Muthoot Hospitals Pathanamthitta

Reasons to Protect Children Through Vaccination

1. As parents, we want to do everything possible to keep our children healthy and safe
from preventable diseases. Vaccination is the best way to guarantee this.
2. Vaccination is totally safe and effective. All vaccines undergo long and detailed review
by scientists, doctors, and the government to make sure they are safe.
3. Paediatric organizations such as the Indian Academy of Paediatrics and the Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention strongly support protecting children with
recommended vaccinations.
4. Vaccination protects children from serious illness and complications. In the absence of
vaccination, these diseases can lead to conditions such as paralysis of limbs, hearing
loss, convulsions, amputation of an arm or leg, brain damage, or even death.
5. Diseases like measles, mumps, and whooping cough are vaccine-preventable but still a
threat globally. Many children get infected by them every year.
6. Though vaccination has led to a sharp decline in the incidence of many infectious
diseases, some of them are still quite common in other countries. They may be brought
to your country by international travelers. If children are not vaccinated, they could get
infected by one of these diseases from travelers or while traveling themselves.
7. If many parents decide not to vaccinate their children, it might trigger an outbreak of
preventable diseases. Such an epidemic can turn out to be disastrous for child
healthcare.
8. If children aren’t vaccinated, they can spread diseases to other young children, babies
who are too small to be vaccinated, or to people with weak immunity, such as cancer
patients.
Things to Remember During Vaccination

1. Try to adhere to your child’s vaccination schedule and never miss a vaccine. If you do
miss a vaccine, approach your paediatrician to discuss if it can be given at a later time.

2. In case your child has fever, inform your doctor before immunization. Your doctor may
need to reschedule.

3. Sometimes, the doctor may give you the option of painful or painless vaccines. As
parents, we want to avoid causing any pain to our child. However, please discuss the
difference between painful and painless vaccines to make an informed decision. As per
studies, the painless vaccine may have a faster period of waning (i.e. the immunity
decreases faster) than the painful vaccine.

4. For some vaccines, it’s normal to get fever for a few days after it is administered. You
can use a sponge bath to reduce your baby’s temperature. Visit your doctor in case fever
persists beyond 1-2 days.

5. Take along a family member or your spouse, if possible, to assist you during your child’s
vaccination. This will help distract and comfort the child during and after the shot is
given. Carry your child’s favourite toy, blanket, etc. to comfort them.
 IAP recommended vaccines for High-risk* children
(Vaccines under special circumstances)

1-Influenza Vaccine
2-Meningococcal Vaccine
3-Japanese Encephalitis Vaccine
4-Cholera Vaccine
5-Rabies Vaccine
6-Yellow Fever Vaccine
7-Pneumococcal Polysaccharide vaccine (PPSV 23)

* High-risk category of children:

 Congenital or acquired immunodeficiency (including HIV infection),
 Chronic cardiac, pulmonary (including asthma if treated with prolonged high-dose oral
corticosteroids), hematologic, renal (including nephrotic syndrome), liver disease and
diabetes mellitus
 Children on long term steroids, salicylates, immunosuppressive or radiation therapy
 Diabetes mellitus, Cerebrospinal fluid leak, Cochlear implant, Malignancies,
 Children with functional/ anatomic asplenia/ hyposplenia
 During disease outbreaks
 Laboratory personnel and healthcare workers
 Travelers
 Children having pets in home
 Children perceived with higher threat of being bitten by dogs such as hostellers, risk of stray
dog menace while going outdoor.
 Key Messages at 1 month Key Messages at 3 months
 Wash hands before taking care of baby.  Expose your baby to the early morning
 Use a suitable birth spacing method sun for 10 minutes a day without covering
recommended by the clinic. the baby’s face, arms and hands 4 times a
 If a child becomes sick, watch for general week.
danger signs such as  Never hold your baby while drinking hot
o Convulsion liquids or cooking.
o Lethargy  Make regular visits as per appointment for
o Excessive vomiting immunization and health checks.
o Inability to feed.

Key Messages at 6 months Key Messages at 9 months

 Seat your baby in a car seat at the back of  Take your child out and engage him with
the car. play activities.
 Observe for danger signs  Observe the danger signs in your child if
o If child has cough/cold he/she is sick and if present take him/her
 Fast breathing to the hospital.
 Nasal flaring  Take measures to prevent accidents by
 Grunting placing barriers on stair cases.
 Chest indrawing
o if child has diarrhoea
 Sunken eye
 Eagerness to drink
 Start Complementary feeds.

Key Messages at 1 year Key Messages at 18 months

 Keep medications and electric gadgets out  Continue to use the birth spacing method
of reach from children. adviced by your doctor.
 Keep courtyard and the surroundings of
your house clean.  Start toilet training your child.
 Observe your child while feeding and
playing to prevent chocking.
 Keep your child’s teeth healthy by brushing
at night with fluoride paste.
 Ensure that the child is not exposed to
substances containing lead such as painted
toy, old batteries etc. Give out copy of
brochure on ‘lead poisoning prevention’.
 Protect stair ways with barriers to prevent
falls and accidents, make barriers for ponds
to prevent drowning.

