Air pollution in India is rising and causing enormous levels of harm to us with each passing day. We’ve often heard that children are more vulnerable to air pollution than adults, more so in the case of new-born babies. Have you ever wondered why? There are several reasons for it. New-born babies breathe faster than adults, absorbing more air, eventually taking in more pollutants present in the air. Their immunity is lower than a grown up since their organs are still in the process of developing, which makes them more prone to diseases caused by air pollution.
Air pollution can cause a plethora of ailments to a new-born baby including respiratory problems and developmental issues; some cases even lead to death. Hence, it is important that we take every possible step to ensure new-born babies are at minimal risk when it comes to air pollution. Let’s first understand the kind of health problems air pollution causes to a new-born baby in order to come up with the right choice of solutions to this hazardous issue. Here are some ways in which poor air quality can impact new-born babies:
Prenatal effects
It’s a myth that air pollution can only affect an infant’s health after birth. Air pollution does not just impact a child’s health post-birth, it can even affect a foetus. If an expecting mother is exposed to air pollution, it can directly affect the foetus through the placenta, causing birth defects in many cases. Some pollutants, when inhaled by the expecting mothers, can damage the DNA, decrease nutrient absorption, impact the immunity, affect the weight and can even lead the baby to develop certain allergies in the future. The fact that a baby, even in its foetus form, can get so adversely affected by air pollution is a reason enough to worry.
Respiratory effects
Asthma is one of the most common diseases that new-born babies can develop owing to air pollution exposure at an early age. New-born babies exposed to air pollution can also develop chronic lung disease and have reduced lung function later in their lives.
Cognitive effects
Some pollutants present in the air are small enough to enter the bloodstream and reach the brain to create multiple developmental issues. Studies suggest that new-born babies breathing polluted air can have damaged brain tissues, impact their learning ability and create related problems in later age.
Ways to save your new-born baby from air pollution
We have collated a list of solutions that can be added to a new-born baby care schedule in order to keep the infants safe from air pollution.
Avoid exposure to toxic air
In a time where even morning and evening walks are suggested to be avoided by most doctors, the air outdoors is extremely dangerous for new-born babies. In order to avoid exposing your new-born to environmental pollution, it is important that you keep them indoors as much as possible.
Use an air purifier
The quality of air has worsened to a level where even staying indoors is hazardous for health. Even though it is suggested that new-born babies should stay indoors, it is important to take care of indoor pollution to create a safe place for the child to grow. The best solution for indoor air pollution is installing an air purifier. There are several air purifiers available in the market these days, owing to the increasing level of indoor air pollution. You can choose from a range of state-of-the-art air purifiers that come with HEPA (High-Efficiency Particulate Air) technology as well as Ozone disinfection technology to keep the air inside your home clean.
Go green
While maintaining a garden is great for the environment and the air in your surrounding areas, it is also important to get the greenery inside. There are a plethora of indoor plants that you can choose for every single room in your home, which will not just clean the polluted air indoors but is also a good décor idea. Most of these indoor plants also clean the polluted air inside your home to a good extent.
Poor air quality can affect your infant’s health in multiple ways. The best way is to make use of these infant care instructions in order to keep them safe from an early age. We also advise you to share these baby health tips with your friends and family to let them know how, currently, air pollution for kids is as bad as it gets, and why they need to keep their new-born babies safe both outdoors and indoors.