How to keep your Baby Healthy during Weather changes?
It is a common observation that baby falls sick when weather change occurs. Even adults at home are down with viral fever, colds and fever due to infections. Follow these simple steps to keep your baby healthy and prevent baby from getting sick.
Breast feed and Immunize:
Your baby’s immune system will be strong with breast feeding and following the immunization calendar promptly. Do ensure to breastfeed your baby for the first six months and also ensure the vaccinations schedules are adhered to.
Dress for the weather:
Dress your baby as the weather demands. In summer preferable choose light colors and light wear. In winters dress the baby in layers such that you can add or remove clothing as the weather change occurs and the sun is up. Ensure your baby is dressed comfortably.
Bathe your baby safely:
Maintain less gap for the baby after a massage to avoid catching a cold. The solution is to avoid exposing your baby to sudden temperature changes. Ensure there is no contact with cool or chilled air during massage or bathing process. Select baby’s bath time when the baby is least likely to feel cold. Dress up the baby and then only put on the fan. Follow precautions while putting on the AC or air cooler.
Provide a Balanced diet:
Maintain a balanced diet when your baby moves to solids. A good diet provides vitamins and minerals she needs to help fight infections. If the child is a fussy eater, make sure she gets enough vitamins and minerals.
Follow hygiene:
Babies are very sensitive and catch infections quickly from people passing by too. Therefore ensure you maintain a hygienic environment and avoid sneezing, coughing with the baby around. Wash hands with disinfectant prior to handling the baby.
Cleaning Baby accessories:
Ensure toys are not left on the floor. If washable clean them. Ensure the rooms and surroundings are not dusty. If your baby goes to a Day care center inform and create awareness to maintain hygiene while feeding and handling the baby. Restrict movement of street wear inside the rooms. Seek support from other parents to practice hygiene.
Inspite of all your best efforts your little one may fall sick once in a while. Your precautionary measures will keep the baby free from repeated illnesses. Getting sick is a way to challenge baby’s immune system. Do not delay visit to the doctor upon observing symptoms of sickness, cold, diarrhea, vomiting etc.
Hope you have a better understanding to keep your baby healthy during weather changes. Irrespective of the season, do not be worried over small illnesses observed. Take good care and avoid baby falling severely sick as it will take time to recover from any illness however minor it may sound.
Do not break down. Be alert when the baby has fever and give medications timely. The baby will be back with bouncing energy to make you happy.
Optional Vaccines for Infants in India
Vaccines are very critical during the growth of a child. You need to keep the child healthy free from infections. Become familiar with the importance of vaccination for a baby and the schedule during the growth in the previous article. Few are mandatory requirements for a baby in India and there are optional vaccinations recommended.
As a young mother understand the essentials for your baby. Consult with the doctor and take the necessary action.You may be worried to even visualize your baby going thru’ the pain of so many injections. With a little pain and healing your baby is going to enjoy a healthy tomorrow. In additional to the mandatory ones there are optional vaccines that has become a necessity in today’s world.
There are different diseases which can be deadly in children like polio, TB, Diphtheria, Tetanus, Measles, Hepatitis B. Giving vaccines for various Vaccines are given to babies to protect them and create acquired immunity to the disease. As is said Prevention is better than cure. Administer the vaccines in advance and prevent the babies from deadly diseases.
Following are the list of vaccines to be administered for your child. Make a note of all vaccines completed in your tracking card.Usually the peadiatrician or consulting doctor will give a card which has the vaccination schedule and the purposes, weight chart ,first aid and other simple remedies to be done at home.
At Birth Time:
1. Mandatory BCG (Bacillus Calmette Guerin)
Prevents: Tuberculosis
Important: Can cause slight swelling at the site of the injection, do not apply any medicine to the swollen area.
2. Mandatory OPV vaccine(Oral Polio Vaccine)
Prevents: Poliomyelitis (Polio) which damages nervous system, causes muscle weakness or paralysis.
