Boosting your Child’s Immune System

Photo by MART PRODUCTION

Are you worried that your child is a regular absentee in the class? The most common infection that occurs in our children is cough, cold and fever. As a parent, you get terrified and insist on being absent from school until they feel better. Firstly, long leave of absence makes them miss a lot of school work and secondly, their immune system gets down. Although you pile up with so many tasks to do with your child, overschedule their time with no free play, always think about your child’s mental health and immunity.

The immune system helps to protect us against diseases caused by tiny invaders such as viruses, bacteria, and parasites. The immune system is made up of specialized organs, cells, and tissues that all work together to destroy these invaders. Let’s have a look at some techniques to boost your child’s immune system:

• Give them a healthy diet: 

Most people eat these.  That is no surprise. They taste great as chips. Who am I? 
Yes! That’s potato.

Potato is the favourite vegetable of our little ones. Our kids wish to eat potatoes every day in any form as well as is easy for moms to prepare. Though it is rich in vitamin C and contains an anti-oxidant, as mothers we cannot only give their favourite food every time, we must teach them about the nutrients, the importance and varieties of food such as staple food, to make a healthy decision in future as kids are going crazy over junk food. Sitting together at family meal times and highlighting the values of food to your kids while eating is the best technique to inculcate good eating habits for a balanced diet.

• Essential outdoor activity:

As your children grow up in a modern world of selfies and online gaming, fitness is not given priority. As an educationist, most parents beg for an idea about how to reduce screen time as children become addicted to screens as soon as they get back from school. I clearly understood using gadgets for long hours is one of the major issues of a poor immune system. A minimum of 1.5 hours of active play is a must for the well-being of your children. It can be either playing cricket, tennis, shuttle or playing in the park. This is the best way to boost your child’s immune system as the system automatically stimulates the appetite and makes them feel to eat whatever food parents give without much fuss.

• Access to the right vaccine: 

An apt question for new mothers is what vaccinations are. A process by which a child becomes protected against a disease through vaccination. The act of introducing a vaccine into the body to produce protection from a specific disease immunization. Your paediatrician provides an immunization chart with a clear picture once you deliver a baby which contains the name and the period to be vaccinated.  I would like to share the important reasons to vaccinate your child.

1. It can save your child’s life.
2. Vaccination is very safe and effective.
3. It can save your family time and money.
4. Immunization protects others you care about.

Getting vaccinated is very easy as it is available in private and government hospitals. The only reason is you should have the right doctor with good rapport to get the right guidance to protect your child from disease. Avoid missing out on vaccinations at any cost.  

Teach your child to wash their hands regularly and cover their mouth when sneezing and coughing to prevent the spread of germs.

Don’t even imagine that your child is in a stress-free stage. I feel that a child slowly develops stress in the mind from the age of 4, as when he goes to school or sees the peer group. A child does not understand the term stress but feels deprived. Due to this, a child feels sick and lacks an immune system. That is the right time to counsel a child to overcome stress and fear, as when they are facing the world. Develop a family bonding time through fun activities like trekking, swimming, playing a sport, or cycling.

Adopt the basic techniques above to help your child lead a healthy lifestyle. The present generation primarily faces issues due to a sedentary lifestyle. Become aware of the harmful effects of long screen exposures, and sedentary habits and make your child aware. Spark an interest in them to be self-motivated to follow a healthy lifestyle. Kindly post your techniques as they could serve the readers.   

About The Author:

Lakshmi Sakthi Alagappan lives in Thanjavur in Tamilnadu, India. She is an administrative officer at Blossom Public School. She likes reading books, listening to music, and surfing.