How to Strengthen Your Child’s Immune System: Essential Tips

Mother's milk is a great way to strengthen the child's immunity. It contains all types of proteins, sugar and fats, which a child needs to stay healthy. It also contains antibodies and white blood cells and both of these strengthen the immune system and help fight disease.

During research in Australia in 2002, it was found that when a mother breastfeeds her child, it has a positive effect on the development of the immune system. Whereas feeding the child in any other way has a negative effect on the development of immunity.

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A healthy diet is most important for increasing immunity. So keep a close eye on your child's food and drink.

Include fruits and vegetables like apple, carrot, sweet potato, beans, broccoli, kiwi, melon, orange and strawberry in your child's diet. These are very beneficial in increasing immunity. Feed your child raw organic fruits and vegetables. Apart from this, you can also give fruit and vegetable juice to the child.

Make sure to feed your little one a variety of fruits and vegetables every day. To do this, you can make delicious smoothies, juices or pastes together. For older children, offer a variety of meals and snacks throughout the day. Remember a simple rule for the right amount of fruits and vegetables – feed the child as many tablespoons of fruits and vegetables per meal as the child’s age. For example, if you are feeding a 2-year-old child, you can give the child 2 tablespoons of fruits and vegetables per meal.

Seeds, legumes, whole grains and other foods that are rich in vitamin A, vitamin B2, vitamin B6 and vitamin C, zinc, selenium and essential fatty acids. All of these help in strengthening immunity. Avoid giving your child chocolates, biscuits, and other sugar-rich foods, canned foods and coke, Pepsi, etc.

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Adequate sleep and rest is very important for a growing child. Lack of sleep can lead to many diseases in the child. According to a report published in the Archives Europe Journal of Physiology in 2012, sleep has a profound effect on the immune system.

A newborn baby needs 18 hours of sleep a day. Whereas other children need 10 to 14 hours of sleep a day depending on their age. Make sure that the room in which you put your child to sleep is completely dark and that room is not completely closed. Sleeping in the dark promotes the production of the hormone melatonin, which is necessary for good sleep and also acts as a powerful antioxidant in your body. Do not keep electronic devices and video games etc. in your child's bedroom.

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Exercise is a great way to keep your child disease-free. Regular exercise of about 30 minutes every day improves the immune system and also provides many other health benefits to the child. Help as much as you can to increase the child's interest in exercise. Become a role model for your child. Instead of sending the child out of the house to play alone, exercise with him and encourage him too. Gradually your child will get used to a healthy lifestyle. Walking, running, jogging or cycling for about 30 minutes daily is an excellent physical exercise for the whole family. Apart from this, you can send your child to swimming, tennis class or any other sport as per his choice.

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Nature acts as a stimulant for the immune system. So leave your child open with nature to nourish his mind and body.

Most children in America are deficient in vitamin D. Vitamin D acts like a medicine in increasing immunity. People with vitamin D deficiency are at a higher risk of getting sick quickly. Vitamin D deficiency can cause getting infected quickly, asthma, cancer and many diseases related to the immune system.

To ensure that your child gets an adequate amount of vitamin D, take him out in the sunlight early in the morning for 20 minutes every day. But protect your child from the day's sunlight. Apart from this, fresh morning air is very beneficial for both your child's body and mind. Go for a walk with your child in the park in the morning. Also let the child run, jump, dance and climb. Apart from this, teach the child to walk barefoot on the grass. This will promote strength and agility in the child.

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Teach your child the habits of cleanliness and hygiene so that he can implement these good habits throughout his life. Cleanliness does not boost immunity, but it helps to prevent diseases by fighting germs and reducing stress.

First of all, teach your child to wash hands properly. This simple habit greatly reduces the chances of cold and flu infection. Teach your child to wash hands regularly with soap and warm water for 20 seconds. Teach your child to wash hands after coming from school, after using the bathroom, after playing with pets and before eating food. Apart from this, also tell about other good habits related to hygiene like brushing twice a day, wearing clean clothes, bathing daily, using a handkerchief after sneezing or coughing, etc. Also, clean the dirt accumulated in the nails and teach them to clean it too. Also, keep your house and surrounding area clean and germ-free. Despite being careful about your child's hygiene, do not use any antibacterial medicines, this can affect the child's immunity.

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Although antibiotics are necessary and helpful for us in today's world. But excessive dependence on them can also harm our body. Excessive use of antibiotics weakens the immune system as it kills both good and bad bacteria. Moreover, this bacteria can become antibiotic resistant and slows down the speed of the effect of any type of treatment. Do not always consult a doctor for antibiotics if the child has a cold, flu and sore throat.

Probiotics and "good bacteria" are very useful for the intestinal tract, which protects us from bad bacteria. Researchers believe that good bacteria can have a positive effect on immunity and also strengthen the intestines. Feed your child probiotic-rich foods such as yogurt, buttermilk, etc. regularly. Apart from this, you can also adopt baby food or other methods for probiotics.

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