All those viruses that are crouched to assault our children in the winter and leave us all of the house touched and linking a cold with another for months have enemies. And his worst enemy is our own body and its natural defenses. Let's see how we can improve children's defenses.
Viruses are part of our environment and many times it is our general state, our diet, mood and logical protection measures those that can get that they cannot attack us and we overcome them to the first attack, or that, if they manage to make us sick, we finish them in the normal time that each disease takes.
It is not necessary to be filled with more or less effective and more or less natural remedies that are offered: supplements, jellies, placebo pills. What will best help our children is that your immune system is fit and that, within the possibilities, we avoid the circumstances that favor the disease.
In general there are some guidelines that improve defensesThere are others that prevent contagion, but there is one thing that must be repeated a lot because it is a harmful myth that seems to be believed by many people: getting bad every two times does not favor defenses, nor expose yourself to excessive cold either.
Avoid cooling
That is, the best way to give our defenses a chance to act is not to expose them unnecessarily to work because they will not work better, avoiding cooling, although we don't have to live in a bubble either.
It is necessary to warm up enough, without excesses, not to smoke in front of the children or in any room that they are going to use even if we ventilate, it is necessary to put on heating moderately and avoid the sudden changes of temperatures.
There are diseases that once passed can no longer usually recontagiate us, but others, and I refer especially to colds, flu, bronchitis and bronchiolitis, they are caused by viruses that mutate or are very different and those are not avoided by being exposed to early infections and repeatedly.
Breastfeeding as long as possible
The immune system of children matures slowly and there is a 100% natural, healthy, perfect, always available and sterile product that helps them improve their defenses and better resist contagion. This wonderful product is free and children can take it until they want, being perfectly normal to continue receiving it until five or six years. It is, as you suppose, breast milk.
Breast milk has the defenses that the mother has and these pass to the child, and can be considered a natural vaccine. Its properties, as "medicine" and as food, do not diminish over the years but adapt to the needs of the child and concentrate these properties.
The protective effect of breast milk is evident in regard to otitis, respiratory and gastrointestinal diseases and, in general, is related to lower rates of other diseases such as obesity, leukemia and diabetes. Breast milk is a health bet.
So the best advice to improve the child's defenses is to breastfeed exclusively during the first six months of life, up to at least two years and continue breastfeeding for as long as mother and child want, remembering that breast milk is in addition to food, protection as many years as our son takes it.
Delayed admission to baby care institutions
The nursery or nursery school These are resources that are essential for working parents and, given that need, if there are no other more personalized possibilities, little can be done.
There will be, if the child must enter them, compensate their damages with other strategies. Actually, children who go to kindergarten become more habitually statistically and that is precisely because there are too many children in a small space and keep the air, perfectly hygienic surfaces is unfeasible.
As much care and effort as conditions are put in, they are not optimal for children, if possible, they are better at home and with their parents or close family members. They will not have to be exposed to early rises, cold, less attention or even the emotional suffering that some cause early separation.
But, as I said, getting sick is not an advantage in any way and does not reinforce their defenses, rather weakens them during those early years. Children are sick, it is inevitable that they touch with dirty hands or full of mucus. Viruses have a party every day.
If you must go to daycare and get sick oftenWe must offer you a lot of care and pampering, and avoid, by all means, take it until you are fully recovered to avoid infecting others or relapsing. The rest of the common sense measures that we offer you can also improve your general condition and make them stronger against infections.
So the second advice would be to avoid as much as possible or delay entry to the nursery as much as possible, looking for other alternatives to child care.
Healthy and balanced nutrition
Our body needs many substances (proteins, hydrates, minerals, vitamins, fiber and fats) to function healthily and, of course, good nutrition It will help to resist contagion better.
Sufficient proteins, raw and cooked vegetables, fruit, preferably whole grains and legumes are the basis of a complete and balanced diet that will make children healthier.
The sweets, juices, milkshakes, buns and goodies and snaks are left over in the daily diet both for the excess of sugar or salt and for the fats of poor quality. So if we want to strengthen children's defenses Let's not buy those things, and remember that nothing is better than natural, no matter how "enriched" that comes from the factory.
Clean Air
Pollution-laden air is a factor that favors infections and respiratory problems. To improve our children's defenses we should give them the opportunity to breathe fresh air. We should try to live in places with little pollution or, at least, compensate them whenever possible by taking them to the mountains or to places with pure air.
It is also convenient ventilate the house daily and let the clean air in after night.
Hygiene
Excessive hygiene is harmful to the skin and may even predispose to allergies and other disorders, but wash your hands before and after eating and whenever we go to the bathroom and more frequently, if possible, it is a very important habit to prevent contagion and we should teach children with our example as soon as possible.
Again, with the example, it is not worth telling them to wash their hands, we must show it and also do it, because if we do not do it, we can be the ones to infect them.
Game, happiness, rest and exercise
Children need to develop through the game as free as possible and preserve this right is a real need for your emotional and even physical health, as it is the basis of your exercise.
But, of course, you also need to run outdoors, jump and allow your body to grow naturally harmonious, giving you all the exercise you need.
And besides, that is equally important, they need rest properly, it does not matter if it is not at a stretch, what matters is that it is all the hours that your body asks you, without early rises, without night cries, without feeling scared. Sleep, yes, but sleep in peace, accompanied if you need it and alone if you prefer. They should also have free rest periods when their body asks for it and can take a nap When they were sleepy after eating.
And finally, the best of the recipes for everyone's defenses, the happiness. Of course we cannot guarantee that unpleasant things do not happen in life, but if the one who sadness, fear or depression even undermines his energies and defenses.
My recipes to improve defenses They are simple: breastfeeding, games, outdoors, healthy living, basic hygiene, natural nutrition and happiness.
