5 Tips for Keeping Your Kids Healthy

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A few years ago, it seemed like my family was constantly sick.  If one kid didn't have a runny nose, then someone else was up all night puking. We'd have a few months of everything being okay and then bam another round of illness.  It got so I started researching what I could do to help improve my family's health. 

I found that by making a few small changes both in diet and habits has helped my family stay healthier over the past few years.  While we still can get colds and runny noses they generally are short-lived and I can honestly say not one of us has had a more serious case of the flu for over two years. 

#1. Probiotics - while researching how to prevent gastrointestinal bugs, I discovered that supporting the digestive system is extremely important. An easy way to do this is by supplementing with probiotics.  My kids like yogurt so I started making sure I kept a good probiotic yogurt stocked in the fridge all the time.  Bye bye tummy bugs!  

I, personally, don't like to eat yogurt so for me I need to take a supplement.  You can get good probiotics at any health food store - you just need to make sure that you're getting a good one by checking that it includes Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium, two of the most well-studied strains. I just recently started using Life 9 from Young Living.  It makes sense to me to buy from Young Living as it gets shipped right to my door saving me a trip to the store and with my wholesale account I'm saving $10.00 a bottle as well as earning reward points. 

• lead by example - make sure they see you washing your hands too

• demonstrate how they should be washing their hands - print off a hand wash chart and post on the mirror on the bathroom as a reminder

• be patient - it takes time to learn a new habit and you may have to remind them every time but eventually they will get it. 

• Make it fun - use a timer or have them sing the Happy Birthday song twice.  We bought Thieves Foaming Hand Soap and our kids enjoy making their hands all foamy. 

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Since my family has included probiotics into our daily lives, we have not had a major outbreak of gastrointestinal flu.  

2.  Hand Washing - we all know that hand washing is super important but it's hard getting the kids to cooperate. They tend to think we're being overly dramatic and it's a waste of time. Or is that just my kids?  

3.  Serve more fruits and vegetables.  I know winter can be a tough time to get a variety of fruits and vegetables in but carrots, green beans, oranges and strawberries all offer immune boosting phytonutrients like vitamin C and carotenoids.  Phytonutrients may increase the body's production of infection-fighting white blood cells and interferon, an antibody that coats cell surfaces, blocking out viruses.  (Source:  WebMD)

It's recommended that your children eat at least 5 servings of fruit and vegetables a day.  Picky eater? Try and add extras to smoothies - just don't let them see it.  One favourite smoothie in our house - is frozen pineapple chunks, almond milk and a handful of spinach.  We call it our "Popeye" drink.  I always have a few bags of frozen fruit on hand. 

4.  Boost Sleep time - we all need our rest.  There have been plenty of studies on how a lack of sleep can negatively affect our bodies and our minds.  Make sure you set a reasonable bedtime based on the age of your child.  Create a soothing bedtime routine and unplug from electronics at least half an hour before bed so that their brain has a chance to wind down before they get into bed.  In our home, we use lavender essential oil to help ready ourselves for sleep.  I keep mine in a roller bottle and apply it to their wrists before bed.  My children ask for it every night - they call it the "sleep stuff". I also get my Lavender oil from Young Living as their Seed to Seal guarantee is the best in the industry! 

5.  Toss Those Toothbrushes - toothbrushes can be a harbinger of germs. Technically, I think the dentists recommend we switch toothbrushes every three months but most of us tend to hang on until we get that freebie at our next check-up.  However, if there seems to be a bug going around I'll either toss the toothbrushes or give them a quick boil in hot water.  

These tips may seem small but it is often the little things that make the most difference.   Not to mention, small changes are the easiest to make.  

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