “accident”, place a disposable diaper under the baby. The temperature in the room should be comfortable for the newborn. Day after day, increase the duration of the air baths, bringing it up to half an hour at a time.
Watch how you dress your newborn, regularly checking to see if he is hot. Constant bandaging will lead to overheating, weakening of the immune system, and also to the fact that the baby will get used to warm clothes and will freeze and catch a cold if he is not warmly dressed.

Find something to do with the immune system

Some scientists believe that in a third of cases of allergies in children, the parents are to blame for placing the newborn in " greenhouse conditions". Carefully ironing the clothes of a baby up to a year old on both sides, bathing him in boiled water, not allowing yourself to attend events with him where he can get infected, you thereby make the baby worse. The immune system must fight something, but if the toys and floors in the apartment are sterile, and you avoid going to visit with the baby, it will start looking for the enemy at least somewhere - and finds it directly in the body of your child.

A child up to a year old must face bacteria and microbes so that his immunity develops and gains strength. But do not rush to extremes, and give the baby dirty nipples. Everything should be in moderation. Go shopping with your baby, walk every day in any weather, even if the child catches a little cold - this will do him good. Only regular training of the body's defenses can raise the immunity of the crumbs.

Temperature contrast

A change in temperature at the surface of the skin stimulates the production of immune particles, so a contrast shower and being in a steam room, followed by a cool douche, are very helpful in boosting a person’s immunity. But still with babies, such procedures should be carried out with caution.

Despite the successful experience of many mothers, bathing procedures for babies under one year old are not recommended. The work of the thermoregulation system has not yet been debugged, so even a short stay in the steam room can lead to overheating and an increase in the internal temperature of children.

To increase the protective functions of the body and accustom the nerve endings on the skin of a one-year-old baby to respond to changes in temperature, you can carefully conduct a session after bathing contrast shower gradually adding and subtracting hot water. If you decide to go to the steam room with your child, sit there for a short time with him for the first time, and then be sure to cool the baby with a warm shower. Gradually, you will increase the time spent in the bath and reduce the temperature of the water in the shower.