When you become a parent, you want to give the world to your growing up child and you’ll find yourself with mountains of emotions that you never had before. Keeping your child happy, safe and healthy from any illness quickly becomes paramount. As they get older and become more socialised and interactive with the outside world, our children will eventually fall prey to cough, cold or other infectious diseases. Hence building and to boost immune system becomes the main key.
Immunity plays a huge role in keeping your child above 1 year old healthy, and when they have strong immune systems, they are able to explore the world even further and learn many wonderful life skills and experiences.
Why Strong Immune System Matters?
Credit: Stock
Immune system1 is the body’s defence against infection. It attacks the germs to keep us healthy. When your child has a good immune system, basically it means that they have a strong foundation against viruses and germs. They will feel more in control to explore the world and experience new things without the fear of getting ill. Therefore it is vital to boost immune system for children as much as possible.
Research had shown that the more mental stimulation2 a child gets around the age of four, the more developed the parts of their brains dedicated to language and cognition will be in decades to come. Hence, letting the children play and explore the world around them becomes an important part of their development.
Playing is a part of these experiences give your child the opportunity to explore, observe, experiment and solve problems that will be useful for their future. However, the only way from them to experience such life is by making sure that their immune system is strong enough to handle any hurdles.
Help Your Child Boost Immune System: Here Is How!
Adapting regular practice to help boost your child’s immune system is an excellent way to ensure their health. These small changes will be beneficial for them in the long run, so it’s time to take proactive steps in strengthening their immunities.
1# Offer them varieties of snack
Credit: iStock
A well-balanced diet has always been an important part of boosting a good immune system. In fact, this healthy diet helps your body to fight infection and repair injury to cells, plus protect their bodies against infection and illness.
If your children love their fruits and greens, you are definitely the luckiest mother in the world! But if they don’t, don’t punish them for it. Instead, offer them different kind of treats that they might enjoy. Yoghurt, for example, is rich in probiotic aka good bacteria. These good bacteria fight any diseases in your guts and help to reduce risk of colds, ear infections and sore throat.
2# Insist on regular sleeping habits
For children, they might find it hard to go to sleep because the world is endless with fun plays and activities. As difficult as it might come, parents must insist on regular sleeping habits as getting enough rest helps to heal the body from daily stress.
A study has found that the lack of sleep3 causes your immune system to weaken and eventually making you more likely to get sick. Sleeping also helps to boost your immune memory4 as the interaction of immune system components during sleep reinforces the immune system’s ability to remember and recognise dangerous antigens.
Long hours of sleeping alone won’t be as effective as it should, unless you turn it into a quality deep sleep. Make sure that your child’s room is pitch black to avoid any disturbance during their sleep, and put away all the gadgets or any bright light toys an hour before sleep so their mind will be more at ease and less stimulated.
3# Stress-free life
A body of research suggests that there is a link between immune system and stress5. When your child is stressed out, their body’s immune system’s ability to fight off antigens is reduced, making them more susceptible to illness and infection. It has also shown that stress causes the effectiveness of natural infection fighting cells. So parents, if you noticed any psychological changes in your child, get them treated immediately.
Listen to their problems without any judgement and instead of trying to justify their emotions and reasoning, let them know that their voice is heard loud and clear. You also need to learn how to help reduce their stress and anxiety6 as it is vital for them to have some down time here and then.
4# Working out as family
Credit: iStock
Boost your children’s immune system by working out together preferably outdoors. In fact, physical activity actually helps to flush bacteria out7 of lungs and airways simultaneously reduce the risk of you catching an illness. This is because exercise causes a change in your antibodies and white blood cells and these white blood cells help to fight disease.
So, instead of letting your child play alone, try new activities together that everyone can enjoy. Cycling, playing badminton or football, perhaps even doing yoga together will help to strengthen your relationship with your child. Moreover, exercise promotes endorphins to make you and your child feel better overall.
5# Teach them good hygiene practices
It gets pretty tricky at first since children tend to put their hands anywhere to go however, parents must teach them good hygiene. Make sure that your child washes their hands with after touching unknown surfaces or use hand sanitiser whenever possible.
Carry disposable wipes to clean surfaces before your children can reach to it also helps to reduce germs exposure. Whenever possible, teach them to avoid using the same utensils as others or wipe their utensils before using them.
Track Your Child’s Development Using Enfamama A+ Club Mobile App
Every child goes through different stages of development and growth. Hence, keeping track of their development and progress is a crucial step in making sure everything goes smoothly. Other than going to your doctor’s appointments for regular checkups, tracking your child’s development can help your doctor to understand them better.
As parents, your understanding of your child’s growth and development is the utmost importance to your doctor in case a problem arises. Which is why tracking their progress will come in handy. These days, there are easy ways to track their progress digitally such as using Enfamama A+ Club Mobile App.
With the app, you can track your child above 1-year-old sleeping habits, poop tracker, growth tracker and milestones. The apps also cater to your child’s development through features such as personalised guidance, educational articles and tips and videos for better understanding.
The apps also enable you to view all of their exclusive offers and deals. When you join Enfamama A+ Club, you will receive gifts and vouchers worth more than RM700 + 63% off* promo code to purchase Enfagrow A+ Step 3 and Step 4 600g pack from Shopee.
What are you waiting for? Learn more about Enfamama A+ Club Mobile App here and download it today.
*Terms & Conditions apply. While stock last.
Reference:
1 kidshealth.org/en/parents/immune.html
2 www.theguardian.com/science/2012/oct/14/childhood-stimulation-key-brain-development
3 journals.physiology.org/doi/full/10.1152/physrev.00010.2018
4 healthysleep.med.harvard.edu/healthy/matters/benefits-of-sleep/learning-memory
5 www.apa.org/research/action/immune
6 www.umms.org/coronavirus/what-to-know/managing-medical-conditions/healthy-habits/stress-management
7 medlineplus.gov/ency/article/007165.htm