Tips to boost your kid’s immunity and prepare for a covid school year

Recently, I did a poll on my Instastories where I asked many parents that follow me if they feel prepared for school to start. The results were interesting. I think we’re all in the same boat and feel very overwhelmed sending our kids to school or going back to teach in the classroom. Things are so uncertain this year and there is real fear over our children’s immunity. 

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Every cold and flu season that follows with the start of school can be tough to deal with. Without a doubt, colds and flus are rampant every year. To add Covid and this Corona Virus to that can be dangerous for some. It’s super important to practice good, healthy habits and keep your family’s immune system strong.

There are definitely a few things you can do to make sure you’re safe this upcoming school year. 

What you'll find in this post

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Stay at home if you are sick!

Wash your hands for 20 seconds with soap and water!

Cough and sneeze into your elbow!

Eat more natural foods!

Get that fresh air!

Boost your immune system! 

Here are some of the best ways we are building up the immune system of our kids. 

Get Your Child a Good Multivitamin

I mean, if your kid is the perfect eater and has vegetables with every meal, including breakfast then you can just skip on by this one. LOL, that was funny, right? Okay, let’s be real – our kids don’t always have the best eating habits and it’s important to supplement their diet with a good Multivitamin.

Essentially, your body makes less vitamins than it actually needs to thrive and your diet alone doesn’t fill the gap. A Multivitamin specifically helps with the immune system as it reduces recovery time and delays interactions with germs. 

Here is a great one for kids. And both, Sanj and I, use this as adults. Omg, we’re adults!

Probiotics

We’ve heard this over and over, for the longest time: GOOD HEALTH STARTS IN THE GUT. And you know what helps the gut? Probiotics. This is not to be mixed up with PREbiotics. I bet you didn’t even know there was a difference. Neither did I, neither did I.

Okay, so prebiotics are compounds that feed the friendly bacteria in your gut; it’s not something something humans can digest. The PRObiotics are live strains of bacteria that can be found in fermented foods. An easy way to remember the difference between prebiotics and probiotics comes from a trick from Hannah D Holscher: E is for the energy they provide and O is for the organism in the gut microbiome. 

Why are probiotics important to a healthy immune system? Well, think of it like this: your gut has both, bad and good bacteria. If it has more bad bacteria than good bacteria, then you’re in trouble. Boost your immunity with the right kind of bacteria. That can lead to a lot of other serious health problems down the line. If you feed the good bacteria with the probiotics, you’ll generally have a stronger gut and therefore, better immune system. It’s super important for kids to have probiotics along with the Multivitamin because it “enhances innate immunity.”

This is a great probiotic for kids and this one for adults. 

Vitamins D3 with K2

Bro, do not even bother buying a Vitamin D supplement that doesn’t have Vitamin K2. If you’re not a perv, then when you think of Vitamin D, you’re thinking about the Sun. Because, duh, that’s where a lot of your Vitamin D comes from. But do you ever stop and think about how Vitamin D actually helps your body heal and recover? Studies have shown a direct correlation between low Vitamin D levels and consistently getting sick. IDK about you, but I ain’t trying to go outside this winter just to catch some rays so I’m going to need to supplement.

Twist Tubes for Immunity

Can you believe that there are people that don’t like how water tastes? Okay, first of all, wth you drinking that it tastes like something? LET ME SAY THIS LOUD AND CLEAR: Water is not supposed to taste like anything. If it does, get you one of these. 

Okay, I digress. You need this Twist Tube for Immunity for your kids and even yourself, especially if you don’t like how water tastes. I give these to my kids and tell ’em it’s juice. YEA, I SAID IT. I ain’t even feel bad about it because it tastes that good.

There is this one that focuses specifically on immunity health and this one that focuses on antioxidants. What I love about this is that there’s no artificial colors, flavors, or preservatives. If you don’t already know the benefits of Vitamin C on your immune system, then you should probably consult with your pediatrician or physician.  

Gummy Vitamins with Zinc and Elderberry

For a long time, I had been on the hunt for some really good elderberry vitamins and I finally found some elderberry gummy vitamins. Bonus, it even has zinc! Elderberry is known to be packed with antioxidants and vitamins that help reduce inflammation and strengthen your ability to fight off germs and boost your immunity.

And zinc? Okay, wait, did you know that protein is the building block of life? That’s why they’re always telling pregnant women to eat protein-heavy diets. Okay, back to zinc. SO, your body NEEDS zinc to make proteins. Boom. Also, zinc is known to fight off germs because duh, germs suck. 

Hand Sanitizer with Vitamin B5

It’s the best to wash your hands with soap but it ain’t gonna happen when you’re in the carpool line for school pick up. SQUIRT SOME HAND SANITIZER IN THEIR HANDS THE MOMENT THEY GET IN YO VEHICLE. Girl, I am not touching you and you ain’t touching a damn thing until you sanitize your hands. I mean, thems the rules. But did you know that sanitizing your hands a lot can lead to dryness? And you know what helps beat dry skin? Vitamin B5. 

Air Purifier

Did you know, statistically speaking, indoor air is SOOOOO much more contaminated than outdoor air. ‘Cause it’s stagnant air. Duh, right? Just think of it like one of those grimy lakes versus the ocean. That’s how the inside of your house can be. Gross. That’s why it’s suuuuuuuuper key to have an air purifier throughout your house. You want to make sure you get one with a replaceable HEPA filter that has particle sensors so it monitors and manages the air. This one particularly covers over 450 feet, cleaning the air every minute. Like, damn, you could let the purifier do the hard work, or your LUNGS. Girl, just get the air purifier. Trust me on this one. 

Get Plenty of Rest and Good Sleep

I did a survey on whether or not your kids (and you) are getting good sleep and plenty of rest at night and almost 90% of y’all said “HAHAHHAHAH HAHHAHHA”. I am the QUEEN of knowing that it’s super hard to sleep early and then if you have young kids, they sometimes wake up in the middle of the night. Or if you have preteens and teens, they’re just not interested in going to bed on time. Actually, now that I think about it, neither do toddlers.

But getting plenty of rest and good REM sleep is super important because sleep is really the only time that your body is repairing itself, healing, and growing new cells. Let’s just put this out there to avoid confusion: getting good sleep is one of the best immunity boosters out there. Without sufficient sleep, your body makes fewer cytokines, which is a type of protein that helps fight off infections and inflammation. I KNOW, I KNOW, I KNOW it’s super hard to get good sleep, but it’s very important. Use this for yourself or this for kids if you need. Or, dang girl, just rub some essential oils up on your wrist or behind your ears. Or even some AMSR. Bob Ross, whattup. Miss you, bro.

Look, just get some good rest and make sure your kiddos do, too.

This upcoming school year is stressful for everyone: parents are scared, kids are nervous, teachers are stressed. It’s a lot of changes and so much so handle all at once. There can be mom guilt with whatever you decide, but ultimately, YOU know what’s best for your kids and family. And if that means going to school in person, then do what you can do protect them. 

If you’re local to the DFW area and would like to try any vitamins, please reach out to me. I’d be more than happy to send you a sample for your family.