I’ve had this article sitting in my drafts for a while, and figured now is the perfect time to finish it up. Obviously, these recommendations are useful for the whole year, but I think focusing on them right now during the COVID-19 pandemic is especially important.
Have you noticed that kids tend to be little mucous making machines? Runny noses seem to be just par for the course in childhood, and once they start school, they seem to jump from one illness to another the whole year round.
With the current lockdown many of us have been under for the last 6 months, you may have noticed that your kids are the healthiest they’ve ever been. But come the fall/winter season that’s right around the corner, you may find that your kids start getting those telltale sniffles, even in isolation!
There are a few simple reasons for this:
- Babies and little kids are still building their immune systems, and their bodies can’t always keep up with the loads of germs they are exposed to every day. Between putting everything in their mouths as babies, to sub-par personal hygiene as toddlers and kids, their bodies are being barraged by germs all day long. This is actually a good thing, as it helps their bodies build strong immunities, but often poor sleep or diet catch up with them, and their little systems just can’t keep up.
- Childhood is the Kapha type of life. In Ayurveda, Kapha dosha is characterized by growth, building, and mucous. Regardless of what your kiddo’s innate body type (or dosha) is, the first third of life is the time of Kapha, which means their little bodies naturally carry more fat, create more mucous, and grow, grow, grow. If we don’t feed them the right diet for their body types and the Kapha time of their lives, they will inherently be more prone to mucous, runny noses, and colds.
Thankfully, there is a lot we can do to support their systems, balance their Kapha, and strengthen their immune systems year round, and if they do get sick, there are plenty of healthy, natural cold remedies for babies and kids to get them healthy faster.
Below I’m sharing my favorite tools, both Western and Ayurvedic, for helping kids stay healthy.
