The first drops of rain can bring out two very different reactions at home. While children may be eager to run outside, jump in puddles and feel the rain on their faces, parents are often quick to say, ‘You’ll catch a cold,’ or ‘You’ll get a fever.’

But does getting wet really make children sick? Can playing in the rain weaken their immunity? And should parents rush them indoors the moment it starts raining?

There are plenty of beliefs around children and rain, and science draws a clearer line between genuine risks and common myths. 

In a conversation with The Better India, Dr Shravan Krishna Reddy, a paediatrician, neonatologist and paediatric nutritionist who co-founded The Family Tree Hospital in Tirupati, breaks down some of the most common monsoon myths. 

Here’s what he wants parents to know before they say “no” to every rainy-day adventure.

Myth 1: Playing in the rain causes a cold

Fact: Rain itself does not cause a cold.

“A common cold is caused by respiratory viruses — not by raindrops, wet clothes or cold water,” explains Dr Reddy.

So why do the two seem so closely connected? During the rainy season, children may spend more time in crowded school vehicles or poorly ventilated classrooms, where viruses can spread more easily.

A child may also already be incubating a virus when they play in the rain. If symptoms appear the following day, it is easy to blame the most recent event.

“Doctor, yesterday he played in the rain. Today he has a fever.”

Dr Reddy says he hears this sentence almost every week during the monsoon. “The timing may be related, but rain is not the infection. Somewhere along the way, the child has picked up a virus — or another illness altogether.”

In other words, getting wet is not the same as getting infected.

Myth 2: Children should never play in the rain

Fact: Healthy children can enjoy occasional rain play — if the conditions are safe.

“A healthy child can occasionally play in light, clean rain under adult supervision,” says Dr........

© The Better India