Disclaimer: This article is not meant as medical advice. If you are concerned about your child’s health then please seek appropriate medical care, consult your family doctor or Paediatrician.
For most of us parents keeping our children healthy is a priority. None of the great things in their lives can be fully achieved without good health. Lots of articles I’ve read about ways to boost immunity focus on good diet, sleep, supplements, healthy hygiene habits and so on, which are all super important, but I think keeping our children healthy is bigger than what we feed them and how much sleep they get or how well they wash their hands. I think that maintaining good immunity in children also needs to include how we educate ourselves about health and illnesses and the connection and attachment we have with our children. It is often a long and challenging process, particularly if there are underlying medical conditions, and takes time and a holistic and consistent approach day in day out…here’s my 8 top tips that help our family. As always when you read something on the internet, take what’s useful to you and leave the rest.
1. Be curious about your child’s health
You are the expert on your child. Trust your instinct and if you feel that something isn’t right seek support. Being curious about our children’s health is important because as a parent you are usually with your child the most and most likely to spot signs and symptoms or when something just isn’t right. Health professionals are great at treating acute illness and mending injuries but often health professionals rely on parents to give information about their child’s health – they need all those puzzle pieces to be able to offer the best care. As parents if we stay curious about our children’s health, look into the ‘why’ behind symptoms and keep track of health status day to day, we are more likely to have more of the puzzle pieces to be able to fit together to build a holistic picture of our child’s health and wellbeing.
2. Commit to being open to learning new things – be open minded
When I trained as a nurse as well as looking at health through a medical lens, I also learnt to look at the health of a child holistically – looking at their whole self, their physical and emotional health as well as the environmental and social factors that were/could affect health. As I have journeyed further into nursing and into parenting I have realised that one of the best ways I can help my children’s health is to stay open-minded and be open to learning and trying new things. There are so many ways to 'treat’ health and every culture/country has slightly different ways of doing things. There are new advances and technologies happening in health all the time. Do your research, ask questions and don’t be afraid to look for different options alongside the mainstream medical norm. Finding what works for your family is important and probably won’t look the same as the next family – for our family we combine very medical model ideals – vaccination and medical treatments if prescribed but also use holistic therapies – chiropractic care, osteopathy, massage and mindfulness as well as serving up elderberry syrup and probiotics on a daily basis – because they work for us. Being an informed and open-minded parent is a powerful thing.
3. Prioritise connection and attachment
There’s lots of research to suggest that psychological stress can impact negatively on our immune system. Having a strong attachment with your child can positively impact their emotional wellbeing, levels of resilience and lower their general stress levels. Attachment is defined as a “lasting psychological connectedness between human beings” (Bowlby, 1969, P. 194), this attachment is especially crucial in the first five years of a child’s life. When children are generally happy, with lower levels of anxiety then that may in turn boost the ability of their immune system to fight off illness. Also when babies and children do get sick having that strong connection with their primary care giver is also really important to aid recovery. Skin to skin contact with babies and young children can help regulate their body temperature, regulate heart and breathing rates and lower their stress and anxiety levels - cuddles on the sofa really are good medicine sometimes.
4. Good diet and a healthy gut is important
Diet and gut health is one of the key essentials to building immunity. We truly are what we eat and our immune systems are largely built with the nutrients that we put into our bodies. Our gut health starts in our mouth so maintaining good oral hygiene and a regular tooth brushing routine is important to keep children’s mouths healthy and limit the number of potential germs/viruses/bacteria getting into your child’s system.
A healthy, balanced and nutritious diet for children should consist of lots of vegetables, fruits, complex carbohydrates, good fats and protein. Sugar and salt should be kept to a minimum. Try to avoid lots of processed convenience foods and highly sugary foods such as bought cakes, sweets, crisps, sugary breakfast cereals, refined sugar and sugary fizzy drinks. Eat quality protein sources – eggs, organic or grass-fed meat, organic or free-range poultry, white and oily fish, legumes/beans.
