Why can’t you walk outside with your child after vaccination and on what day can you do it?

What happens during vaccination?

The purpose of any vaccination is to increase the child’s immunity and strengthen the body’s defenses. The vaccine contains a strain of the virus, it enters the bloodstream, and the baby is forcibly infected. Immune cells are activated and begin to produce antibodies. In the first days after the vaccine is administered, the child’s well-being may worsen due to the activity of viruses:

• loss of appetite;
• the baby is feeling sick;
• the temperature rises.

To these symptoms of malaise one can add an immune system weakened by viruses. All this together increases the risk of infection entering the child’s body. This is why it is not advisable for your baby to visit crowded places after vaccination. This recommendation from doctors should be taken into account.

How many days is it advisable not to go outside after vaccination?

The duration of the ban on walks is determined by the child’s well-being and the characteristics of the post-vaccination stage.
In case of pronounced vaccine reactions, they remain at home with the baby during the entire period of hyperthermia, plus one more day after the temperature normalizes.

The ban on walking applies to cases of rapid post-vaccination reactions and the development of post-vaccination complications, as well as suspicion of a concomitant disease.

In these circumstances, the decision to establish a closed home regime is made after consultation with a pediatrician.

Vaccination schedule

A general schedule of childhood vaccinations has been approved. It applies to children from birth until they reach 14 years of age.

When walking is not advisable

It is not recommended to visit crowded places if your child has received a live vaccine. This type of immunization is used against polio, rubella, mumps, tuberculosis, measles, influenza, chickenpox and rotavirus. It is important to consider the method of administration of the drug. Oral live vaccines work in the patient's intestines, so a vaccinated child is theoretically able to release pathogens into the environment. Such vaccinations are given against polio and rotavirus. A vaccinated baby becomes dangerous for small unvaccinated children, people with immunodeficiency, pregnant women and other people who have weakened immune systems.

It is not difficult for parents to distinguish live “dangerous” vaccines from “safe” ones. The first are administered in the form of drops into the baby's mouth, and the second are in the form of an injection. If a child has been vaccinated in the form of drops, then walks are not recommended.

Vaccinations in the form of injections are practically not dangerous to others. Therefore, even after this type of immunization, you can walk with your baby. It is important that the child is in good health and that the weather conditions are conducive to spending time outdoors.

Rules to follow after vaccination

The intestines are responsible for immunity. The baby needs to reduce the amount of food he eats for 2 days (including the day of vaccination). Parents should be calm about the deterioration of appetite. You cannot force him to eat.

In the first days, the baby is fed liquid food. It is better if it does not have a pronounced taste.

Allergenic products are completely excluded from the child’s diet. If he is breastfed, then the mother should refuse them.

2-3 days before vaccination, the child is no longer given vitamin D. This restriction is valid for another 5 days after vaccination. This measure reduces the likelihood of allergic reactions. To prevent the calcium balance in the child’s body from being disturbed, on the doctor’s recommendation, he is given calcium gluconate these days.

List of rules to follow after vaccination:

• do not bathe on this day;
• dress the baby according to the weather so that he does not sweat;
• do not visit crowded places during a walk for 3 days;
• Avoid contact with sick people.

What not to do immediately after vaccination

You cannot hide from doctors the presence of any symptoms after vaccination. Allergic reactions, high fever, severe headaches or muscle pain, shortness of breath, cough, runny nose, sore throat, especially if these reactions last for more than three to five days, are a reason to see a doctor, warns vaccinologist Evgeny Timakov. This may no longer be a reaction to the vaccine, but signs of the disease.

After vaccination with Sputnik V, the Ministry of Health recommends not getting the injection site wet for three days, not visiting the sauna or bathhouse, not drinking alcohol and avoiding excessive physical activity. In turn, Rospotrebnadzor after vaccination recommended not to overcool, not overheat and avoid stress to the body, as well as avoid foods that can provoke an allergic reaction.

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How to help your immune system after vaccination

The chief freelance nutritionist of the Russian Ministry of Health, Viktor Tutelyan, recommends that everyone who has been vaccinated against coronavirus “pay attention to vitamins, primarily vitamin D,” and, if necessary, eliminate its deficiency. You also need to consume foods high in protein. “Why a vaccine is administered is to stimulate the production of specific antibodies, and antibodies are protein structures. For this, there is a great need for protein. What is this - meat, fish, eggs. We need to make sure that this is included in the diet,” Tutelyan explained.

When should a child not go outside after vaccination?

The child must be monitored; any deviations in his behavior may indicate a complication after the vaccination. The walk must be postponed in the following cases:

• the temperature has risen, the thermometer shows more than 37.5 °C;
• the baby is capricious, does not play, gets tired quickly;
• no appetite;
• extremities are cold;
• enlarged lymph nodes;
• there is swelling, redness or rashes on the area of ​​the body where the vaccine was administered.

