6 Ways To Boost Your Child’s Immune System

Kids are always going to get sick from time to time because they mix with a lot of other children and they like to get messy. As a parent, you’re never going to avoid it completely, but if you want to help them avoid any serious problems, you need to find ways to boost their immune system from a young age. A lot of issues with allergies come from immune system weaknesses and kids that don’t have a strong immune system are likely to get ill far more often. But there are some simple things that you can do to help boost their immune system while they are young and protect their health. 

Breastfeeding 

Breastfeeding is one of the best things that you can do for your child’s immune system while they are young. Breast milk contains a lot of antibodies and white blood cells which boost the immune system and studies show that it can reduce the chances of so many different health problems. Children that were breastfed for a year have a lower chance of developing ear infections, allergies, urinary tract infections, and meningitis. It has also been linked to a reduced chance of certain types of diabetes later in life. The milk that is produced in the first few days after birth is especially high in immune system boosting antibodies, so breastfeeding your child right away is important. However, a lot of mothers find that they struggle to get their baby to feed and it can take a while before they get the hang of it. These breastfeeding tips will help to make it easier so your baby will benefit from your milk and their immune system will be improved. Even if you cannot commit to breastfeeding for a year, which a lot of people can’t, you should try to keep it up for the first 2 or 3 months at least. 

If you can’t breastfeed for whatever reason, or you have to stop after a few months, you will have to move onto bottle feeding. If you are still able to pump and feed them breast milk, that is fine. If you are using formula, it’s important that you take the time to do your research and find formula that has everything your baby needs. 

Fruit And Vegetables 

It shouldn’t be a surprise that fruit and vegetables are great for boosting immunity. Once your child moves onto solid foods, you need to make sure that they are eating plenty of fruit and vegetables with every meal. A diet rich in immunity boosting nutrients found in fruits and vegetables reduces your risk of illness and in later life, it can protect against cancer and heart disease. Getting your kids to eat fruit and vegetables can be tough, but if you start them off on baby food with lots of mashed up fruit and vegetables, you can make sure that they get enough when they are young. As they get older, you’ll have to work a bit harder to get them to eat healthy foods, but these simple tips should help you.

Sleep 

Lack of sleep is one of the hardest parts about raising a newborn baby, but if you want their immune system to be strong, you need to try to get them into a good sleep routine as soon as you can. When people are sleep deprived, they have reduced levels of antibodies, and that’s true of children as well as adults. For the first few weeks or months, you will have to accept that your baby doesn’t sleep through. But once they are in a good routine, you need to make sure that you stick to it so they’re getting the same amount of sleep every day. Newborns need as much as 18 hours a day, while toddlers need 12 or 13 hours. If they are sleeping less than this, their immune system will be affected and they are more prone to illness. A lot of children struggle to nap during the day if they are doing something active, like going to daycare. If that is the case, try putting them to bed early so they are not missing out on sleep. 

Exercise 

People don’t usually think of exercise as being related to their immune system, but it’s very important. Adults and children that do regular exercise have boosted immune systems because they produce more antibodies, so it’s important that your children get into a good routine from an early age. If your kids are interested in sports and they join a local team, that’s a great way to get regular exercise in and it’s good for their development as well. If they don’t like sports, you need to find other ways to help them stay active. If you can find ways for the family to exercise together, like bike rides or hikes, you can make sure that you are all fit and healthy. If they get into the habit of exercising regularly when they are young, they are more likely to continue as they get older. 

Manage Germs Effectively 

Managing germs and bacteria inside and outside the home is important. It doesn’t boost their immune system, but a clean environment will help to take the stress off and protect them from illness. Make sure that you teach them the importance of washing their hands and when you are on days out, take some wipes to clean up if they get messy. However, it’s important that you strike a balance and don’t go overboard with the cleaning. There are studies that suggest that overuse of antibacterial soaps and cleaners could lead to an increased chance of allergies in kids. The reason for this is that they do not get exposed to much bacteria at all because everything is killed off, so they don’t get the ‘training’ that their immune systems need to grow strong. This is why you’ll often hear people say that it’s good for kids to get outside and get messy. The key is finding a good balance between the two because you don’t want your house to be dirty, but you also don’t want to wipe every single surface with antibacterial cleaners all the time. It can be hard because parents worry about their kids, but you’re doing them a favor if you relax a little and let them get dirty from time to time. 

Use Medication Responsibly 

When your child is sick, you might want to get them to a doctor right away, but if they just have a cold or an upset stomach, you should wait a day or two. If their symptoms are getting worse and they’re not going away, then you should get them checked out by a doctor. However, some parents are far too pushy with their doctor and they do not use medication responsibly. Instead of waiting a few days for the illness to pass, they insist that there is a bigger problem and they need the doctor to write a prescription for antibiotics. The problem is, most childhood illnesses are caused by viruses but antibiotics are used to treat illness caused by bacteria. If your child is taking antibiotics that they don’t really need and they have them on a regular basis, they will be more likely to develop antibiotic resistant illnesses. Even reaching for simple over the counter medicines can cause issues because you are not giving their immune system a chance to fight off illnesses on its own. Sometimes, medication is necessary, but only use it if the doctor advises it. 

These are all simple changes that you can make to help boost your child’s immune system and stop them from getting ill so often.