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Written By: Sponsored | Published : October 26, 2017 4:49 PM IST
Your little one is growing up fast and before you know it, she is all over the place: swinging from trees, playing in the mud, petting stray animals and eating from roadside hawkers. Being a mother, it is natural for you to worry about her health and well-being. But your little one has a mind of her own and sometimes, it is difficult to keep pace with her. No matter how good a super mom you are, there is no way to completely keep your child safe from germs. That's why you have to make her a strong warrior to help her fend off infections and diseases at every step of her childhood. You have to give her the gift of a healthy, robust immune system. Wondering how to do that? Here are six ways in which you can boost your child's immune system so that she enjoys her childhood to the fullest.
Breastfeed your child
Breastfeeding will protect your child against infections during and after lactation. Apart from providing your little one with all the nutrition she needs to be healthy, it also supercharges her immune system with antibodies. Breast milk ensures that she stays safe from developing allergies later on in life. Breastfeeding also encourages the growth of good bacteria in your child's gut and checks the growth of disease-causing bad bacteria. With such a strong immunity, you can rest assured your child will not be falling sick often and missing school. This also means fewer doctors visits and more time for learning and fun!
Give your child the right diet
This goes without saying, but getting a fussy child to eat right is every parent's nightmare. Include immune boosting foods such as vitamin-C rich food, eggs, probiotics, oats, brightly-coloured vegetables, nuts and lean meat products. This will improve her stamina and help her not only with studies but also in sports and other extra-curricular activities. If her diet is rich in these immune-boosting foods, an occasional ice cream or a greasy burger won t send you on a guilt trip! So you can give in to that craving for popcorn and chips or make it a part of movie time at home.
Limit sugar and still keep it sweet
Keeping children off sugar is a near-impossible task. Childhood is a time of ice creams, cookies, chocolates and candies, but it important to not let your child go overboard with it. There are enough studies that say sugar leeches off all the nutrients and leaves your child's immune system weak and vulnerable to infections. Use your creativity and find fun and healthy ways to give your child her sugar fix. Introduce her to tasty sweet treats made with healthy fruits like dates, cranberries and raisins. Replace refined and processed sugars with natural sweeteners like honey in her food. She won t know the difference and you ll get brownie points for your homemade desserts!
Ensure your child gets enough sleep
Apart from good diet and exercise, what your child needs is good sleep! Sleep deprivation can leave your little one susceptible to diseases and worsen certain conditions. When your child is not well rested, she becomes more vulnerable to infections. Inculcate discipline and good bedtime habits. Insist that she goes to bed on time and wakes up on time. Make bedtime interesting with stories; she will look forward to the sleep time ritual. It is also very important to keep your child stress free. As we know, stress is the biggest enemy of the immune system. Talk to your child, and see if there are any stressors in her life like bullies or any worries that are keeping her up at night.
Reward her with screen time
Before you know it, your child could grow addicted to TV, computers, game consoles and mobile phones and let it cut into her sleep time, which can affect her immune system. But, if you make sure your child doesn't use these gadgets an hour before bedtime, then you can reward her with screen time as part of her day so she doesn t sneak it in without your permission. With younger kids, it is important to watch along and discuss things with them. If she sleeps on time and eats her veggies and plays outdoors, you will only be able to spend half an hour or so watching her favourite show and she will cherish this time spent with you.
Let your child enjoy playing in the grass, mud and sand
Keeping your child bundled up where no germs can reach her is not a good idea. Let your child run and play outdoors with friends she needs that exercise. Let her roll in mud and splash in puddles. Playing outdoors can help build the child's immunity and reduce stress. So let her run, jump and dance in the park!
With a little bit of creativity and care, you can make her childhood fun. Strengthening your child's immune system means she can not only stay on track with academics but also find time and energy to pursue a hobby or sport!
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