The short answer as to why children get sick more often than adults is that their immune system have not developed yet to the strength level of adults.
As they grow older, live healthy lives, eat good foods and perform regular exercises, their immune system will get stronger and stronger enabling them to take care of all kinds of pathogenic attacks.
However, this does not mean that they won’t get sick even once in their lives. Take for example the flu season. No matter how strong the immune system of a kid is, if he or his parents are not careful, he will certainly catch the virus, and spend some time in bed for recuperation.
Concerned parents need not worry though. There are medical service providers such as Rite Aid Flu Shot Service and Walmart which are ready to give your kid flu shot if you want him to be flu-free during the flu season.
In that vein, being small kids, without so much wisdom yet in their tiny brains, they are bound to commit misdeeds that will cause them to be sick. Here are some more reasons why kids get sick more often than adults.
1. Kids are born without TLR3.
TLR3 is a key protein that humans need to effectively fight against viruses and other pathogens. Unfortunately, humans are born without it. A study published in the 2013 issue of the Journal of Leukocyte Biology reveals this fact.
This protein, called “toll-like receptor 3” or TLR3 plays a part in recognizing various kinds of viruses and mediates the immune response to them. Since infants are born without them, their newborn immune cells cannot recognize and react appropriately to certain viruses and other pathogens.
That is why if you have a newborn child, you have to keep them in close wraps so to speak to protect them from the flu virus and other nasty and dangerous little critters.
2. They are always putting their hands to their mouth.
Even adults who have developed the habit of putting their hands to their mouth unconsciously will eventually get sick. How much more for an unsuspecting child?
As it is, little kids who can’t control themselves, always gets their hands where they should not be. And when they have already soiled their hands with every dirty little thing, that’s the time they put their hands into their mouths.
So, in such cases, it is the parent’s fault why their kids get sick. They don’t take the necessary precautions to get their kids out of trouble, or they are just simply too busy to take care of their children.
3. Children are not aware of the dangers lurking around them.
Entering a world where you can’t tell the difference between a goodie and a baddie, you are bound to get into situations where you will get yourself into all kinds of trouble.
This is what the actual mental capacity of children. They have to be told about everything, and warned about dangerous situations and things. And they have to be constantly watched and supervised, especially the toddlers.
If parents don’t do this, their kids are bound to end up in the hospital, or worse, in the morgue. Have you ever read some news in the past about children drinking poison because nobody is watching them, or some kid getting burned because he played with a kettle full of boiling water? Pray tell that it won’t happen to some kid that you know.
4. Children are not taking their mothers’ milk.
This may be a bit controversial, but there are nutritionists who believe that mother’s milk is definitely better than commercially prepared milk formulas.
They cite studies that show that breast milk has more nutrients that serve to protect babies by giving them immunity to diseases during the first few days of their lives. Deprived of these nutrients, newborns are made susceptible to pathogens in the delivery room.
That is why giant pharma companies are trying their very best to develop milk formulas that mimic the awesome capacity of mothers’ milk in protecting newborns, but to no avail, nutritionists say.
So, are you feeding your baby with your own milk, or are you just buying milk formulas just for convenience. No problem, if you have a hard time producing your own breast milk. But if you have plenty of those, and you still insist on feeding your baby formula milk, don’t be surprised if they are sickly.
Kids will be kids as long as they are kids. That’s a funny statement, but true. So, if you are a parent, and would like them to remain sick-free, you have to do your part. At this stage, they really don’t know anything. They are fully dependent on you. If they are getting sick often, you don’t have to search far and wide to know the reason.
