It’s your responsibility as a parent to protect your kids. Protect them from infections and diseases to ensure they grow up healthy. Also, parents protect kids when they fall, get bruises or bumps. Why?
If the child gets sick, it’s the parent who suffers the most besides the child. You can prevent this by encouraging good habits and taking steps to ensure your child understands the importance of eating healthy and clean foods.
What is an Immune system?
The immune system is responsible for fighting off infections and diseases. A child with a strong immune system doesn’t get sick often because the body has the ingredients to fight the infections.
Building a strong immune system is a collaborative affair between the mind, body, and eating habits.
Natural ways to keep the child’s immune system healthy
Promote Regular Handwashing
Surfaces kids touch is responsible for 80% of infections. So teaching your child the importance of washing hands ensures they develop the habit of doing it. This helps eliminate bacteria and reduces up to 45% of infections.
Take Them For Immunizations
Pediatricians advise that kids should get immunizations from infancy to adulthood. This helps prevent measles, rotavirus, chickenpox, mumps, etc. Abide by the vaccination schedule and ensure the child receives the flu shot annually. Vaccinations avoid chronic health conditions.
Allow Them To Sleep For Eight Hours
Kids are still developing, and sleep is one way their brain develops. Ensure your kid gets enough sleep according to their age. For instance:
- Preschoolers should get 10-12 hours of sleep.
- Kids in the 6-13 years’ bracket should get about 9-11 hours of sleep
- Adolescents (14-17 years) should get 8-10 hours of sleep
Not sleeping enough exposes them to health risks. This is because the body fails to produce enough proteins (cytokines), which are crucial in fighting infections besides reducing inflammation.
Encourage A Healthy Diet
A healthy diet strengthens the immune system by providing vital nutrients and minerals the body needs. This ensures the child grows and maintains a solid and healthy body.
Encourage the child to eat vegetables and fruits while limiting processed foods. The child needs vitamins, proteins, carbohydrates, baby probiotic drops, and minerals to have a strong immune system.
Encourage Outdoor Activities
Spend time with your child outdoors every morning to allow them to get some vital vitamin D. Sunlight is an essential part of a healthy body. Teach your kids why they should get some sunlight every day.
The body absorbs the sunlight and converts it into vitamin D using cholesterol. Deficiency in vitamin D causes autoimmune conditions like inflammatory bowel disorders and type 1 diabetes.
Encourage Exercising
Kids are energetic; encourage them to spend their energy playing games, running, etc. This ensures they develop strong bones, are physically fit, and improves their mental health.
Exercise helps their body burn calories which prevents obesity and builds strong muscles. In addition, when kids exercise, their blood circulation is optimal, which allows their wounds to heal better. Also, it enhances nutrient absorption for healthy wellbeing.
Raising Healthy Children
You can bring up a healthy child by observing the above things. A healthy child means less stress and expenses on Medicare. Encourage your kids to eat their veggies, fruits, drink their milk, exercise, bask in the sun, among others. It’s your parental responsibility to ensure your kid is healthy.