After DTP vaccination

For 3 days after the vaccine is administered, all the baby’s defenses are aimed at fighting the new strain of the virus, so they may not be able to cope with an additional infection picked up by the child during a walk. After vaccination, most mothers have an irresistible desire to wrap up their child and put as much warm clothing on him as possible. This does not protect it from bacteria and viruses.

He overheats, sweats, and his temperature rises. This after DTP vaccination can cause complications.

In summer, in warm, windless weather, walking in deserted places is not dangerous. Comfortable air temperature for walking is 20-22 °C. In frost, wind, and rain, it is better to refrain from visiting the street. After DTP, you should not walk for 3 days, even with a slight increase in body temperature.

For hepatitis

If the child is healthy, then vaccination against hepatitis should not lead to a sharp increase in temperature. The child’s good health on the day of hepatitis vaccination allows him to go for walks as usual. There are also no restrictions on swimming.

From polio

The introduction of polio vaccine into the body is not accompanied by an increase in temperature. After vaccination against polio, a child can be taken out for walks without fear from the first day.

For rubella, mumps and measles

Water procedures and walks are allowed from the first day. Complications are possible, but their signs may appear only after 2 weeks. If the baby’s well-being worsens, it is necessary to show it to a doctor.

For the flu

The period of occurrence of complications lasts 72 hours (3 days). After getting a flu shot, you should follow these recommendations:

• Protect from active games and physical exercise for 2-3 days;
• postpone bathing for 2 days;
• you can go for a walk.

BCG

This vaccination is given to healthy children in the maternity hospital. The injection area is the left shoulder. The ban on water procedures is valid for 1 day. Starting from the 2nd day after vaccination, swimming is allowed. You cannot exert mechanical force on the injection site; water does not cause negative reactions.

Mantoux

This is not a vaccination, but a test; its result is checked after a few days. Until doctors have assessed the baby’s body’s reaction to the vaccine, it is impossible to wet the injection site, which means swimming is prohibited during this period.

"Diaskintesta"

The test is done to detect tuberculosis. Diaskintesta is not accompanied by high fever. Walking is not included in the list of restrictions; a child can go for walks from the day of vaccination.

"Pentaxim"

This type of vaccination does not exclude side effects. Their likelihood increases with revaccinations, since the number of antibodies in the baby’s body increases each time. According to statistics, most often the temperature rises after the 4th revaccination.

You need to refrain from walking for a day. If during this time there is no significant increase in temperature, walks can be resumed. It is advisable to be outside in good weather without rain, wind, or snow.

"Prevenar"

You can go for a walk, but do not allow communication with other children. For a baby, any contact with a person who is a carrier of pneumococcal infection is dangerous. You cannot bathe for 24 hours after Prevenar vaccination.

Recommendations for parents regarding walking after immunization

A vaccinated child who is full of energy, lively, and in a good mood, whose vaccine reactions are latent, is not considered sick.

In the vast majority of cases, walks in good weather are not deprived of him, but they adhere to some rules recommended by experts:

• two to three quarters of an hour immediately after vaccination, during which the child is prescribed to stay near the medical office, is usually spent not in the corridors of the clinic next to sick children, but in the fresh air in the courtyard of the medical institution;
• for walks, choose a park or square away from highways, avoid playgrounds, shops and other places with large crowds of people - limit not so much walks in the fresh air, but contacts with other children and adults;
• maintain hygiene, often use wet or antibacterial wipes to protect the child not only from airborne infections, but also from intestinal infections;
• dress according to the weather, prefer natural fabrics: synthetic ones do not allow the child’s body to breathe, promote increased sweating and the appearance of irritation and inflammation at the injection site;
• infants are usually taken out into the fresh air while they sleep, older children are occupied with quiet games outside: excessive activity during a walk can provoke an increase in body temperature;
• in the hot season, children are provided with sufficient drinking conditions.

How to behave if adverse reactions occur

As long as the temperature remains within 38 °C, the child is not given antipyretic medications. If it continues to grow, medications will help bring it down:

• "Ibuprofen";
• "Paracetamol";
• rectal suppositories "Tylenol" or "Panadol".

If you have allergy symptoms, you can give your baby the drugs Zyrtec and Fenistil. After vaccination, antihistamines that cause dry mucous tissues (Tavegil, Suprastin) are not recommended for use. The baby is monitored for 24 hours after any vaccination. After 24 hours, an hour-long walk in a secluded place will only be beneficial if during this time there are no negative reactions from the child’s body.