What you must do this winter season for your child.
Help boost their immune system.
Winters are knocking and we better get prepared. While
its festival and holiday time both in India and United States, let's also give
some thought to living healthy and living natural this winter season and many
more to come. Let’s look at some small, everyday healthy practices which
can go a long way in making them stronger and their immune system better.
For age 3 and above
The immune system is everything. In layman’s terms- It’s our defense system to protect us
against all kinds of diseases. It detects and distinguishes between pathogens,
virus and parasitic worms (all that make us ill) and our own healthy tissues.
It goes without saying that a healthy functioning immune system can go a long
way in keeping ourselves and our children safe.
A newborn’s
immune system is not nearly as effective as an adult’s or even an older
child’s. Many a times we see babies and toddlers falling sick more often than
older kids and adults. That’s because their immune system isn’t fully
developed. It takes good eating habits and healthy lifestyle to give a boost to
our immune system.
Lemon/Lime water
early in the Morning-Lemon /Lime are
powerhouses of nutrition and flavor. Introduce this in your daily life. A glass
of water with half a lemon/lime squeezed first thing is the morning is a very
healthy habit for life. Give it to your children. Of the many benefits, it’s
the Vitamin C antioxidant,
which helps boost the immune system. Also, during 7-8 hours of
sleep, our body would have been without water. When we wake up, giving the body
a glass of water with lemon is a great way to kick start your day.
Crushed Garlic-Garlic has always been there in my family. My parents use to regularly
have it with water. It has various medicinal qualities. Its antifungal,
antiviral, antibacterial and antioxidant. Phewww J. Give a raw clove of garlic to everyone along with water. When it is crushed under
our teeth, it produces a compound allicin which is a very powerful antioxidant.
My little one has been having half a clove of a small garlic ever since he was
two. My husband and I share a big clove and drink it with water. One clove of
garlic in United States is equal to 10 cloves in India. I suggest keeping the
Indian garlic clove portion in mind while taking this.
Adding garlic to food enhances flavor, but what raw garlic does to the body, a cooked one wouldn’t. J
Probiotics-Buy supplements from the shop or the better option------for daily dose, have homemade yoghurt. If you are buying yoghurt, look for plain
yogurt with live and active cultures. This pretty much means the presence of
Lactobacillus bulgaricus and Streptococcus thermophilus, which help in
converting milk to yoghurt during the process of fermentation. Try to avoid
artificially flavored yoghurt.
Get sleep- a well-rested body helps the immune system to become
stronger. Children need more sleep than adults.
Two-year-old needs -12-14 hours of sleep with daytime naps.
3-5-year-old need-10-12 hours of sleep with or without
naps. Though a short nap is always a very good practice for the body to rest
and refuel.
5-8 years old need at least 9 hours of sleep. They can
escape their daytime
nap.
Fruits and Vegetables-Kale, Broccoli, Red Bell pepper, Green Bell pepper,
Cauliflower are all having a high content of vitamin C in them along with their
usual other benefits. Cooking them right is important as vitamin C in them is
sensitive to heat and storage over time. Kiwi,
pineapple and oranges are fruits high in Vitamin C. All kinds of berries are
rich in antioxidants. Go ahead and eat.
·
Tomato soup
·
Steamed cauliflower
with quinoa stir fry
·
Kale stuffed
pancakes
· Broccoli burger Barley soup
Avoid too much sugar- What happens is that food high in sugar content has shown to suppress the functioning of the immune system. Excess sugar, which children crave for and parents surrender to, is never a healthy habit. Make sugar treats more as rewards. Chocolates, ice creams, artificially flavored candies are a big NO.
Physical activity-Unless
it really cold or freezing (which can be very risky considering kids can get
frost bite or hypothermia), running around, playing and jumping is good for
children. Dress them up well in their woolens and let them get their dose of
exercise. Keep the temperature in mind. To me it gets uncomfortable playing
when it 15-16 C outside. Children can also try their hands at indoor basketball
or volleyball. Remember cold and flu are caused by virus and not by being
outside.
Fresh air and
Sunlight- Let fresh air and sunlight stream in every day in your house. (not possible, though
in places which have freezing winters). Sunlight is a natural disinfectant. You
may have seen the practice in India to put quilts and blankets out in the sun.
Though with pollution, I wonder how effective that method is now. Fresh
air is uplifting both for the mood and the body.
Wash hands regularly- Barney says it, Sid the Science kid says
it and so does everyone. Washing hands regularly help keep germs at bay.
