Cairo - Shaimaa Makkawi
The member of the Egyptian Society of Allergy and Immunology, Dr. Magdy Badran, revealed importance of practicing sport for infants with each diaper change.
"Children should be encouraged to engage in physical activity from birth, and to engage in minimal developmental needs for infants, young children and pre-school children," he said.
"The restriction of infants and young children in strollers or infant seats for several hours may delay their motor growth, such as rolling, crawling and walking, and may even delay cognitive development, threatening them with weight gain and premature obesity," he stated.
"Practicing sport increases immunity of the respiratory system and helps in the elimination of chronic fatigue, as well as improving the safety of the respiratory cilia," Badran added.
"Practicing outdoor sports three times a week with drinking fluids, to get rid of the sputum, strengthen the muscles of the abdomen, which relieves the burden on the tired chest muscles," he said.
Dr. Badran added children should be placed in safe places that facilitate physical activity, indicating that infant and young children should not be restricted for long periods, adding that activity of infants should aim to promote the development.
"The period of activity of infant should not be less than half an hour per day, increasing to at least one hour per day in pre-school children," he stressed.
"Pre-school children should exercise at least 60 minutes to several hours a day, as they wish to play freely," he said.