Your baby can pick up colds and cough easily because his or her immune system is not that hardy yet. As much as you would like to prevent your little one from catching the sniffles, it is still part of the developmental stage of their immune system. This doesn’t mean that you can’t do anything to make your baby’s immune system stronger because you can give it a little push with these few tips.
- Give their diet a boost. One way to help build up your infant’s immune system is to focus on what they eat. Breastfeeding your baby for 6 months and up can certainly help with the development of their immune system. Aside from milk, giving them fortified cereals with mashed fruits and vegetables can also give their immune system a boost because they contain vitamins and minerals that promote healthy growth.
- Let them sleep on sheepskin. Studies have shown that letting your baby sleep on animal fur like sheepskin can actually boost their immune system much as the same way as having a pet around the house when you have a baby. This is due to the microbes present in the fur that can actually help your children’s lungs and immune system to develop immunity against it so that it will become stronger and be able to combat common illnesses like colds and cough.
- Yogurt is good for them. Another way to boost your infant’s immune system is to give them plain yogurt. Yogurt contains good bacteria that can help with their gut health while enhancing their immune system. Add some fruits in it for additional healthy dose of vitamins and minerals.
- They need sunshine too. Sunlight contains vitamin D which your infant needs to promote better absorption of calcium while at the same time give their immune system the boost it needs for complete protection against various illnesses like colds and cough. If you can’t bring your little one outside, they need to be given supplements to ensure that they are still getting their dose of vitamin D every day.
- EFAs are necessary for their health. EFAs or essential fatty acids are needed to enhance one’s immune system as well as cardiovascular health. Infants and toddlers do need to have essential fatty acids in their system because this will give them the protection they need to fight off common health issues like flu, colds, cough, fever, and the like. Fish like salmon, mackerel, tuna, and sardines are good sources of EFAs but see to it that you have cooked the fish well and that you have removed all the bones in it before feeding it to your baby.
As a parent, it is your responsibility to ensure that your baby gets the nutrients it needs to grow up healthy and strong. Giving their immune system the boost it needs is a good way to protect your little one against different kinds of illnesses that they can acquire while they are still young.