Separate towels for each family member. Don’t spread the germs form one to
another. Maintain hygiene. Using the same towel for the entire family is no
sign of love. J
Coconut oil post
bath for children’s skin-because after a
hot water bath the body pores behave like a sponge. If possible, make coconut
oil a part of your daily regime. Just apply it after a bath and
hydrate your skin. Damp body absorbs the oil better. I know it can get greasy
but we are talking about few drops only. For children, this is one of the best
practice to keep their skin ‘childlike’. Adults can choose a moisturizer or a
cream. I normally pour the coconut oil in a wide container so that I can have
easy access to it.
Milk cream for dry skin around the mouth -This is an old Indian
way to keep your skin feeling soft and smooth. For children who are prone to
severe drying around mouth area, lip or hands and feet’s, take the cream out of milk, make a paste
and apply on the mouth area, rub gently in circular motion.
Clean the dry crumbs. Leave it for the night.
Turmeric milk is a great option for a good night sleep and recovery. Both are
antioxidants which helps in preventing or saving us from
damage to our body.
The wonderful concoction-Typically Indian but whenever your little one starts sneezing or having
a runny nose, try this- Lemon, ginger, cinnamon powder, honey and black pepper.
A tablespoon every 3-4 hours to take care of the symptoms. This helps suppress
the symptoms and while the virus may take its own course of 3-5 days, this helps
the body in fighting the virus.
Miscellaneous
·
Dust and clean the
blankets to get rid of allergens.
·
Wipe and clean the germ
abundance Surfaces-Door knobs, phones, kitchen counters and common surface
areas.
·
We also see kids
play a lot indoors with their friends. Children sneeze on toys and pretty much
on each other. When kids come to play after playing outside, hand them a sanitizer or
ask them to wash hands before they start playing.
·
Ask them to cough
or sneeze into the crook of their arms or reach for a tissue.
· Make it a practice to clean the toys or at least wipe
them with a Clorox wipe once every two or three days.
·
Take a flu shot …remember
you can still get a flu because of a different strain of virus.
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Disclaimer-The aim of this article is not to provide/suggest any medical advice, diagnosis or any kind or treatment. |
Image courtesy-Pixabay.
Nice... informative 👍
ReplyDeleteJemini- Thank you for dropping by. I practice these hence was easy to put it all down. My neighbor was very worried about her son considering the cold weather. She came to ask me what should be given etc. That's when I thought I could actually do a write up and put together certain tips-found easily in the kitchen and household in general.
DeleteJemini- Thank you for dropping by. I practice these hence was easy to put it all down. My neighbor was very worried about her son considering the cold weather. She came to ask me what should be given etc. That's when I thought I could actually do a write up and put together certain tips-found easily in the kitchen and household in general.
DeleteNANI MAA KE NUSKHE......VERY GOOD INFORMATION.....UR DRAWING SKILL IS AWESOME......IT ATTRACTS READERS MIND......
ReplyDeleteThank you Ranjan...for reading and dropping by.
ReplyDeleteThank you Ranjan...for reading and dropping by.
ReplyDeleteHi Namrata - Do you have the recipe for preparing the concoction ? I wanted to know the ratios of the ingredients,so that I can start preparing this for my daughter.
ReplyDeleteThanks
Hello ,
ReplyDeleteHow old is your daughter? If she is 2 + then you can safely give her 1 tsp honey, half a lemon juice, a pinch of cinnamon powder, a pinch of turmeric powder, a pinch of black pepper powder and of course 7-8 drops of fresh ginger juice. I have been giving it to my son once he turned 2. Honey you can anyways give after the baby has completed 1 year but this concoction I wasn't sure. I safely give him a tsp of this concoction every 3-4 hours and trust me,it helps. The home- remedy seems slow but very beneficial and no side effects.I do not prefer to give him when he is all fine.The moment I see that he has started sniffing or a little feverish or coughing...I start off. :).
Let me know if we need to talk more on this.
Thanks !! My daughter is 2.5yrs .I started this off because she started sneezing. I didn't put turmeric but will start putting it. Separately I am curious as to how you managed to give Garlic to your LO.
DeleteMe and my husband have it regularly. Observational learning helped. He just thought he also wanted it. I checked the medicinal properties of garlic and started giving him small bit with warm water.:)
DeleteLoved the home treatment that can be used for winter Namrata! I use many of these. I use ginger regularly for my children to get rid of cold. I add a little ginger juice with honey and give one spoonful to each child. I also use the golden milk regularly
ReplyDelete