16/09/2025
😔 “Why does my child fall sick every month?”
A question all pediatricians hear almost daily in clinic.
The truth is: it’s not just about germs.
It’s about the environment we are raising our children in.
🍫 Junk Food Culture
Birthday parties every weekend, daily ice creams, cold drinks, processed snacks.
👉 Science shows that just 100 g of sugar can reduce white blood cell activity for up to 5 hours. That means weaker defense against viruses and bacteria.
📱 Screen Time > Play Time
Children spend hours indoors with gadgets, but very little time outdoors.
👉 Result: Vitamin D deficiency, poor lung development, weaker muscles. Studies link Vitamin D deficiency with double the risk of respiratory infections.
🌫️ Pollution – Indoors & Outdoors
Incense sticks, mosquito coils, perfumes, cooking fumes in closed kitchens, plus traffic smoke outside.
👉 Fine particles (PM2.5) pe*****te deep into the lungs, causing chronic airway inflammation. This explains why wheeze and asthma-like illnesses are rising even in toddlers.
💉 Skipping Vaccines to Save Money
Some parents avoid vaccines like flu, pneumococcal, rotavirus, or boosters.
👉 But when preventable diseases strike, the cost of hospitalization, medicines, and missed school days is far higher. Vaccines safely train the immune system, reducing the frequency and severity of infections.
👩👩👦 Parenting Behaviors Matter
Using junk food as rewards.
Using screens as babysitters.
Prioritizing academics over sleep and play.
These small daily decisions weaken a child’s natural defenses.
✅ What Parents Can Do
1. Serve seasonal, home-cooked meals.
2. Ensure 60 minutes of outdoor play + sunlight daily.
3. Keep vaccines updated.
4. Improve ventilation, reduce indoor smoke/chemicals.
5. Get Vitamin D & iron checked regularly.
6. Teach kids resilience, not reliance on syrups.
💡 From a Pediatrician’s Desk:
Stronger immunity isn’t built in a pharmacy.
It’s built in kitchens, playgrounds, clean air, vaccines, and mindful parenting.
