American children rarely get sick? Maybe I came to fake America?

The weather is getting warmer, and the spring season of high incidence of pediatric diseases is here again. Mothers with babies at home know that when the baby gets sick, the whole family becomes upset. The last time Su Bao caught a cold, it took almost a week to recover. A few days ago, I took Su Bao for a two-year-old physical examination, and met several sick babies at the pediatric clinic. A few days ago, a mother in China asked me that her baby has had a cold in the past two weeks and has been having it again and again for two months. Are American children in particularly good health and rarely get sick? In the department where Su’s mother worked before, there were several American colleagues who were young mothers. Every time there is an important meeting in the company, they will discuss together that they are most afraid of receiving a call from the nursery teacher at this time, saying that the baby is sick again and asking the mother to take him home. And when the school season and cold season come, all the children in the class are sick in turn, without exception. I thought at that time that American children also often get sick. Therefore, Su’s mother has never seen any of the legendary American children who “don’t get sick”. I remember that Su Bao’s first cold-prone period was around 8 months old, when she had just learned to crawl. Every time she goes to the library to listen to stories, Su Bao will crawl all over the room. If adults don\’t pay attention, she will pick up other people\’s toys and stuff them into her mouth. The baby suffered from frequent colds and sleep regression. In Su’s mother’s memory, I didn’t sleep for the entire eighth month, which was unbearable to look back on. I was so devastated that I took my baby to see a pediatrician, and she gave me some very useful advice. When writing this article, I turned to the notes I took at that time and compiled them to share with you: Getting sick is the only way for a baby to develop immunity. During the time when Su Bao had frequent colds, her pediatrician told me that American preschoolers On average, children get sick 8-10 times a year. Recurrent illness is a necessary stage for every healthy baby. For the baby, the environment outside the mother\’s body is completely new. Every illness-recovery process is a process of fighting the virus. This process can help babies enhance their own resistance and ultimately build a more complete immune system. Adults need to pay attention to the fact that babies are prone to getting sick during these times: 1. A few days before the weaning period, a mother left me a message saying that her baby had repeated colds. My grandma said it was because her breast milk had no nutrition and asked her to switch to milk powder. In fact, breast milk contains its own antibodies, which can protect the baby\’s immunity. When Su Bao fell ill during lactation, the pediatrician always told him to breastfeed frequently. Generally, it was not recommended to wean the baby when he was ill. Breastfed babies\’ immunity may be affected due to changes in their diet during the weaning period, and they may be more susceptible to illness. They must pay more attention to ensuring high-quality diet and sleep. 2. Gross motor development enters a new milestone. The baby can crawl and walk, which are both gross motor development milestones. During these critical periods, babies have a wider range of exploration, are exposed to more viruses, and are more likely to get sick. 3. The frequency of going in and out of public places increases. I remember that when Su Bao first started attending trial classes in kindergarten, the frequency of illness became significantly higher. This situation usually occurs when the baby enters kindergarten. After a period of time, the immunity will be strengthened and it will get better. When your baby comes into contact with other people more frequently, be careful to keep your hands clean to avoid being exposed to too many viruses. This cleaning does not mean excessive cleaning, the baby should be properly exposed toSome bacteria in the living environment can also enhance immunity. Therefore, it does not mean that you should wash your hands after crawling on the floor at home for a few minutes, but that you should wash your hands frequently after being in a place where there are many viruses. Colds and fevers can often be cured on their own. During the time when Su Bao had frequent colds, I asked the pediatrician what to do. She said lightly that as long as the cold was a \”common cold\”, she would let the baby get better on its own. The U.S. FDA has not recommended the use of over-the-counter cold and cough medicines for infants under two years old. Regarding how to determine the difference between the common cold and the flu, whether babies should take medicine after catching a cold, what situations require seeing a doctor, and what non-medicines are available for the common cold. Sexual relief methods, etc. Only by strengthening the immunity, the baby will get less sick. Since the baby\’s illness is a process of building his own immunity, is it okay for adults to just sit back and watch? Of course not. We can do the following things to help babies strengthen their immunity: 1. Avoid over-protecting the child and do not cover up the heat. 2. When the baby is healthy, create more opportunities to contact the outside world. Children in a \”vacuum\” are more likely to get sick. 3. Ensure balance. Eat a healthy diet and get enough sleep. 4. Ensure that outdoor exercise reaches an average of 1.5 hours a day. Children all over the world love to get sick. There is no such thing as a child who does not get sick. Su Bao\’s pediatrician also confirmed with us repeatedly that this process is not only normal, but also necessary. Adults only need to treat it with a normal mind, pay attention to enhancing the baby\’s immunity and learn to take precautions. The process of repeated illness is temporary, and your baby\’s health will get better as he grows older. Every illness and recovery process makes your baby healthier.