5 Tips for Keeping Your Kids’ Immune Systems Strong
By: Caroline Schneider
There is nothing harder on a mama’s heart than watching your baby be sick. It’s the worst feeling in the world and leaves you feeling so helpless and scared. My daughter Darcy started going to Daycare at 4 months old. Shortly after, the dreaded colds began. It was also the beginning of fall so…double whammy.
Why does this happen? You’ve probably heard this before, but let me give you a refresher. When our babies are born, they have a small immune system that hasn’t had much exposure. So how does the immune system get stronger? Well unfortunately one of the biggest ways is simply by coming in contact with sicknesses and learning how to fight them. Sickness trains our immune systems to be more effective. Once our body fights a certain illness, it has the instruction manual on how to fight it off later.
The other way we can help it be stronger is by giving it nutrients and vitamins that help support it as it fights.. When Darcy started having more exposure to viruses and bacterial infections, I remember feeling so overwhelmed by the different illnesses we were fighting. We would get over one and a new one would begin. I was desperately searching for a way to help her little immune system.
If you’re a mama who feels this deeply, you aren’t alone. As we’re in the thick of fall which tends to breed different types of sicknesses, I want to encourage you with a few things you can do to help your little one out.
A couple of disclaimers – although I am a nurse, a gentle reminder this is just my opinion and tools I have found that help our family. This is not meant to be medical advice but more so an encouragement from one mama to another. I also want to voice that I recognize everyone’s budget and finances are different and what works for one may not be feasible for another. I would encourage you to focus on the things you can do to help your kids that don’t require spending extra money. I give ideas on both below 🙂
- Get outside as much as you can! I know this can be trickier as it gets colder, but try and keep outside time a part of your routine if you can. Put on layers and go for a walk or head to the park. Vitamin D is one of the best things for our immune system and helps regulate it. You can also find vitamin D in orange juices, milk, and even supplements if you feel your child isn’t getting enough outside time. Always make sure with supplementing, you use Vitamin D3 instead of D2 which is synthetic. We like the Genexa Brand or Dr. Green Mom.
- Serve balanced, nutritious meals and limit processed and sugary foods…emphasis on balanced. Aim for at least 2-3 servings of fruits and veggies a day. I know it can be overwhelming when your little one starts getting more selective, so for me this means getting creative! Sneaking veggies and fruits into muffins, quesadillas, rice bowls, etc. Lately I’ve loved making fresh oatmeal and throwing a few frozen berries in, letting them melt into the oatmeal, and mixing it up. Smoothies are great for sneaking healthy foods in as well! A little reminder-– kids won’t eat the same amount of food each day. Some days, they’ll eat so much and others you’ll feel like they barely ate anything. As a new mom, this was so helpful for me to hear it’s normal! Don’t stress and remember tomorrow is a new day. I’ve also learned that just because my daughter doesn’t like something one day, the next day she often surprises me and decides she likes it so keep trying. Lots and lots of grace when it comes to food. It won’t be perfect, and I will emphasize balance all day long.
- Taking a good probiotic can really help your child’s gut health. I’ve always been so surprised to learn how much our gut health affects our overall immune health. There are many different opinions on this, but from a mom who has walked a lot of digestive struggles with their baby, I truly saw such a difference with a consistent probiotic. As they start solids, you can always serve yogurt as a good probiotic source. I also always encourage doing a probiotic after an antibiotic to restore the good bacteria back to the gut. An extra side note from a nurse…if your child has a virus, antibiotics will not treat it. Follow the lead of your pediatrician on this, but I encourage you to only use antibiotics if absolutely necessary.
- Supplements: okay this is a big one! I saw a big shift in Darcy’s immune system when I started using a few consistent supplements to help boost her immune system. My personal favorite that I’ve found is Dr. Green Mom. I love her products because a lot of them are droppers and can be added straight to milk or water. My absolute favorite for daily use is the Immunity boost drops. I’ve been giving it to her in milk or water daily since she was 7 months old. I tell so many of my mom friends about it because I’ve seen such a difference. Other ones I love to have on hand are Bronchial Calm for colds, Ear Relief & Resolve when ear infections are coming on, Nature’s Biotic, Liquid C, and Liquid Zinc. Sicknesses are inevitable but a boosted immune system and helping cut the life of it down has been so helpful as we’ve gone through different illnesses in our home. You can check out all the products here. You can always use Schneider10 for 10% off your order anytime. We also have used and love Mary Ruth Organics, Young Living Kidscents Line, and Juice+ fruit and veggie whole-food chewables. Please reach out to me if you ever have questions or want specific recommendations. I love chatting about this!
- Sleep: this one is pretty simple so I’ll keep it short. Sleep has a direct impact on the physical and emotional well-being of our kids so it’s good to make it a priority. Now any of my friends reading this know that we have never been that couple to have a strict sleep schedule with our daughter. We definitely go with the flow a lot of the time BUT we do strive to put her down around the same time every night, and she’s always been a pretty great sleeper. I know there are many different opinions on sleep and I think every family will find their groove and do what’s best for them.
Just like all other areas of life, this won’t be done perfectly and that’s okay. Trust your mama instincts and take it one day at a time. Your kids were entrusted to YOU for a reason. You’ve got this, mama. In it with you!
