What are the key points of guidance on the prevention of common childhood diseases?

The core logic of prevention of common childhood diseases is actually to proactively avoid infection risks + help children build a strong immune barrier. All specific guidance methods are centered on these two points. There is no one-and-done recipe.

I have been working as a child care worker in the community for almost 5 years, and I have encountered too many parents asking, "Is there any way to prevent my child from getting sick?" Look, among the 32 cases of influenza in young children registered in our center last month, 26 of them were in closed indoor playgrounds or parent-child activities 3 days before the onset of illness. In places like restaurants, many parents find it boring and refuse to put masks on their children. Little do they know that in such crowded spaces with poor air circulation, the concentration of respiratory viruses is 3-5 times that of outdoors. It is not necessarily because of poor immunity that the child is infected, but because you took the initiative to put him in a high-risk environment.

Some parents said, "Why does my child still get hand, foot and mouth disease after washing his hands every day?" They encountered such a case last week. The child was over two years old. He liked to touch fitness equipment in the community, pick up pebbles on the ground, and chew his fingers after touching. Parents only wash hands before eating and after using the toilet. During this period, the dirty things have already followed the fingers into the mouth. Most of the viruses transmitted by the digestive tract such as hand, foot and mouth disease and norovirus are "touched" into the body in this way. The essence of prevention is that the details are not followed.

Nowadays, many parents like to buy supplements such as lactoferrin and immunoglobulin for their children to "enhance immunity". In fact, there are always different views on this in the child care circle. One group believes that as long as the child reaches the daily milk volume, has a balanced diet, and has enough outdoor activities for 10 hours a week, there is no need to supplement these supplements. Taking too much will increase the metabolic burden on the kidneys.； The other group believes that if a child has more than 6 respiratory infections within six months and each time develops into bronchitis or even pneumonia, he or she is a clear high-risk child with a weak immune system. Targeted nutritional preparations can be appropriately supplemented under the guidance of a doctor. The key is not to buy random supplements on your own.

In fact, building an immune barrier for your baby is like saving battery for your mobile phone. Only when you save enough battery can you withstand viruses. We have followed up on more than a dozen children who got sick no more than twice a year. The common denominator is not that they take expensive supplements, but that they run around outside for at least 2 hours a day. They fall asleep before 8:30 pm. No one chases them when they eat. They eat by themselves when they are hungry, and they are rarely picky eaters.

Another point that everyone has been arguing about for a long time is whether to "cover up in spring and freeze in autumn". Most parents in the north believe that in the beginning of spring, you should cover up until Qingming and then reduce your clothes. Many parents in the south think that it is okay if it is a little cooler, and you will be more resistant to freezing. In fact, there is nothing wrong with either of these opinions. The core point is not to touch the baby's hands to judge whether it is hot or cold. Children have poor peripheral circulation. Cold hands are normal, and touching the back of the neck to feel warm is just fine. If you wear too much clothes and sweat, you will be more likely to catch a cold.

In fact, after all is said and done, the prevention of common childhood diseases is really trivial. Don’t be overly anxious. It is not a bad thing if your child occasionally has a fever or a cold. It is the process of upgrading immunity and fighting monsters. As long as daily protection and maintenance are in place, most common diseases can actually be avoided.