There are many common infections in Indian kids that worry a mom. Flu, common cold, viral and bacterial infections – all pose a threat.
Are you that mom who gets worried when your child is suffering from cough and cold? Welcome to the club, mamma. A mom’s second name is “worried mom”. If your eyebrow goes up every time your child is feeling dull or fatigued or has sneezed some five times – welcome to motherhood.
I also fall in this category, in spite of being quite a patient and cool-headed mommy. My son didn’t have a health issue until about a year after his birth. He teethed late and had his first bout of diarrhoea around that time – which sent me in a panic mode. That was the beginning of the journey called “Is my child gonna be okay”!
Let me share the kinds of infections in Indian kids that are found almost everywhere across India and are kind of inevitable. [i]
Kinds of Infections in Indian Kids
Common Cold & Cough
Common cold and cough, is well, common as the name suggests. Kids can pick up these cold and cough almost from everywhere.
Influenza
If you are an anti-vaxxer you need to act now. There is no other way you can treat influenza other than with a proper vaccine.
Ear infections
Ear infections are difficult to spot but they mostly start with a cold. The good thing is that it is not a contagious infection.
Stomach flu or diarrhoea
One of the most common infections in Indian kids is a stomach bug that leads to diarrhoea. This happens because of not maintaining proper hand hygiene.
UTI – Urinary tract Infection
This is also a very common infection of the urinary tract. A child can pick up easily from any public washroom (schools/ malls).
How to fight Infections in Indian Kids?
Cold, Cough, Flu:
I found my son was falling sick more often once he started mingling with other kids and joined playgroup. Though the school took steps towards their hygiene and sanitation, the bouts of colds, stuffy and runny nose became like an endless cycle.
A small child in playgroup has a much weaker immunity than elders. So let him get better. He needs proper sleep, he needs immunity-boosting foods and he needs to be away from more sources of infection.
Urinary Tract Infection:
When my son started toilet training and I was not sending him to his Nursery class in diapers, I had to again face a set-back. This time it came in the form of a UTI. According to the doctor, boys have fewer chances of Urinary Tract Infection but one can catch from any public toilet. How much can you make a child of three years understand! Cranberry juice helps in the case of UTIs.
Diarrhoea:
While it’s important that the child maintains hand hygiene, as a mum also please take care about the kind of places your child is eating out from. Not all places are hygienic.
What can you do as a parent in fighting infection in kids?
It is necessary that you keep your child away from sources of infection you also need to work towards building their immunity. How can you do that? Include good fruits and vegetables in their diet, boost their sleep time, encourage them to take up sports or outdoor play (not in the current times, though). Encourage them to wash hands with soap before eating or drinking. Include immunity-boosting supplements.
I have been giving PediaSure to my son for some time now because he was a picky eater at one time and I had to rely on something for boosting his immunity. PediaSure has 37 vital nutrients in it and is great if your child is a picky eater and doesn’t get all the nutrients from his food alone.
As a mom, you will want to protect your child from everything. But not everything is in your hand. Boost up your child’s immunity so that his body can fight all kinds of infections.
What according to you are the best ways to fight infections in Indian kids? Do you have any other best practices? Share with me below.
[i]https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0020119
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