Key Messages at 24 months

 Bring your child at least once every 6 months for growth and development monitoring.
 Practice healthy feeding habits with your child by avoiding junk food.
 Practice dental hygiene by brushing your childs teeth at least twice daily and bring your
child to the dental clinic at least once every 6 months.
 ADVANTAGES OF BREAST MILK
 Breast milk is the best natural food for babies.
 Breast milk is always clean.
 Breast milk protects baby from diseases.
 Breast milk makes the child more intelligent.
 Breast milk is available 24 x 7 and needs no special preparation.
 Breast milk is natures and mothers gift to baby and needs no purchase.
 Breastfeeding promotes a special bond between mother and baby.
 Breastfeeding helps parents to space children.
 Breastfeeding helps the mother to shed the extra weight gained during pregnancy.
What is Colostrum???

 Colostrum is the breast milk secreted after child birth, for the first few days.
 It is highly nutritious, rich in Vit A and anti-infective substances.
 Feeding colostrum helps the baby to build nutritive stores along with anti-infective
substances in the body (Antibodies), which protects the baby from diseases like
diarrhoea.
 Colostrum is basically the first immunisation that a mother gives her baby.

COMPLEMENTARY FEEDS
 Appropriately thick homogenous complementary foods home-made from locally
available foods should be introduced at six completed months while continuing
breastfeeding. During this period, breastfeeding should be actively supported and the
term ‘weaning’ should be avoided. Complementary feeding should be projected as the
bridge that the mother has to make between liquid to solid transition and to empower
the baby to ‘family pot feeding’.
 To address the issue of a small stomach size, each meal must be made energy dense by
adding sugar / jaggery and ghee/butter/oil. To provide more calories from smaller
volumes, food must be thick in consistency – thick enough to stay on the spoon without
running off, when the spoon is tilted.
 Foods can be enriched by making a fermented porridge, use of germinated or sprouted
flour and toasting of grains before grinding.
 Adequate total energy intake can also be ensured by addition of one to two nutritious
snacks between the three main meals. Snacks are in addition and should not replace
meals. They should not to be confused with foods such as sweets, chips or other
processed foods. Parents must identify the staple homemade food (as these are fresh,
clean and cheap), comprising of cereal-pulse mixture in the ratio 2:1, and make them
caloric and nutrient rich with locally available products.
 Research has time and again proved the disadvantages of bottle feeding. Hence bottle
feeding shall be discouraged at all levels.
 The food should be a balanced diet consisting of various (as diverse as possible) food
groups / components in different combinations. Easily available, cost-effective seasonal
uncooked fruits, green and other dark colored vegetables, milk and milk products,
pulses/ legumes, animal foods, oil/ butter, sugar/ jaggery may be added in the staples
gradually.
 Hygienic practices are essential for food safety during all the involved steps viz.
preparation, storage and feeding. Hand washing with soap and water at critical times-
including before eating or preparing food and after using the toilet.
 Practice responsive feeding. Self-feeding should be encouraged despite spillage. Each
child should be fed under supervision in a separate plate to develop an individual
identity. Forced feeding, threatening and punishment interfere with development of
good/ proper feeding habits. Along with feeding, mother and care givers should provide
psycho-social stimulation to the child through ordinary age-appropriate play and
communication activities to ensure early childhood development.
 Consistency of foods should be appropriate to the developmental readiness of the child
in munching, chewing and swallowing. ‘Neophobia’ is the rule in them and any item may
have to be offered several times for acceptance. Avoid foods which can pose choking
hazard. Introduce lumpy or granular foods and most tastes by about 9 to 10 months.
GET YOUR CHILD ON THE PATH TO HEALTHY EATING.
 Offer a variety of healthy foods.
 Choose foods from each food group as shown in the
image.
 Pay attention to dairy foods, whole grains, and
vegetables to build healthy habits that will last a
lifetime.
 Be mindful of sweet drinks and other foods.
 Offer water instead of sugary drinks like regular
soda and fruit drinks.
 Other foods like hot dogs, burgers, pizza, cookies,
cakes, and candy are only occasional treats.
 Focus on the meal and each other.
 Let your child choose how much to eat of foods you
provide.
 Children copy your likes, dislikes, and your interest
in trying new foods. Be patient with your child.
 Children enjoy food when eating it is their own
choice.
 Some new foods take time. Give a taste at first
and wait a bit.
 Let children serve themselves by taking small
amounts.
 Offer new foods many times.
 Remember to
o Cook together
o Eat together
o Talk together
o Make meal time family time