Colds and flu are a fact of life for kids, but there are smart steps you can take to help reduce their number of sick days and the stress of suspecting whether it is covid-19 or common cold. Bellow are healthy habits you can adopt that will give your child’s immune system a boost.

Don’t pressure your pediatrician

Urging your pediatrician to write a prescription for an antibiotic whenever your child has a cold, flu, or sore throat is a bad idea. Antibiotics treat only illnesses caused by bacteria, but the majority of childhood illnesses are caused by viruses.

Banish secondhand smoke

If you or your spouse smokes, quit. Cigarette smoke contains more than 7,000 harmful chemicals, many of which can irritate or kill cells in the body. Kids are more susceptible than adults to the harmful effects of secondhand smoke because they breathe at a faster rate; a child’s natural detoxification system is also less developed.

Guard against germ spread

Fighting germs doesn’t technically boost immunity, but it’s a great way to reduce stress on your child’s immune system. Make sure your kids wash their hands often—and with soap. You should pay particular attention to their hygiene before and after each meal and after playing outside, handling pets, blowing their nose, using the bathroom, and arriving home from daycare.

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Exercise as a family

Research shows that exercise increases the number of natural killer cells in adults—and regular activity can benefit kids in the same way. To get your children into a lifelong fitness habit, be a good role model.

Breast-feed your baby

Breast milk contains turbo-charged immunity-enhancing antibodies and white blood cells. Nursing guards against ear infections, allergies, diarrhea, pneumonia, meningitis, urinary tract infections, and sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). Studies show that it may also enhance your baby’s brain power and help protect her against insulin-dependent diabetes, Crohn’s disease, colitis, and certain forms of cancer later in life.

Boost sleep time

Studies of adults show that sleep deprivation can make you more susceptible to illness by reducing natural killer cells, immune-system weapons that attack microbes and cancer cells. The same holds true for children. Children in daycare are particularly at risk for sleep deprivation because all the activity can make it difficult for them to nap. How much sleep do kids need? An infant may need up to 16 hours of crib time a day, toddlers require 11 to 14 hours, and preschoolers need 10 to 13 hours.

Serve more fruits and vegetables

Carrots, green beans, oranges, strawberries: They all contain carotenoids, which are immunity-boosting phytonutrients. Phytonutrients may increase the body’s production of infection-fighting white blood cells and interferon, an antibody that coats cell surfaces, blocking out viruses. Studies show that a diet rich in phytonutrients can also protect against such chronic diseases as cancer and heart disease in adulthood. Try to get your child to eat five servings of fruits and veggies a day. (A serving is about two tablespoons for toddlers, 1 cup for older kids.)

How do you try to boost your kid’s immunity?

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