When the thermometers come down, the diseases that are most often associated with cold, such as the flu, colds, bronchitis and bronchiolitis, otitis, pharyngitis, and more serious diseases such as pneumonia.
Although the cold itself is not a reason to contract these diseases, the truth is that during the winter months there are a number of factors that seem to predispose to more infections. And before this data we ask ourselves: Can we do something to prevent our children from getting sick when it's cold?
Take care of food
Nutrition plays a fundamental role in the development and maintenance of the immune system, and its response to various diseases. Therefore, we must take care and ensure that our children carry a balanced and healthy eating, because this will help keep your body strong.
In addition, there are certain foods that can help strengthen your defenses in these cold days, such as fruits and vegetables rich in vitamin C, foods rich in vitamins A, D, E, or in minerals such as iron, zinc, copper and Selenium, among others.
In Babies and more, seven foods to strengthen defenses during these cold daysVentilate our house
Viruses take advantage of the heat and the lack of ventilation and renewal of the air to act, so that the closed and non-ventilated spaces are breeding grounds for them. If we ventilate our house daily, both in winter and summer, we will help the air is renewed and we get rid of unwanted viruses present in the environment.
In addition, the fact of not ventilating our home makes let's face sudden temperature changes When we go outside. And this difference, between 10 and 20 degrees on the coldest days, makes us more vulnerable to viruses.
Smoke free environment
Half of Spanish children live with a smoker in their homes and cars. This makes them end breathing toxic substances and causing serious health risks, even before birth.
Exposure to environmental tobacco smoke during childhood is associated with an increased risk of acute respiratory tract infections (such as pneumonia), otitis media and asthma.
Temperate environment with adequate humidity level
Home heating ends drying out the environment, affecting the nostrils and throat, and therefore aggravating respiratory diseases. Therefore, it is advisable to keep our home with an adequate level of humidity that we can achieve, for example, by placing small containers of water in the rooms or radiators.
It is also recommended not having excessively high heating to avoid sudden temperature changes when we go outside and allow the body to adapt to the temperature gradually.
In VitónicaEcho tips backed by science to take care of your health in winter Shelter what is necessary for children
When we go out to the street it is important to shelter the children correctly, because both excess clothing and lack of shelter They are bad allies for health at this time of year.
Being slightly warm helps you get sick, although not because the cold lowers our defenses, but because there is a slowdown in our body due to low temperatures and an increase in the amount of virus in the atmosphere. But overcooking the child will make him feel especially uncomfortable and even sweat, being also harmful to him.
Therefore, unless they are babies, who must wear a layer of clothing more than adults, the ideal is that children are warm as we would, and preferably in layers, to comfortably remove any garment if they need it.
Keep your nose warm
The cilia are small hairs that are found inside the nostrils, and together with the nasal mucous membranes make up the natural defense system that we have in the nose. When temperatures drop, they lose mobility, and this prevents them from effectively controlling the passage of microorganisms, which end up penetrating deeper into the body.
Therefore, if we touch the tip of our children's nose and feel especially cold, let's take it as an alarm signal, and use scarves or neck panties to avoid it.
Hand washing
One of the ways of spreading viruses is through contact of contaminated surfaces, hence it is essential to instill in our children the importance of washing their hands well.
Everyone, adults and children, should wash our hands frequently for at least 20 seconds, paying special attention to cleaning between the fingers and under the nails, and doing so especially after using the bathroom and before eating or handling food. Then we must dry very well, avoiding dryers and plush towels, or failing that, changing them very frequently.
In Babies and moreWorld Day of handwashing: how a simple gesture could help us prevent up to 200 diseasesTeach children not to share utensils
As much as possible, we must teach children not to share utensils such as glasses, bottles, plates, cutlery, towels and of course, pacifiers. This is sometimes very complicated, especially in kindergartens, where it is also common for children to suck toys with which other classmates then play.
But in the case of older children, it is important that we do that awareness exercise.
In Babies and more The first cold of autumn is here, what to do?Do sports and play outdoors
The sport is a healthy lifestyle that helps us to be strong and active, and that we must instill our children since they are young. Although in winter we can be more lazy to go out with the children to play sports, the truth is that moderate physical activity and outdoor play contribute positively to the maintenance of our health.
By sheltering children correctly and encouraging them to spend time away from home, we will not only be avoiding closed and overcrowded environments (which we have already seen that they are the perfect breeding ground for viruses), but that we will be benefiting from the sun's vitamin D, how important it is for health, and that is greatly reduced in winter.
Therefore, let's take advantage of the days when it does not rain and go out with the children. Take an example of the Nordic countries!
In Babies and more, only one in four Spanish children plays daily outdoors, and pediatricians warn of the seriousness of this situationAvoid contact with sick people
We know that in a family nucleus, isolate the sick person so that he does not infect the rest of the family members It can be very difficult to carry out, especially when we talk about children.
So if our son is sick and at home there are more siblings - especially if these are babies - all we can do is prevent them from sharing cutlery or glasses, ventilate the house often and wash all our hands frequently. Nor should we take him to school or daycare to prevent other children from becoming infected.
If we are the ones who are cramped, let's take extreme hygiene measures before handling our kids' food and try to rest as much as possible, since rest will make us feel better as soon as possible.
In Babies and more 11 tips to prevent your children from catching a coldFlu Vaccination
The flu vaccine can help us prevent the spread of this virus, but it will not prevent us from getting drunk, since colds and flu are caused by different viruses.
Seasonal flu is an acute viral infection caused by the influenza virus that primarily affects the respiratory tract and is easily spread, with young children being the main transmitters of the virus.
Given the high rate of complications associated with influenza in the child population, the AEP Vaccine Advisory Committee recommends influenza vaccination for children over six months not included in the risk group, if requested by their parents and their pediatrician. considered convenient And of course, vaccinate children, adolescents and adults who are at-risk population.
In Babies and more The vaccine against bronchiolitis and pneumonia could be very closePhotos | iStock