Carbohydrates such as oats, brown rice, black rice, red rice, whole grain pasta, legume pasta, sweet potato, butternut squash, lentils, chickpeas, peas, quinoa, buckwheat, millet are all great sources of energy. Enjoy healthy fats – organic butter, nuts, seeds, olives, chia seeds, flax seeds, hemp seeds, extra virgin olive oil, coconut oil. And boost gut flora with yoghurt, kefir, sauerkraut, apple cider vinegar or miso.
Sometimes a good diet and improved lifestyle is not quite enough to support a very depleted immune system, and extra support from supplements can be considered. It is recommended to discuss with a medical professional or qualified nutritional therapist/naturopath before taking supplements. Some vitamins that can be really helpful to the body during/after illness are:
Vitamin C, vitamin A, Zinc, Omega 3, Vitamin D, magnesium, iron and vitamin B. A good probiotic may also help to boost healthy gut flora and allow the gut to work more effectively and absorb more of the nutrients that it needs.
Additional things that can be helpful to add into children’s diets to boost immunity are –
Pineapple Juice: can help with sore throats, is anti inflammatory and has vitamin C in which helps boost the immune system.
Honey : Honey has antimicrobial properties which have significant potential therapeutic benefits. The honey can be eaten raw off a spoon, as a natural sweetening ingredient in cooking or diluted in warm water or with fresh lemon juice. Honey is also the only recommended remedy for cough by the NHS for children aged 12 months to 12 years. Honey should not be given to babies under 12 months.
Ginger: Ginger is one of nature’s wonderful “super foods”. Full of nutrients, antioxidants and vitamins it is great at boosting immunity, reducing pain, and is also anti-fungal and anti-inflammatory.
Garlic: Add garlic to your cooking to benefit from its vast number of immune-boosting properties which help ward off coughs, colds and flu.
Kefir: Kefir is a bubbly, slightly sour yoghurt-type product you can buy or make. It is a great source of beneficial probiotic healthy bacteria’s, healthy yeast strains, protein, amino acids and a wide range of vitamins, including high levels of vitamin B12, calcium and magnesium. It is a fantastic source of nutrients to supercharge the immune system, maintain strong bones and optimal gut health.
Elderberry Syrup: Packed full of antioxidants, flavonoids and vitamins, elderberry has been flagged by several research papers as an extremely effective anti-viral berry.
Staying hydrated is also key to help children’s bodies effectively recover from illness and to stay well. Children should aim to drink 1-1.5litres of water a day. When children are ill adding lemon or honey to the water can help sore throats. Other drinks that benefit children’s immune systems are turmeric tea/turmeric and cacao in warm milk, warm lemon and honey tea, ginger tea. Coconut water is also good as it contains naturally supportive electrolytes. Bone broth soups are also rich in immune boosting minerals as well as aiding hydration. Minimise caffeine (in tea/coffee/chocolate/cola) as caffeine is dehydrating and pro-inflammatory to our children’s bodies.
5. Get out in nature
Getting out in nature and in contact with your natural surroundings can positively help to diversify your child’s microbiome and increase the number of friendly bacteria in your child’s gut. Fresh air is good for us. Emotions always feel smaller and more manageable in an outside, open space – thus lowering stress and anxiety and bringing calm to our children’s minds and bodies. It’s good to go out in all weathers too (with the right clothing of course!). Contrary to popular belief going out in the cold and wet wont automatically make you sick or give you a cold or fever. Cold and flu are spread by viruses and the reason that many people fall sick during winter or cold/wet months of the year is that often people spend more time indoors in close contact with others - where passing on of germs is much more likely. The influenza virus does however stay airborne longer when the air is cold and less humid. Going out in extreme cold may risk hypothermia if not properly prepared but it’s very unlikely to negatively affect your immune system. So prepare for the weather, hot or cold and go have fun outside!
6. Get active
Movement is great for children, all children need to spend several hours a day moving – playing, exercising and enhancing their proprioceptive and vestibular skills. Movement and exercise, preferable outside, is an important part of a child’s general health and can have positive impact on physical as well as emotional health and their immunity too. As children move and exercise their bodies their muscles strengthen and the ability of their muscles to repair and grow also increases. It’s important though to make sure that activity is balanced with chances to rest too. Over exercising can put too much stress on a child’s body and can be dangerous. Being ‘active’ doesn’t need to mean that every free moment is taken up with a schedule of sporting activities, simply allowing children time to play outside is all that is needed.