Important: Given FREE in government centres upto the age of 5 years on Pulse Polio Immunization day
3. Mandatory Hepatitis B
Prevents: Liver infection caused by Hepatitis B virus
Important: Essential within 12 hours of birth to prevent transmission from mother.
4. Optional HPV(Human Papila Virus)
Prevents: Cervical cancer and other Genital cancers.
Important: Only for girls
Read: How to handle the new born baby
At 6 weeks (1.5 months old):
1. Mandatory DPT (Diphtheria, Pertrussis and Tetanus)
Prevents: Diphtheria(Upper respiratory illness), Pertrussis(whooping cough) and Tetanus
Important: There may be slight fever associated with pain and swelling at the injection site.
2. Mandatory OPV vaccine (Oral Polio Vaccine)
Prevents: Poliomyelitis (Polio) which damages nervous system, causes muscle weakness or paralysis.
Important: Given FREE in government centres upto the age of 5 years on Pulse Polio Immunization day
3. Mandatory Hepatitis B
Prevents: Liver infection caused by Hepatitis B virus
Important: The first and second dose of this medicine offer complete protection.
4. Optional HiB (Haemophilus Influenzae Type B)
Prevents: Menagitis, which affects membranes surrounding the brain and the Spinal cord.
Important: There may be slight redness, swelling or pain at the site of the injection.
5. Optional Pneumococcal
Prevents: Pneumococcal disease, caused by Streptococcous Pneumonia Bacteria
Important: Prevenar was the first vaccine against Pneumococcal disease in India.
At 10 weeks (2.5 months old):
1.Mandatory DPT (Diphtheria, Pertrussis and Tetanus)
Prevents: Diphtheria(Upper respiratory illness), Pertrussis(whooping cough) and Tetanus
Important: There may be slight fever associated with pain and swelling at the injection site.
2. Mandatory OPV vaccine (Oral Polio Vaccine)
Prevents: Poliomyelitis (Polio) which damages nervous system, causes muscle weakness or paralysis.
Important: Given FREE in government centres upto the age of 5 years on Pulse Polio Immunization day
3. Mandatory Hepatitis B
Prevents: Liver infection caused by Hepatitis B virus
Important: The first and second dose of this medicine offer complete protection.
4. Optional HiB (Haemophilus Influenzae Type B)
Prevents: Meningitis, which affects membranes surrounding the brain and the Spinal cord.
Important: There may be slight redness, swelling or pain at the site of the injection.
5. Optional Pneumococcal
Prevents: Pneumococcal disease, caused by Streptococcous Pneumonia Bacteria
Important: Prevenar was the first vaccine against Pneumococcal disease in India.
6. Optional IPV (Inactivated Polio Vaccine)
Prevents: Poliomyelitis (Polio) which damages nervous system, causes muscle weakness or paralysis.
Important: It eliminates the small risk of developing polio after receiving the live Oral Polio Vaccine (OPV).
At 14 weeks (3.5 months old):
1.Mandatory DPT (Diphtheria, Pertrussis and Tetanus)
Prevents: Diphtheria(Upper respiratory illness), Pertrussis(whooping cough) and Tetanus
Important: There may be slight fever associated with pain and swelling at the injection site.
2. Mandatory OPV vaccine (Oral Polio Vaccine)
Prevents: Poliomyelitis (Polio) which damages nervous system, causes muscle weakness or paralysis.
Important: Given FREE in government centres upto the age of 5 years on Pulse Polio Immunization day
3. Optional Pneumococcal
Prevents: Pneumococcal disease, caused by Streptococcous Pneumonia Bacteria
Important: Prevenar was the first vaccine against Pneumococcal disease in India.
4. Optional HiB (Haemophilus Influenzae Type B) / Meningitis vaccine MCV4 and MPSV4
Prevents: Meningitis, which affects membranes surrounding the brain and the Spinal cord.
Important: There may be slight redness, swelling or pain at the site of the injection.
5. Optional IPV(Inactivated Polio Vaccine)
Prevents: Poliomyelitis (Polio) which damages nervous system, causes muscle weakness or paralysis.
Important: Given in the form of injection.
