Immunity in Toddlers: Essential Tips Every Parent Should Know

Worried about your child falling sick too often in school? Are you struggling to understand the reasons behind it? Let us take a closer look at understanding immunity in toddlers. 

As your young one begins his journey to preschool, they enter a world full of new experiences. They are learning, making friends and exploring what’s around them. Their developing immune systems safeguard their well-being amidst this whirlwind of growth and discovery. A lot of toddlers fall ill often when they go to preschool and that is the biggest concern of a modern-day parent.   

Immunity in toddlers is gradually building. When our little explorers get in touch with dirt while playing outdoors, they get exposed to a lot of germs. Every time the immune system encounters a new pathogen their protective immunity is fortifying itself. As a parent it is concerning, if their child is falling sick often. This is usually the point where they start thinking that they can protect them better if their young one is at home. While it is natural to safeguard them, as a parent, it is also necessary to understand the dynamics of the developing immune system of your young one and how we can contribute to boosting their immunity. 

Why does my child fall sick often when in preschool?

The first few months for a parent of a preschool going child are always challenging. Ask any parent and they will likely talk about their constant battle with cold, cough and flu. Young children  are exposed to a wide range of microbes when they start their preschool journey. This helps them develop protective immunity against various common illnesses. When at a preschool, children share food, space, and air. They get exposed to similar pathogens at one time or another while sharing. And that is the reason behind children catching illness easily. Additionally, toddlers have underdeveloped immunity, and it takes time for them to ward off infections.

But is there a brighter side to the illness contracted from preschool? Each time a child encounters a different kind of disease-causing agent, their immune system develops a memory of these infections. Thereby preventing their occurrence later. According to a study, children who started attending daycare at an early age were likely to develop lesser risk of infections in comparison to the children who started at an older age. 

What can I do?

As a parent, you must accept the harsh reality that you cannot shield your child from every illness they encounter, whether they attend preschool or stay at home. This being said, there are a few simple ways in which you could boost your child’s natural immunity and ward off common and seasonal illnesses and keep them healthy. 

• Make sure they eat healthy and stay hydrated:

A healthy diet is one way to boost your child’s immunity. A balanced plate consisting of a carbohydrate, a protein, a fiber and a probiotic source should provide the necessary macro and micro-nutrients necessary for a healthy immune system. A calcium source and healthy fats are equally important. 

Along with a nutritious diet, staying hydrated plays a key role in supporting the immune system. Since our blood is 90% water, it is very crucial for proper circulation of immunity cells throughout the body. As they spend a lot of their time in physical activity, young children tend to get dehydrated easily . Therefore, it is of utmost importance to keep them hydrated all the time. 

• Involve them in physical activity:

Physical activity plays a very crucial role in keeping your child healthy. Going for a walk or playing in the playground not only improves blood circulation but also helps in increased immunity. According to a study, spending time outdoors in nature exposes children to a wide range of microbes and friendly bacteria. This help in strengthening their immune system, making them more resilient to common illnesses. 

• Timely immunization:

While the immune system of your young one is still developing, vaccines help in aiding the disease fighting capacity. Childhood immunizations help to train the immune system to recognize and combat serious illnesses like meningitis, influenza and rotavirus. As a parent, timely vaccinating your young one is one of the major steps that you can take towards the health of your young one. 

• Encouraging simple precautions:

It is also of equal importance to practice and promote good hygiene practices to increase immunity in children. As a parent we need to instill a sense of practicing simple yet effective ways to dodge infections. Encourage your little ones to wash their hands, cover their mouth while coughing or sneezing, avoid touching eyes, mouth and nose with unwashed hands. Wearing masks in crowded spaces, using a hand sanitizer could help them stay healthy.

When will my child stop getting sick at the daycare?

For most of the children, falling sick frequently is indicative of their immune system getting exposed to new microbes one at a time. The most common forms of sickness encountered by them at the daycare are common cold, flu and stomach bugs. Immunity in toddlers is constantly evolving since birth. Right from the time of birthing to breastfeeding till they go to preschool their immune systems have undergone exposure to numerous microbes, for which the immune system has already developed counter-attack mechanisms. Their immune system is fully developed and along with timely vaccinations, it is ready to combat most of the illnesses typically, by the time they reach the age of 7.

In conclusion, while it is challenging to see your child suffering, it is also important for us to realize that preschool illnesses are a phase in their developing immunity. As parents we sometimes decide to unenroll our child from school solely due to illness. On the other hand, your child may missing out on essential learning experiences such as socialization, problem solving and opportunities for cognitive growth. Not only that, but it would also delay the growth of their disease fighting capacity. Instead, if we focus on instilling good hygiene practices in our children. Along with ample physical activity, rest and a balanced diet we can help them stay healthy and fit.