Shielding Little Warriors

Amber Belt, ND

If you have children, you know that they are little germ factories! I mean this is the most loving way, but since their immune systems are immature and developing, they seem to have the sniffles or a cough all winter. And, with more viral shedding, they tend to share their bugs with those of us who are around them. Lucky us!!

When my son was little (he’s 20 now!) and when my practice was heavily pediatric, I found that the basics of adult immune support held true for children and just needed a little tweaking. My goal was to foster a strong immune system that could either hold up and not manifest symptoms at all OR move through illness quickly when it did arise.

Here are some of the basics for kiddos that worked well for my son and other children:

• Hydration. Teach your kids to hydrate with water and electrolytes! Not juice and not soda, but water and electrolytes.
• Diet. Focus on getting rid of the sugar and processed foods. Also focus on quality protein sources!
• Sleep. Younger kids need more sleep than older kids or adults. As a parent or caregiver, you might have to set some strong boundaries with late-night events and really focus on not overscheduling kids during times when they need to be sleeping.
• Hygiene. Teaching children to wash their hands and how to cough and sneeze without spewing mucus everywhere are valuable skills. I don’t think kids need to live in a hypoallergenic bubble full of hand sanitizer and fear of germs (in fact, I think an environment that is too clean is detrimental to their health), but basic hygiene is a great tool!
• Vitamin C. This is a good general immune supplement to add for most kids and, for kids that I see, 500-1000mg per day is a good starting point.
• Vitamin D. It’s best to get levels tested before supplementing. If you aren’t wanting your child to do a blood draw, ask about a blood spot test for Vitamin D that just requires a finger prick. Also, keep in mind that the lab’s reference ranges for Vitamin D are absolutely terrible. I look for a minimum of 50ng/dL in my patients.
• Probiotics. Probiotics are such a great tool for immune health. After all, more than 70% of our immune health resides in our gut. And, yes, fermented foods are great but feeding a sugar-laden yogurt to a child for the probiotics sort of defeats the purpose. There are a lot of good options on Fullscript that you can look at for probiotic supplementation. I particularly like Klaire Labs and Seroyal/Genestra’s probiotic supplements.
• Honorable mention supplements. There are some good child-focused general immune support supplements on Fullscript, such as Kinder Well by Priority One and BioFizz Immune by Designs for Health.

If your kiddo does get sick, I created a new bundle in Fullscript to help you out. The Sick Kid Bundle should cover the needs of the garden-variety upper respiratory infection. It contains Immugen, a general (but tasty!) immune support; V Clear, a go-to support for the upper respiratory system; quality probiotics; an herbal formula, Kalmerite Glycerite, for body aches and grumpiness, and a delicious tea to soothe and hydrate. You get a 10% discount every day in my Fullscript store, so check it out to see if it’s a good fit for you.

I’ll also mention our child-focused first aid kit, The Kid’s Kit, is overflowing with natural immune support and includes support for GI bugs as well as cold/flu bugs. We developed The Kid’s Kit to focus on children and to support their first aid needs naturally. Check it out if you get a chance!

Disclaimer: This information is for educational purposes and is not medical advice. Dr. Belt is a doctor, but she is not YOUR doctor. Consult a trained naturopathic doctor/functional medicine doctor to ensure safety and suitability based on your health and history.