Every parent wants their child to stay healthy all year round. But the truth is, kids pick up bugs nearly twice as often as their parents. Luckily, kids who attend daycare usually recover faster and develop more immunity by the time they reach primary school.
However, you’re probably wondering, “Is there anything I can do to prevent my child from becoming sick right now?”
Here at Learning Links, we have a few suggestions that will help. What we’ve learned is that by boosting a child’s immune system, we help them to stay well. And, there are many inexpensive immune boosters available right now at home.
Here are five ways you can boost your child’s immune system:
Reduce Sugar-
High sugar intake leads to a number of challenges. But did you know that sugar can actually suppress the immune system by up to 45%?
After eating sugar, a process called ‘phagocytosis’ (where the immune system gets rid of bugs) is suppressed for up to 5-hours. So, when kids are exposed to viruses, they’re more likely to get sick. A good way to support your child is by cutting back on sugar.
Healthy Diet-
Fruit and vegetables help protect us against illness. This is because the phytonutrients in fruit and vege work to reduce inflammation, repair cell damage and boost immunity.
By adding more fruits and vegetables to a child’s diet, we’re gearing their immune system to fight back against viruses and bacteria.
Fresh Air-
The best part about fresh air, it’s free! And, when you couple fresh air with exercise, you get a two for one immunity boosting deal.
When kids exercise, they’re actively flushing bacteria out of their airways. Clear airways reduce the chance of catching a cold, flu or other illness.
Laughter-
It’s true; laughter really is the best medicine. When we laugh we flood our body with endorphins. These feel-good chemicals create a sense of well-being and relieve pain.
Laughter also decreases stress hormones and increases infection fighting antibodies. This is why an environment where our kids can laugh and play is so important.
Sleep-
Children typically need ten to 14 hours of sleep every day. When kids have the right amount of sleep, their immune system releases an adequate amount of cytokines.
Cytokines help to fight infection and inflammation, leading to a speedy recovery.
(Here’s a tip: put away the devices 30 – 60 minutes before bed for an even better sleep.)
The good news is, we follow all of these immune boosting tips at Learning Links. Our new menu is abundant with healthy food. And, learning through play means your child is active and having fun. Not to mention our staff are very mindful about cleaning and their own health.
We hope that these immune boosting tips give you some great ideas to help your child stay well when at school and when at home.