Any mom would know how hard it is when your child gets sick. Apart from the constant worrying, there are those sleepless nights, endless calls and texts to the pediatrician, and just this general feeling of uneasiness until your little one gets well.
I remember one time when my daughter suddenly came down with fever. I was so paranoid about dengue that I called our pediatrician right away and went in for a blood test. It came out negative, but waiting for the results was a very stressful experience to say the least.
One of the things I do to keep my kids from getting sick is giving them their daily dose of vitamin C. Our pediatrician also advised me to double the dosage in times of colds, flu, and other ailments. I’m a believer in the immunity-boosting properties of vitamin C. I even make sure to bring some whenever we travel. I can say it’s been quite effective because my kids don’t get sick that often even without flu shots. Prevention is always better than cure, as much as possible I’d like to minimize my kids’ medicine intake since too much meds takes a toll on one’s liver.
Aside from taking vitamin C, here are a few other things you can do to keep your children healthy:
- Make sure your kids get enough sleep. A well-rested child is a child that’s more resistant to sickness. On a side note, our pediatrician told us that growth hormones are released during sleep — so sleeping actually does make one grow.
- Make sure your kids eat properly. While I don’t deprive my children by prohibiting chips and sweets, I moderate the intake and always have a combination of vegetables, meat, and seafood on the table during main meals. They also bring sandwiches and water to school for recess instead of packed cookies and juices.
- Make sure your kids get enough physical activity. Admittedly, my children love playing video games above all else so it takes extra effort for us to get them to go out and play. We’d take them swimming or have them ride their bikes around the compound during late afternoons when the sun isn’t so harsh.
- Make sure the house and the surrounding area is clean. Undisposed garbage and puddles of water around the house encourage the breeding of disease-carrying pests like mosquitoes, roaches, and mice.
- Teach your kids about the importance of personal hygiene. Bathing everyday, frequent handwashing, regular tooth brushing… these may seem very basic but adapting healthy habits at an early age builds your child’s immunity foundation.
