Why do children have poor immunity and are prone to illness?

It is well known that babies do not have as strong resistance as adults due to their incomplete physical development, but they should not get sick easily, right? This is a confusion for many new parents. Babies seem to catch colds and fevers every now and then. Why are babies' resistance so poor? In fact, this requires parents to ask whether they have abused antibiotics for their babies or whether their babies are malnourished.

Reasons for poor baby resistance

1. Abuse of antibiotics

Immunity is exercised and improved by the human body in the fight against disease. The abuse of antibiotics is equivalent to depriving the human body of the opportunity to improve immunity. At the same time, it will cause bacteria to become drug-resistant and kill beneficial bacteria in the body, and the body's defense function will decrease.

What counts as misuse of antibiotics? Using antibiotics when they shouldn’t be used; choosing the wrong type of antibiotic; using antibiotics incorrectly.

Therefore, the use of antibiotics should seek the advice of a doctor in a regular hospital, and parents should not abuse them at will.

2. Nutritional deficiencies

The formation of the baby's immune system requires nutrients as a basis. Children are prone to lack of certain nutrients in their bodies due to unreasonable diet structure or picky eating, as well as imperfect absorption and digestion abilities.

Many parents don’t know that human immunity is closely related to the trace element zinc.

Zinc has a significant effect on the bactericidal ability of phagocytes. Studies have shown that among children with recurrent respiratory infections, the proportion of zinc-deficient babies is significantly higher than that of normal babies. At the same time, clinical findings show that injured children’s wounds heal slowly when they are zinc deficient.

3. Excessive or insufficient exercise

Everyone knows that life lies in exercise. Proper exercise can improve the vitality of immune cells in the baby's body and make the baby less likely to get sick.

However, parents should also be aware that excessive exercise is harmful to children's bodies. It shortens the lifespan of white blood cells that kill pathogens, causing a decrease in immunity.

4. Poor sleep quality

Sleep is the best way to rest and one of the important ways to maintain normal immunity. Babies who don't sleep well are more likely to get sick.

The baby's sleep time needs to be guaranteed. Although the length of sleep time for each baby may vary, most of them are within a certain range:

Newborn babies sleep about 16-20 hours a day; babies 1-3 months old sleep about 16 hours a day; babies 4-12 months old sleep 14-15 hours; babies 1-3 years old sleep 12-13 hours.

How can we enhance children's immunity and reduce the risk of illness?

Pay attention to supplementing dietary fiber and avoid overeating

Dietary fiber plays an indispensable role in regulating food absorption and excretion and ensuring smooth bowel movements.

Babies should eat more foods rich in dietary fiber in winter, such as whole grains such as sweet potatoes, sorghum, and corn, then legumes such as red beans and soybeans, and then vegetables such as celery and spinach.

At the same time, parents should pay attention to the fact that the digestion and absorption functions of infants and young children are not yet fully developed. They should try not to let their children eat too much to avoid excessive burden on the spleen and stomach.

Eat more zinc-rich foods

Babies are prone to respiratory infections in winter, so they must consume adequate zinc-rich foods to effectively enhance their body's immunity.

Babies 0-6 months:

Try to feed your baby mainly through breast milk, because breast milk contains many antibodies and the trace element zinc, which can effectively help your baby resist viral infections. Even if complementary foods are added later, it is recommended that mothers continue breastfeeding until the baby is 2 years old.

Weaning babies:

The most important thing is to have balanced nutrition and diversified food to prevent the formation of bad habits of picky eating. At the same time, eat more zinc-rich foods such as shellfish, seafood, and fish. Winter seasonal vegetables such as radish, spinach, lettuce, cabbage, bean sprouts, etc. are also rich in zinc.

Babies with severe zinc deficiency:

You should also take some protein zinc appropriately. The most suitable tablet for children is Xiangming Zinc-Selenium Tablets, which are non-irritating to the stomach and intestines and have no side effects. At the same time, they taste good and are acceptable to children. Eating them regularly can effectively enhance immunity. Parents can combine these foods together for tonic.

Proper exercise

Babies can choose their favorite games and toys and exercise more. Gym frames are relatively common sports toys, while balls like bowling and basketballs allow babies to play for longer periods of time.