Fall and winter are the times of year when pediatricians’ offices fill with young patients. Returning to school and daycare after the summer break often leads to an infection marked by fever, coughing, and a runny nose. Is this a reason to worry? In most cases, no. The main cause is simply an immature immune system, which naturally develops as a child grows, along with changing environmental factors. Let’s break this down.
First: Building Immune Memory
Doctors note that every child, at a certain age, needs to “update” their internal database of viruses and bacteria. A child’s immune system is still developing and gaining experience. It learns to recognize viruses and bacteria so it can respond to them more effectively the next time. This is why children in daycare or preschool get sick more often, especially at first, when they previously spent their days at home with parents or a caregiver. They were simply less exposed to potential sources of illness.
If children begin in infant care, that’s where they go through the hardest period. Children who skip preschool usually reach their peak phase of frequent infections during the first years of elementary school. It’s simply unavoidable.
Second: Close Contact with Others
In schools and daycare settings, children spend a lot of time in groups with their peers. During fall and winter, they spend most of that time indoors. They touch toys, hug each other, sneeze and cough near one another. Many children will even share chewing gum or a water bottle. This makes it easy for viruses and bacteria to spread.
Children also tend to have weaker hygiene habits. They may not wash their hands properly, or they put their fingers and various objects into their mouths.
Third: Unpredictable Weather
Changing weather conditions can make it harder to keep children healthy. It’s important to dress children according to the temperature and conditions outside. Clothing that’s too light on a cold or rainy day, as well as overheating on a warm, sunny day, can both cause problems.
It’s also worth ensuring vitamin D3 supplementation during the fall and winter months, along with regular time outdoors, proper nutrition, and good sleep habits.
Fourth: Patience
It can be frustrating for parents, but frequent illness is nothing unusual for a child, especially during the first year they spend outside the home in a group of peers. Parents need to be patient and stay in regular contact with a doctor to help their child get through illnesses as safely and comfortably as possible.
Keeping up with vaccinations is also important, since many diseases can be prevented this way.
Master of Pharmacy, Gajane Żurawska.