How to Prepare Your Child's Immune System to Face School

The Santa Rosa schools are back in session. Which means, Monday through Friday you have a lot more free time. It also means, your kids are going to be exposed to an untold number of germs and bacteria.

If you’re not careful, those nasty little buggers could cause your children to become sick. Rather than wage war on an illness after it’s reared its ugly head, throw up the best defense available – a strong immune system!

By supporting your child’s immune system you are able to protect them year-round. Work to implement these simple lifestyle choices and you can keep your babies ready to face whatever funkiness school sends their way.

5 Ways to Naturally Support Your Child's Immune System

1. Eliminate Foods that Trigger Unwanted Symptoms

For all of us, eliminating foods that trigger unwanted symptoms is essential to being able to beat a cold before it occurs. Because the immune systems can only fight so many battles. When your child’s health is being slammed with food intolerances, allergies, and sensitivities, their body often doesn’t have the strength to ward off illness.

While sensitivities and intolerances vary from child to child, common triggers include foods containing:

• Additives
• Preservatives
• Refined Sugar
• Wheat
• Partially Hydrogenated Oil (like that found in fast food)

In addition to eliminating triggers, making sure your child has a vitamin and nutrient-rich diet gives their immune system the essential foundation for good health. This means you’re making sure they get the vital vitamins, minerals, proteins, and healthy fats they need to thrive.

Vitamins play a huge role in brain function and attention span. When your child is trying to stay alert and process complex thoughts, they need to be on top of their game. To help them get the vitamins they need, add fruits and vegetables to every meal.

Your child’s body uses minerals and proteins for a variety of reasons, including growth. While kids are young, they are growing a lot! You’ll want to make sure they are getting a steady supply of these essential elements.

Fat is another necessity. It has a negative connotation. It’s associated with obesity and sluggishness. But there’s good fat and bad fat. The fat found in fast food and pizza does indeed make you sluggish, tired, and cause you to gain weight. However, healthy fats, like the kind found in avocado, have the opposite effect. These fats give you the vital energy needed to face the day.

Maybe you don’t want your kid to make actual mud pies, but the principle is the same. Let them play in the dirt! Exposing your child to dirt exposes them to the microbes it contains. This allows their immune system to develop antibodies, that strengthen their immune system.

4. Skip the Hand Sanitizer

In a pinch, everyone can handle a squeeze or two of hand sanitizer. But for the most part, stick to the old-fashioned soap and water. Hand sanitizer makes quick work of microbes, killing them off in the blink of an eye. Unfortunately, our bodies need some exposure to the microbes in order to develop immunities to them. (Thus the mud pies.)

5. Make a Full Night’s Rest a Priority

Sleep is another essential element for the immune system. If your body is struggling to stay awake, it will make it that much harder to fight off an illness. Keep bedtime regular and sleep a priority to ensure your child is well-rested.

Is Your Child on the Right Track?

Sometimes identifying insensitivities or pinpointing deficiencies can be difficult. At Premier Integrative, our naturopathic doctors can help you make sure your family is healthy and ready to face the day.