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Home › Articles › Toddler Health › Baby's Immune System

Baby's Immune System

5 Ways to Give Baby's and Toddler's Immune System a Boost

By Donna Smith

Pages:  1  2  3  4  5  

Christina Griggs, a mom from Cincinnati, Ohio, is a big supporter of vaccines. "People forget that a little more than 100 years ago, childhood was fraught with all kinds of dangers," she says. "Most parents lost at least one child. Why did these children die? Mostly because of childhood diseases such as pertussis, measles, mumps, rubella. The children and parents of our generations are blessed that we've forgotten the horror of these diseases."

3. Sleep

Sleep is an important part of every baby's day and is important for every baby's immune system, Dr. Cole says. "Although scientific studies are still being performed, older children and adults who get less sleep respond worse to the flu vaccine, an observation that documents that sleep is required for normal immune response," he says. "Because the immune system in babies is rapidly developing in the first year of life, sleep is important for immune function."

But can lack of sleep actually make a baby more prone to illness? "When a body is tired it is working overtime to keep muscles and brain functioning; this limits the availability of nutrients to fight off a possible virus that has just blown into your baby's face from another coughing child," says Dr. Mary Ellen Renna, a physician nutrition specialist and Fellow of the American Academy of Pediatrics.

Dr. Lauren Feder, author of The Parents' Concise Guide to Childhood Vaccinations (Hatherleigh, 2007), agrees. "Make sure your child gets plenty of rest," she says. "Lack of sleep makes anyone vulnerable to getting sick." While Dr. Feder points out that every baby is an individual and may require different sleep needs, she suggests the following guidelines:

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