7. Balance out the nervous system
In recent years there has been some interesting research that the central nervous system is in part responsible for controlling the body’s immune response. Therefore, if we can help to balance our children’s nervous systems this will help to boost their immune system. Spending time barefoot, moving their bodies freely, playing outside, practicing mindfulness, meditation and breathing practices are all positive ways that children can help balance their nervous systems. One practice that is helpful to our family is regular chiropractic adjustments for everyone – from the baby to the grown ups. We also found osteopathy really helpful when our children were babies. We have a wobble board and climbing triangle in our living area and play space for the children to use whenever they need to move.
8. Maximise quality rest and sleep
It is in sleep that our bodies repair, process and grow. Good quality sleep is essential for children to be healthy. Tiredness can make the immune system vulnerable to attack and not work effectively. How you achieve quality sleep for your children totally a personal decision that’s right for your family. We go with the ‘how do we achieve the maximum amount of sleep for all’ approach, sometimes that’s everyone in their own beds and sometimes it’s not. One thing we’ve always aimed for with sleep is that everyone feels safe and calm whenever and wherever they are sleeping and for us this means fostering connection over crying and correction every time. The body cannot truly rest and repair if it is subconsciously anxious or overwhelmed emotionally. Allowing time for a child to ‘offload’ what’s on their minds before bedtime can help with a more restful sleep. Getting the basics right begore bedtime is also helpful – well hydrated but empty bladder (been to the toilet) and a full tummy (not hungry). Keeping a fairly consistent bedtime routine is recommended. The research recommends that primary aged children should get around 9-12 hours of sleep a night and teenagers still need around 8-10. Quality sleep appears to have a cumulative effect too – lots of good nights sleep in a row definitely have a positive impact on general health and will boost the bodies ability to mount a strong immune defense.
Recovery can take time…
When a child has been unwell with a nasty viral or bacterial infection their immune system can take 4-6 weeks to fully recover and be back to full strength, so when lots of germs and viruses are circulating in the population often children are prone to a secondary infection while they are recovering from the initial infection. Sometimes this is because they are fighting more than one infection or the original infection is still lingering. In the post-infection period after illness the body is busy repairing itself so it may not have the resources it needs to fight a newly introduced infection.
The immune system also uses its nutrient reserves to fight illness and if these are low in the first place the immune system won’t be working at full strength.
During growth spurts children also need a lot more nutrients to keep up with the body’s demand and will also draw on the nutrient reserve during this time, therefore for these children it is really important to offer a diet rich in immune boosting foods and drinks.
In summary, building a strong immune system in your child takes time and effort but the time and effort is always worth it. Eat, sleep, move, and be well. Don’t be afraid to ask questions, research and become the experts in your child’s health.
Always seek medical support and advice if you think your child is unwell or you are concerned in any way about their health.
Stay Well and Wild,
Kirsty
References:
Bowlby J. (1969) Attachment. Attachment and loss: Vol. 1. Loss. New York: Basic Books.
David C.Nieman, Laurel M.Wentz (2019) The compelling link between physical activity and the body's defense system. Journal of Sport and Health Science. Volume 8, Issue 3, Pages 201-217.
Diana Kwon (2022) Guardians of the brain: how a special immune system protects our grey matter: The nervous and immune systems are tightly intertwined. Deciphering their chatter might help address many brain disorders and diseases [online] https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-022-01502-8
Lucinda Miller, Nature Doc blog [online] https://www.naturedoc.co.uk/the-healthy-blog/
Matheus Pelinski da Silveira, Kimberly Kamila da Silva Fagundes,Matheus Ribeiro Bizuti, Édina Starck, Renata Calciolari Rossi, and Débora Tavares de Resende e Silva (2020) Physical exercise as a tool to help the immune system against COVID-19: an integrative review of the current literature. Clin Exp Med 1(1): 15–28.
Robert Dantzer (2017) Neuroimmune Interactions: From the Brain to the Immune System and Vice Versa Physiol Rev. 98(1): 477–504
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