What’s worse than being sick? Probably your kids being sick! What if there are easy ways of boosting your child’s immunity and general well-being?
Being physically unwell can ruin anyone’s day. Energy levels plummet and it really can be a good-mood buster. Kids can get frustrated because it’s not always easy to verbalize what’s going on.
It can be tough for both child and parent.
To help parents and other primary caretakers, here are some tips from wellness practitioners.
Illness is a symptom of an underlying imbalance – take advantage of it to go deeper and help your child enjoy true well-being.
11 Tips from Holistic practitioners for Boosting Your Child’s Immunity, Confidence, and Well-Being
1 Go Natural
Treat children with natural medicine and herbs as the first defense as we need to build their immunity and not suppress with medication. Brew yarrow tea for fever and nettle tea to boost the immune system. However, children’s liver metabolism is slower and absorption is high so precaution is necessary for the safe use of herbs. It is also important to use good quality herbs. Remember – just because it is traditional medicine or natural doesn’t make it safe. It is best to seek professional advice and guidance.
Sebastian Liew of Sebastian Liew Centre
Medical Herbalist and Author of From Leaf to Life: Unlock the Secrets to True Health
2 “Let Food Be Your Medicine”
Optimal nutrition is paramount for kids – their bodies are going through amazing changes and need support from a diet packed with nutrients. It also goes a long way to stave off illnesses.
If you do have a picky eater, try fruit smoothies with a couple of dark green leafy veggies thrown in to boost the vitamin and mineral content. Where possible, use organic veggies to reduce the intake of chemical residues.
In addition, for general kid’s health, I recommend a good quality whole-food-based multi-vitamin containing Vitamin C and D, Fish oils/omega 3 and a probiotic for gut health to ensure assimilation of nutrients. This is especially important if they have had a course of antibiotics.
Andrea Rivers, Herbal Matters
Western Medical Herbalist and Naturopath
3 Strengthen the Immune System + Beyond
If your child is constantly sick with upper respiratory infections, has eczema or asthma, it’s a clear sign your child has a weak immune system. Don’t ignore it. Explore possibilities of food intolerance and supplement your child with the right supplements to strengthen the immune system. Treating with antibiotics may cure the symptoms but you need to treat the cause.
Karin Graubard – Reiter, Nutritious & Delicious
Medical Nutritionist, with special interest in Nutrition for Children
4 Get Outside
Get in the sun and in the dirt.
We produce the very important Vitamin D when we are exposed to sunlight. This vitamin is needed by every cell in the body and is essential to a whole host of functions, including bone, muscle, and hormone development.
So leave off chemical-laden sunscreens and let the kids play in the sun. Use natural sunscreens like Young Living Lavender essential oil for protection. These days there are many more non-toxic options available and use hats and shade to your advantage. The key is not to get sunburned. Build up sun exposure safely and use common sense.
And kick off those shoes and sandals.
Not only does exposure to natural bacteria help kids build up their immune system, health benefits from the connection with the earth are backed by research. Known as grounding or earthing, going barefoot in dirt and grass helps flood the body with electrons to balance the overabundance of positive charge that comes from being indoors and exposed to EMF sources like the computer and iPads.
Sandra Shih
Jin Shin Jyutsu and Access Bars Practitioner, HeartMath Trainer, and Writer and Editor of What Therapy
5 Don’t Skip a Stage
Balancing the different development stages of life (oral, anal, genital..) in a child is essential as when a phase is not fully integrated it can have repercussions later on at the physical and emotional levels. There are specific protocols in Nutripuncture to restore the information, even as an adult.
Valerie Marin
Nutripuncture Practitioner + Director of Nutripuncture Singapore
6 Start with Yourself, the Parent
Your children are your mirrors. Make sure they are clean and that they reflect the best of you.
Eugenia Gajardo
If your children are not behaving or being the kind of children you have dreamed of or would like to have, take a deep breath and ask – what kind of parent am I? Am I being the kind of parent who is creating by deed and example, the kind of children I want? If the answer is no, no worries – time to learn a different way and re-align.
