Babies, toddlers, and preschoolers average about seven to eight colds every year. School-age children average around five or six. As a parent, it is your job to do what you can to prevent your child from catching a virus and becoming sick.
The first step to doing this is learning how to boost a kid’s immune system. A strong immune system will help to prevent your child from the germs and viruses they are sure to encounter.
Here are just a few things you can do to help build up your child’s immune system and keep them happy and healthy all year long.
1. Get Them Active
An active child is a healthy one, so physical activity will make your little one less likely to get sick. Children need around 60 minutes of physical activity per day. This can be all at once or broken up into smaller chunks.
On the flip side, make sure your child’s activity level is not cutting into their rest and recovery time. If your child is on the move too much, then they may not be able to get enough food or sleep, which can negatively impact their immune system.
2. Make Sure They Are Getting Enough Sleep
Your kid’s sleeping schedule is incredibly important to their overall health. Proper sleep allows your child’s body to recover from the previous day and get ready for the day ahead. Depending on their age, children need anywhere from 10 to 12.5 hours of sleep every night.
It is critical to establish a bedtime to help your child to get into a daily routine. You may also want to limit screen time before bed. Encourage your child to read a book or take a relaxing bath in the hour before they’re set to go to sleep.
3. Make Sure They Are Eating Healthy
Children’s diet plays a huge part in their immune system function. Eating whole foods and prioritizing fruits and vegetables can provide your child with the vitamins and nutrients that they need to maintain good health.
As a parent, you can ensure proper nutrition by packing your child’s school lunch with healthy foods and cooking delicious homemade meals packed with whole foods and veggies. You can also look into buying children’s vitamins if they are lacking in any important nutrients.
A healthy diet can also set your child up for success in the future. Eating healthy can help them establish a good relationship with food as well as prevent diseases and illnesses that are more likely to develop later in life such as cancer and heart disease.
4. Help Them Manage Stress and Anxiety
Just because children are young, doesn’t mean they can’t experience stress and anxiety just like adults do. Unaddressed stress can cause children to become overwhelmed, lose sleep, and ultimately lower their immunity.
One of the best ways to help your child manage their stress and anxiety is to encourage them to talk about their issues. If your child talks to you about their feelings, then you can do your best to help them out or give them advice. Help your child come up with a plan, and give them tips on how to cope with their issues in a healthy way.
5. Thoroughly Analyze Any Health Problems
Many parents jump straight to getting their child put on antibiotics or other prescription medications at the first sign of a health problem. While these medications can be helpful in certain situations, they are not the answer to everything. Make sure to do your research and talk to your child’s doctor about every possible treatment option.
You may want to consider natural medicine as an option for your little one. Naturopathic doctors are trained to figure out the root cause of an issue and help your child adjust their lifestyle to ease their symptoms and hopefully get rid of the problem altogether. If you are interested in naturopathic medicine, then feel free to take a look at our qualified and experienced physicians.
6. Keep Your House Safe and Clean
You cannot control what your child is exposed to at school, but you can control their environment at home. Make sure you regularly clean your home to prevent the spread of bacteria and germs that live on surfaces. Ensure that laundry is done on a regular basis to wash out any allergens, dust, or dirt that lives on your child’s clothing and bedsheets.
It is also important to be aware of how your habits can affect your child. If you or anyone in your family smokes, then it is best to either quit or be sure to smoke nowhere near the child. Secondhand smoke can make your child more susceptible to health problems such as asthma attacks, respiratory infections, and ear infections.
7. Teach Them Good Hygiene
Another important aspect of building your child’s immune system is to teach them how to properly care for themselves. If you instill good hygiene habits in your child, then they are likely to keep practicing them even when you are not around.
Make sure they know how to properly use the restroom and how to wash their hands afterward. Teach them the importance of bathing on a regular basis and explain to them how to properly wash in the bath or shower. Also, make sure they are brushing their teeth at least twice a day.
Learn How to Boost a Kid’s Immune System Today
Learning how to boost a kid’s immune system is an essential task for every parent to complete. Helping your children stay safe and healthy should be a top priority.
If you want to learn more about how we can help your child’s overall health and wellness, then contact us for more information.
