How Do We Strengthen Children’s Immune Systems?
Your child is now able to explore on his own. Leaving the house and sharing in social media will increase. He has already started or will start going to playgroups, maybe kindergarten, nursery. While increased sociability, a new environment and friendships can have great results in terms of development, it can also pose significant risks for a child whose immune system is not strong enough. Therefore, one of the first important steps towards being healthy is to strengthen your child’s immune system. So let’s start:
Children get sick more often than adults because their immune system works less than that of adults until about 5 years old. The immune system is adversely affected by malnutrition, insomnia, extreme fatigue and stress. For this reason, it is important to ensure your child’s quality nutrition and to pay attention to sleep hours.
One of the important recommendations to strengthen the immune system is to try to breastfeed for at least 12 months, or even 18-24 months, if possible, for the first six months alone. The second thing to do is to get the vaccines that have proven their effectiveness in protecting children from diseases on time. (You can find information about the vaccination calendar in our Kidokit application).
Attention should be paid to the regular and balanced nutrition of children. Protein, fat and carbohydrate content should be balanced and rich in vitamins and minerals should be provided. While choosing fruits and vegetables, seasonal choices should be made. It should be ensured that they consume plenty of fluids and their consumption of milk and yogurt should be supported.
Sufficient and regular sleep should be ensured; Self-care habits such as brushing teeth, bathing, especially hand washing should be established.
It should be kept in mind that excessive hygiene will prevent the children’s immune system from encountering microbes and thus hinder the development of the immune system.
Indoor places should not be entered unless it is necessary, and efforts should be made to spend time in the open air. Cigarette smoke should be avoided and care should be taken not to be in the same environment with sick people. Clothing choices should be made in accordance with the air temperature and non-synthetic, non-sweating cotton clothing should be preferred.
Physical activities should be introduced into children’s lives as early as possible and regular sports should be ensured.
The use of preparations that are claimed to be “immune system booster / support” on the market without consulting your doctor may do more harm than good. It should be kept in mind that allergies are also a function of the immune system and that these drugs can trigger allergies and stimulate autoimmune diseases in which the body produces destructive antibodies against its own tissues. Therefore, your priority should be to eat natural and healthy food. However, if necessary, supportive products should be used in parallel with your doctor’s recommendations and observation.