At 6 months old:
1. Mandatory Hepatitis B
Prevents: Liver infection caused by Hepatitis B virus
Important: The first and second dose of this medicine offer complete protection.
Note: Some babies might get 4 doses, for example, if a combination vaccine containing hepatitis B is used. (This is a single shot containing several vaccines.) The extra dose is not harmful.
• Anyone through 18 years of age who didn’t get the vaccine when they were younger should also be vaccinated.
2.Optional Rotavirus
Prevents: Rotavirus infection which causes severe Diarrhoea among infants.
Important: First dose is given before the completion of 6 months and the second dose after a gap of 1 month.
3.Optional Influenza
Prevents: Influenza infection which causes infection of the respiratory system.
Important: The most common vaccine is Trivalent Influenza Vaccine ( TIV).
At 9 months old:
1. Mandatory Measles
Prevents: Measles, which causes infection of the respiratory system.
Important: Highly contagious disease. Hence it is very important to get the vaccination done on time.
At 12 months old (1 year) :
1. Mandatory Varicella
Prevents: Chicken pox.
Important: Varicella is the primary vaccine for protection against Chicken pox.
At 15 months (1.3 years old):
1. Mandatory MMR
Prevents: Measles, Mumps, Rubella
Important: There may be slight fever, joint pain or stiffness after the vaccination.
2. Optional Pneumococcal Booster
Prevents: Pneumococcal disease, caused by Streptococcous Pneumonia Bacteria
Important: Prevenar was the first vaccine against Pneumococcal disease in India.
3. Optional IPV(Inactivated Polio Vaccine)
Prevents: Poliomyelitis (Polio) which damages nervous system, causes muscle weakness or paralysis.
Important: Given in the form of injection.
At 18 months (1 .6 years old):
1.Mandatory OPV vaccine(Oral Polio Vaccine)
Prevents: Poliomyelitis (Polio) which damages nervous system, causes muscle weakness or paralysis.
Important: Given FREE in government centres upto the age of 5 years on Pulse Polio Immunization day
2. Mandatory DPT Booster(Diphtheria, Pertrussis and Tetanus)
Prevents: Diphtheria(Upper respiratory illness), Pertrussis(whooping cough) and Tetanus
Important: There may be slight fever associated with pain and swelling at the injection site.
3. Mandatory Hepatitis A
Prevents: Liver infection caused by HAV (Hepatitis A Virus)
Important: Since Hepatitis A is common in young Indian children, it is advisable to get this vaccination done.
4. Optional HiB Booster (Haemophilus Influenzae Type B)
Prevents: Meningitis, which affects membranes surrounding the brain and the Spinal cord.
Important: There may be slight redness, swelling or pain at the site of the injection.
At 2 years old:
1.Mandatory Typhoid
Prevents: Typhoid, a fever caused by Typhoid bacillus.
Important: There are 2 types of Typhoid vaccines: Inactivated vaccine (shot) and Weakened vaccine.
2. Mandatory Hepatitis A
Prevents: Liver infection caused by HAV (Hepatitis A Virus)
Important: Since Hepatitis A is common in young Indian children, it is advisable to get this vaccination done.
At 4 years old:
1. Mandatory MMR
Prevents: Measles, Mumps, Rubella
Important: There may be slight fever, joint pain or stiffness after the vaccination.
At 5 years old:
1. Mandatory OPV Booster(Oral Polio Vaccine)
Prevents: Poliomyelitis (Polio) which damages nervous system, causes muscle weakness or paralysis.
Important: Given FREE in government centres upto the age of 5 years on Pulse Polio Immunization day
2. Mandatory DPT Booster(Diphtheria, Pertrussis and Tetanus)
Prevents: Diphtheria(Upper respiratory illness), Pertrussis(whooping cough) and Tetanus
Important: There may be slight fever associated with pain and swelling at the injection site.
Consult the doctor on a regular basis to understand any updations in the vaccination schedule. Keep your little one free from infections and let her enjoy a healthy life for a healthy tomorrow.