Children, especially teenagers, don’t want or need to be fixed. They want and need empathy and to be stimulated to find their own answers and solutions.
Eugenia Gajardo, Know Thyself
Psychotherapist, Counsellor and Life Coach
7 Make it Safe
Children thrive best knowing the world is a safe place to grow up in.
They have a strong need for predictability in the care they receive. That means for parents to be consistent in their actions and have boundaries in place which have to be adapted to the age and development of the child.
Antoinette Biehlmeier, Inner Dynamics
NLP Coach, Jin Shin Jyutsu Practitioner, Sound Therapist, Bioresonance
8 Respect
Respect kids as you would like to be respected and don’t underestimate how well they already know themselves and their needs. Really listen to them without your “parents know best” hat on is critical.
Don’t assume you know what they need – every human being is unique!
And if you don’t shut them down, they will grow up with a very strong sense of self and avoid addictions and bad choices.
Elaine Grundy
Reiki Master and Owner of The Reiki Centre
9 Hydrate
There are so many things kids can do to keep well and happy, but there is one thing they can do above all else to help with their skin, attitude, mental awareness, and most importantly, their health.
What is this one amazing fix-it-all? It’s simply water.
Water has benefits far outweighing anything else they can do for themselves. It is an easy instant solution to so many things. It is natural, revitalizing, readily available, and soothing for the body. My advice is to reach for water every time for rehydration and any feeling of disharmony physically or mentally and literally see the benefits shine through.
Drinking water is all about getting into the habit of it. If your kids don’t like the taste of plain water, add lemon, strawberries, oranges, etc to give it a slightly fruity flavour. Get them used to drinking water when they are young so it is their first reach when thirsty. Avoid soda drinks at all costs.
Sheila Dickson
Jin Shin Jyutsu + EFT Practitioner, Jin Shin Jyutsu Self Help Teacher, Advanced Practitioner of Soul Property and Business Realignment and Writer
10 Have that Talk
Your child will begin asking questions about his body and the bodies of others when he is two or three years old. He or she will start to notice the differences between men and women, and will begin to verbalize that confusion and seek answers from you.
Here’s how you can educate and guide your own child:
• If your child is exploring his or her body and genitals in public or at inappropriate times, explain that while it feels good to touch the penis or the vulva, they are private parts and this touching should only occur in private.
• Teach your children that their private parts are their own and that no one else should touch them, other than parents and caregivers who are helping to wash. Also, let them know that other people’s private parts are off-limits too.
• Enforce the lessons of “good touch” and “bad touch” at this age. Good touching is wanted and feels okay; bad touching is when they don’t want to be touched. Teach your child to say, “Don’t touch me that way” if someone ever touches them in a way that they don’t want to be touched, and to inform you or a teacher.
Dr Martha Tara Lee
Sexologist, Sexuality Education, Speaker + Writer
Eros Coaching
11 Find their Type
Finding out their personality type or archetype through the Enneagram, for example, or looking at their astrological chart can shed some light on the vulnerabilities they chose to come into this life with.
Having this information is like having secret keys to help you navigate through parenthood and help support the amazing being that your child is.
Their personality type can allow you insight on how they tend to deal with other people, issues or new situations. Their astrological blueprint can highlight bodily weaknesses and other points of resistance.
Discovering another layer of their strengths and vulnerabilities can be a great tool in connecting with and supporting your child. Of course this is all a blueprint and not a box. It’s a jumping off platform for kids to grow up with a strong foundation in order to express all facets of who they are, which is the key to true wellness.
Healthcare is what we do everyday, and not what we do when we are sick and feeling under the weather. What habits do we have, even if it’s a few minutes a day or if it’s a way of thinking and relating, makes a big difference in our lives. The kind of household, whether it is active, positive, safe, and supporting, has a lifetime impact on the children and your relationship with your child.
There are many holistic ways to boosting your child’s immunity, as well as supporting them to grow into the person they are. We have shared here just eleven suggestions. When done consistently, not only will these tips enhance their physical, mental, and emotional healthy, your child will grow up with stronger boundaries, a better understanding of who they are, and a set of life-affirming tools as their journey unfolds.
