With Covid19 now playing a major part in our health consciousness, it’s more important than ever to help your kids avoid the sniffles with these 10 tips for boosting their immune systems.
Every winter you schlep your kids to and from the pediatrician with more colds, ear infections, and cases of strep throat than you’d care to remember. But there are simple diet and lifestyle changes you can make to prevent this from happening.
Here are 10 ways to quickly boost immunity:
1 Get enough sleep
“If you’re sleep deprived, you have lower levels of infection-fighting cells in your system, which leaves you more susceptible to illness,” explains Stuart Ditchek M.D., clinical assistant professor of pediatrics at NYU Medical Center and author of Healthy Child, Whole Child. Depending on your child’s age, they should be getting anywhere from 10 to 14 hours of sleep per night.
2 Drink plenty of fluids, especially water
“Across the board, most kids don’t drink enough liquids, which ups their risk of getting sick. The mucus membranes that line your nasal passages are the first line of defense when you’re exposed to respiratory infections, and if your child is dehydrated, those will be as well,” explains Ditchek. Kids should get 1.5 ounces of liquid per pound each day (so a 30-pound toddler would need 45 ounces per day)—preferably in the form of healthy, low-calorie options like water or milk.
3 Use alcohol-based hand sanitizers
If soap and water isn’t an option, using alcohol-based hand sanitizer not only makes it convenient to keep hands clean and germ-free, but sanitizers don’t dry out hands like frequent lathering with soap and water, according to Mark Moyad M.D., M.P.H. (director of Preventative and Alternative Medicine at the University of Michigan Medical Center). Look for brands that have at least 62 percent alcohol.
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