Top Ways To Boost Your Baby’s Immune System

One of the top concerns for any new parent is the fact that their baby is exposed to germs, bacteria, and viruses on a daily basis,

The reality is that every single human being on the planet originally entered the world with an immune system that was inexperienced. As a result, we as children have to boost our immune system by battling viruses, germs, bacteria, and other organisms.

This is why common colds, infections, and flu in infants for the first year is completely normal. Their immune systems need to battle diseases and infections in order to develop properly. That being said, there are additional things that you can do as a parent in order to help ensure that your baby’s immune system gets an extra boost, which they will hopefully keep for the rest of their life.

Since we can all agree that ensuring your baby develops a strong immune system is important, you’ll want to read on.

Here are the top ways to boost your baby’s immune system:

Breast Feed

First and foremost, breast feed your baby as much as possible. There are many benefits to breast feeding, one of which is that breast milk contains antibodies and white blood cells that are both immunity enhancing.

These antibodies and cells can be used to help the baby’s immune system protect it against allergies, ear infections, meningitis, pneumonia, and urinary tract infections to name a few things.

According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, it is recommended that mothers breastfeed their children for at least one year. If this isn’t possible, then the first three months at least will be better than nothing, but a minimum of six months would be more preferable.

Increase Sleeping Time

Making sure that your baby gets plenty of sleep and rest should be one of your top priorities as a parent. In adults, sleep deprivation makes us very vulnerable to illnesses and diseases, because it reduces the natural killer cells that can attack invaders.

This holds even more truth for infants and young children. As a general rule of thumb, you will want to ensure that your newborn is getting a minimum of eighteen hours of crib time each day for sleep and rest. For toddlers, it should be about twelve hours of rest, and for preschool-aged children it should be about ten hours.

Ideally you’ll give your baby plenty of daytime naps, but in the event that you have an infant who does not like to take naps, the next best alternative would be to put them to bed earlier.

Don’t Allow Smoking In The House

This is a big one. Secondhand smoke, such as the kind of cigarettes, contains thousands of different kinds of toxins that can either kill or irritate bodily cells. Children will be even more vulnerable to this smoke than adults because their detoxification and immune systems are less developed. As a result, consistent exposure to secondhand smoke can greatly increase a baby’s risk of developing asthma, bronchitis, or ear infections.

Make it a rule that there is to be no secondhand smoke in the house at all. If you or your spouse or partner smokes, you will need to quit if you want your baby’s immune system to develop properly.

Steer Clear of Antibiotics

Finally, you will want to steer clear of antibiotics. This is because antibiotics will be great for healing infections, but when overused, they can cause damage. This is true for adults, and it’s even riskier for young children and infants.

For this reason, use probiotics instead of antibiotics. The right probiotics in particular, as recommended by your pediatrician, can help to boost gut bacteria that can increase the efficiency of your infant’s immune system. Also make sure that you only use probiotics that are intended specifically for babies and small children.

Boosting Your Baby’s Immune System

While steps may sound extremely simple, they can also go a long way to ensuring that your baby develops and maintains a strong immune system for the rest of their life. Remember, your baby’s immune system is inexperienced, and he or she is going to be rather vulnerable to diseases and infections for at least the first year. That’s why actually taking action to boost their immune system needs to be a top priority for you as a parent.