is it true that babies get sick if they don't go out for walks?

Question

cause I was on the bus one time and I heard a lady tell this one passenger that babies get sick when they aren't taken out

Answer 1

it's somewhat true but there's more to it than that. while babies get most of their antibodies from their mother's breast milk, it alone is not enough. think of it as just getting the basics. babies need to be exposed to outside bacteria, germs, pollen and so on. the reason why is because they need to build up an immunity from them. and the only way to do that is make contact with it, be "infected" and let the immune system create antibodies for it. i read an article where it said kids that grow up on farms have less allergies than kids who grow up in the city. farm kids are surrounded by high levels of allergy agents and their body's adapt to it.

Answer 2

I think babies that are kept inside are exposed to many more germs than babies who get out in the fresh air. They also get the chance to build up an immune system. I used to take my son for walks in below zero weather, he was bundled up like the kid in Christmas Story and he rarely got sick. My overprotective sister, however, has a son who rarely, if ever, got to go out and play outside because she was afraid he would get hurt and it seems as though he is sick all of the time. He is 13 now and still is sick alot. So yes, I think it makes a difference. Ask a pediatrician what they think!!!

Answer 3

Everyone needs fresh air and sunshine to remain healthy. About 15 minutes a day of unfiltered sunlight with no sunscreen is all that is needed. Sunlight helps our bodies manufacture Vitamin D, which is important in helping keep our bones strong. Sunlight also helps our bodies manufacture the feel good chemicals in our brains that keep our moods stable and help fight depression. SAD - Seasonal Affective Disorder can be caused by people not getting enough sunshine and usually happens in the middle of winter when the days are drab and dreary. So, everyone, including babies, do need to get out into the fresh air and sunshine.

Answer 4

Like all humans, babies need sunlight for optimum health. For example, Vitamin D is produced in the skin from exposure to sunlight. Vitamin D is critical for bone formation and for the proper functioning and development of the immune system. Lack of vitamin D is common and may increase the risk of developing auto-immune diseases such as Multiple Sclerosis and Type I Diabetes.

Best wishes and good luck.

Answer 5

I have two children and they got sick no matter whether they we inside or outside. I think what you heard was an old wives tale.
Germs are what causes babies to get sick,also people around them with colds.
If the weather is nice, a walk usually helps put them to sleep.

Answer 6

No. That is so not true. The woman may have been talking about a baby that may have had a bit of jaundice. The cure for that is to get the baby in some sunlight. That may have been what she meant.

Answer 7

hell yeah! fresh air gives the baby natural nutriants from the air, and it cleans out their lungs. cooped up in the house breathing in the same stale air is bad especially with carpets because it hasnt built up its immune system yet so its body cannot distinguish what is good and bad for it. besides the baby gets Vitamin D from the sunlight

Answer 8

Maybe her baby got sick from being in the house, but I've never heard that before.

Answer 9

No, that isn't true, what I think she was trying to get across is that fresh air is good for them (which is true), I had 2 babies in the winter and could not take them out for walks and they were just fine,

Answer 10

No, but mom will go stir crazy if she doesn't get out all winter.

Honestly. Why would you want to stay in all winter? People in Wisconsin take newborns out in the winter, and the kids do fine. Fresh air is good for kid, good for mom. What's good for mom is good for everyone in the household.

(and you need the sun for vitamin d)