Footnotes 1-12: BOOST Their Immune System
[1] Breastfeed your child for 1st 6 months, at least.
a. How Breastfeeding Benefits Baby’s Immune System (Henry Ford Health, March 8, 2016)
b. 10 Incredible Facts About Mother’s Milk (Bridget Teyler, Oct. 18, 2021 - YouTube)
c. Babies should be breastfed exclusively for 6 months (The Healthy Baby Code - blog)
d. Immunology of Breast Milk (National Library of Medicine, Sept., 2016)
[2] Give them regular and adequate sleep times.
a. Children and Sleep (Sleep Foundation, March 11, 2022)
b. Only Half of U.S. Children Get Enough Sleep: Why That’s a Serious Problem (Healthline, October 24, 2019)
c. Why kids need good sleep (LifestyleFacts, May 24, 2017)
[3] Mix fresh fruit and vegetables in their diet.
a. 10 Fruits and Vegetables That Boost Your Immune System (BlackDoctor.org)
b. Eating the Rainbow to Boost Your Immunity (by Susan Samuel, Integrative Health Institute, Aug. 7, 2020)
c. Show younger children why eating their fruit and veg is good for them (Eat Happy Project, YouTube, April 27, 2016)
[4] Add gut-building probiotics like kefir & yogurt.
a. Do Probiotics Help Your Immune System? (Every Day Health, Nov. 12, 2021)
b. Can Probiotics Boost Your Immune System? (Well Wisdom)
c. Probiotic & Immunity Boosting Foods for Babies, Kids and Toddlers (Fusion Cooking, YouTube, March 29, 2021)
[5] Send them out into the sunshine and fresh air.
a. Five reasons sunshine is good for your children (Jacaranda FM, Sept. 14, 2021)
b. Sunshine may boost your immune system, researchers say (Nature, Dec. 20, 2016)
c. The Sun and Coronavirus - Help Keep Your Immune System Strong! (Fit Father Project, YouTube, May 8, 2020)
d. Why Is Breathing In Fresh Air Important For Your Immune System? (Alternative Health Concepts, March 1, 2021)
e. Why the Immune System Needs Some Fresh Air (Bright Futures Chiropractic, YouTube, Feb. 7, 2019)
[6] Let them run and play and enjoy life.
a. Mud Play for Kids: Why It’s Worth the Mess (Healthline, Dec. 20, 2020)
b. Does Exercise Boost Immunity? (Healthline, March 9, 2022)
c. How exercise benefits your body (MooMooMath and Science, YouTube, Oct. 3, 2016)
d. 8 Ways to Encourage Your Child to Be Physically Fit & Healthy (FirstCry Parenting, YouTube, Dec. 11, 2021)
e. Nature and Why It’s Essential For Kids’ Brains (eMentalHealth.ca)
f. Canadian 24-Hour Movement Guidelines for the Early Years (0-4 years) (Canadian Society for Exercise Physiology)
g. Canadian 24-Hour Movement Guidelines for the Children and Youth (5-17 years) (Canadian Society for Exercise Physiology)
[7] Shower them with love and praise.
a. The Health Benefits of Laughter (VeryWellMind, April 24, 2020)
b. Parent’s love: How it affects your child’s health… (TheAsianparent)
c. How to foster your child’s self-esteem (CaringforKids.ca)
Did you know...
[8] Birth canal babies have fewer auto immune issues than C-Section babies?
a. Vaginal Birth Benefits For Baby & Mother (TheTot.com)
b. Childhood immune system: the benefits of vaginal delivery (Biocodex Microbiota Institute, Oct. 6, 2021)
c. What You Do Not Know About a Child's Immune System and Its Disorders (Canadian Medical, Dec. 30, 2016
d. The Maternal Infant Microbiome: Considerations for Labor and Birth (National Library of Medicine, Nov-Dec, 2017)
[9] Vitamin C-rich foods strengthen your child’s immune system and prevent colds?
a. The Benefits of Vitamin C: Why Your Child Needs It (ClevlandClinic.org, Aug. 24, 2020)
b. Is Vitamin C Effective in the Fight Against Covid-19? (World Council For Health, Nov. 19, 2021)
c. Vitamin C and Immune Function (by Anitra Carr & Silvia Maggini, Nutrients, Nov.3, 2017; Note par. 2 in 6. Conclusions: "Vitamin C appears to be able to both prevent and treat respiratory and systemic infections by enhancing various immune cell functions.")
[10] Vitamin D from sunshine gives kids an extra layer of protection from viruses?
a. Vitamin D and the Immune System (Friendly Neighborhood Immunologist, YouTube, Nov. 27, 2021
b. Why Are Children So Vitamin D Deficient? (by Dr. Eric Berg, YouTube, Dec. 20, 2019)
c. 7 Effective Ways to Increase Your Vitamin D Levels (by Ansley Hill, RD, LD, Healthline, March17, 2019)
d. A high-throughput platform for the rapid screening of vitamin D status by direct infusion-MS/MS (by Erick Helmeczi et al, Journal of Lipid Research, May 1, 2022)
e. The vitamin D connection to pediatric infections and immune function (by Drs. V Walker and R. Modlin, National Library of Medicine, May, 2009)
f. Association between vitamin D supplementation and COVID-19 infection and mortality (Pub Med Central, Nov. 12, 2022)
[11] A happy child enjoys a much stronger immune system?
a. Healthy and happy diet for kids: Foods to build their immunity (The Times of India, June 17, 2022)
b. The Link Between Happiness and Your Immune System (MSN, by Mary Anderson and Jessica Migala, Dec. 9, 2020)
c. Happiness and Your Immune System (by Mark Holder, Ph.D., Psychology Today, June 9, 2017)
d. The immune system and happiness (by Dr. Yoram Barak, National Library of Medicine, March, 2006)
e. How Happiness Boosts the Immune System (by Jo Marchant, Nature Magazine, Nov. 27, 2013)
[12] Probiotics (the “good” bacteria) are one of the best natural immune boosters for kids?
a. Probiotic & Immunity Boosting Foods for Babies, Kids and Toddlers (Fusion Cooking, YouTube, March 29, 2021)
b. How to Boost your Immune System with Fermented Foods and Probiotics (Optimize with Science, YouTube, April 1, 2020)
c. Probiotics and immune health (by Drs. F Yan and D.B. Polk, National Library of Medicine, October, 2011)
d. 4 Powerful Probiotic Foods That Create A Strong Immune System (by Derek Henry, Healing the Body)
e. Do Probiotics Help Your Immune System? (by Lindsey Wahowiak, Everyday Health, Nov. 12, 2021)
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