Immune system in babies

[onedayinthefuture]

Any baby that has been born this year is now being kept home safe and sound and, in the process, not getting the usual colds etc. If this lockdown continues, will it be more dangerous for babies when they are eventually exposed to the usual viruses or even Covid as they are not building up any immune system responses right now? Is this something to worry about? I always understood that it was important to build up a good immune system by being exposed to germs?

[bathsh3ba]

I think lockdown is a concern for all our immune systems so yes, although I believe newborns get short term immunity from their mums and breastfeeding can extend the shared immunity.

[Kokeshi123]

I have been concerned about this for a long time.

Having to wash hands and stay away from other people is unfortunately something we can't do much about at the moment. We are however allowed to go outside. My baby is actually a toddler, but I try to make sure that she goes out to environments where she'll be exposed to dirt/soil; we have been doing up the balcony with lots of plants and spending time out there when possible. Of course, if you have a garden that is better still! The bacteria in soil are apparently supposed to help the immune system to develop normally.

although I believe newborns get short term immunity from their mums and breastfeeding can extend the shared immunity.

I think the concern is more about the immune system not being adequately challenged during the first few months. This has been linked with autoimmune conditions in the long term (leukemia, type 1 diabetes, psoriasis, allergies etc.).

[onedayinthefuture]

My baby is only 14 weeks, he has had his first cold caught off older DS just before the lockdown started but I am starting to worry.

[Pinkblueberry]

I thought the same about my toddler. Obviously it’s important to do our best to avoid Covid, but at the same time we’re avoiding all other cold viruses too that we would expect to get now. Children are supposed to get quite a lot more colds than adults because they are still building up an immunity to various strands.

[Bol87]

This has crossed my mind.. I actually had a stinking cold when I gave birth (a real joy) & my 6 week old caught it.. poor thing had a horribly runny nose, cough & sneezes the first week of her life! I’m not too worried for now to be fair, she’s only tiny & probably better to protect her from bugs in all honesty but if this drags on for months & months, then yes! I worry about the lack of socialisation in general .. I do hope we can see some family soon