Although schools have been practicing new normal health and safety measures – including physical distancing, regular handwashing, the wearing of face masks or even physical barriers between classroom tables – parents are still finding that their children are coming home with an illness.
Vitamins and dietary supplements can help boost a child’s immunity (children who already eat fruit regularly may not require supplements). If parents are unsure of their child’s dietary needs, they should seek advice from a pediatrician or childhood nutritionist.
Illness or disease (whether in children or adults) is entirely natural as it is impossible to prevent all germs from entering the body. Nevertheless, it is vital that you as parents do all you can to help strengthen your child’s immune system. This means ensuring they eat a healthy, balanced diet consisting of the 5 main food groups in moderation; reminding them to exercise outdoors to make sure they receive vitamin D contained in sunlight; monitoring to check if they are sleeping properly; and generally taking good care of their personal hygiene.
Moreover, during these difficult and unprecedented times, it is important that you remind your child to wear a face mask whenever they leave the home, wash their hands regularly with soap or alcohol-based gels - at the very least before and after meals, and avoid crowded areas. These simple steps could help keep your child fit, healthy and free from disease.
