Key points of prevention guidance for common childhood diseases

Protective measures that match the developmental stage, individualized adjustments to diet and rest, and timely and standardized medical treatment.

The most anxious parents I meet in the clinic are those whose children have just entered kindergarten. Last week, a mother came with a stack of checklists and said that her child had fever 4 times in 3 months since entering kindergarten. Even though the air purifier at home is on 24 hours a day and disinfectant is sprayed 3 times a day, her child still gets infected as soon as she goes to kindergarten. In fact, regarding home disinfection, different parenting concepts have always been very different: the older generation always said that "babies need to be raised rough to be strong." Many people thought it was an old experience without scientific basis. Now evidence-based medicine has confirmed this statement - ordinary families do not need to use chlorine-containing disinfectants and ultraviolet lamps for whole-house disinfection. Normal water is enough to wipe the table and clean the house. Over-disinfection will destroy the normal flora barrier of the child's respiratory mucosa, which is equivalent to actively removing the first line of defense of immunity. As for the clothes you should wear, you don’t have to follow the old man’s sense of touch. If the back of the baby’s neck is warm to the touch, it’s just right. If the baby is wrapped like a rice dumpling, he will sweat when moved, and it will be easier to catch a cold when the wind blows. Oh, by the way, many parents ask whether they should give their children "immune-boosting" health products such as lactoferrin and spleen aminopeptides. At present, there is indeed no unified recommendation from the academic community: if the child is clearly diagnosed with immune deficiency, it can be used as needed under the guidance of a doctor. Healthy children with normal immune function will basically have no additional benefits from eating such products, so there is no need to spend such money.

In addition to colds and fevers, diarrhea and constipation are also the most frequently asked questions by parents. A while ago, I met a grandma who brought her 2-year-old baby to the doctor. The baby was infected with rotavirus diarrhea. The grandma fed her cephalosporin at home for three days, but the diarrhea became more serious. There are also many controversies about diarrhea care: the older generation always said, "If you have diarrhea, go hungry, and an empty stomach will be enough." Current clinical guidelines recommend that as long as the baby is willing to eat, light porridge, rotten noodles, and steamed apples can be given normally. Oral rehydration salt III should be given first to prevent dehydration, which is a higher priority than taking any anti-diarrheal medicine. It is also not recommended to feed the baby antibiotics by yourself - more than 90% of acute diarrhea in children are caused by viral infections. If antibiotics are not correct, they will disrupt the intestinal flora. On the other hand, when it comes to constipation problems, many parents' first reaction is to give their children Kaisellu and Qinghuobao. In fact, most children's constipation is caused by a diet that is too refined. They eat soft porridge and overcooked vegetables without touching any crude fiber. The intestines do not have enough stimulation to naturally slow peristalsis. Appropriately add some seeded kiwi fruit, dragon fruit, or chopped celery or steamed corn, which is more effective than any other laxative. As for the probiotics that everyone often buys, they are not omnipotent: currently, only specific strains such as Saccharomyces boulardii and Lactobacillus rhamnosus have been proven to be effective in cases of antibiotic-related diarrhea and viral acute diarrhea. They are usually bought as health supplements for children to regulate the gastrointestinal tract, and they are basically IQ tax.

There is another type of common disease that has become more and more common in recent years, which is allergic diseases, such as eczema, allergic rhinitis, and food allergies. Many parents panic when they encounter these diseases and are busy giving their children all kinds of dietary taboos. I once met a baby who was found to be allergic to cow's milk protein when he was 2 years old. His parents kept giving him deeply hydrolyzed milk powder. He didn't dare to switch to breast milk until he was 4 years old. When he came for a reexamination, he weighed more than two kilograms less than a baby of the same age. In fact, the essence of allergies is an immune disorder rather than "low immunity." Most children with food allergies will gradually build up immune tolerance as they grow older. It is enough to go to the hospital for review and assessment of tolerance every 3-6 months. There is no need to strictly avoid food all year round, which may easily lead to insufficient nutritional intake.

I have been practicing pediatrics for almost 10 years, and I have concluded that there are no surprises in the three points when babies are most likely to get sick: the first half year of collective life in kindergarten, the season change period with large temperature differences, and the time when adults at home have colds and coughs and carry the baby without wearing a mask. Many parents blame their baby's "poor constitution" when their baby gets sick, and look for remedies everywhere, but ignore the most basic things: ensure more than one hour of outdoor activities every day, eat a balanced diet and avoid high-sugar and high-oil snacks, and get vaccinated as required by the state (including self-paid influenza vaccine, pneumonia vaccine, and rotavirus vaccine, which can greatly reduce the risk of serious illness). If these small things are done in place, they will be more effective than any expensive health care products.

Of course, every baby's physique is different, and other people's experiences can only be used as a reference. Whether your baby is afraid of heat or cold, and what to eat is easy to digest, you, as a person who takes care of your baby every day, must slowly figure out the rules. If your child has a high fever of over 39 degrees, is listless, has frequent vomiting, or has diarrhea for more than 2 days, don’t force yourself to do anything and don’t blindly feed her with folk remedies. It’s safer than anything else to see a reliable doctor in time.