Boosting Immunity in Kids: 3 Tips for a Healthy Winter

Written by Jessica Holbrook, MSN, RN, CCRN

Published on August 30, 2024

• Ensuring that kids get proper nutrition throughout the winter can help keep them healthy.
• Include fruits, vegetables, lean proteins, and whole grains in your child’s diet.
• Eating in-season produce helps your child get fruits and vegetables on a budget.
• Keep your child on a good nighttime schedule, and follow the American Academy of Pediatrics guidelines on how much sleep your child needs. 
• Be creative with indoor activities to help your child get enough exercise in the winter. 

When you think of winter, you may imagine snuggling up near a fireplace, celebrating special holidays, and spending time with the people you love. On the flip side, the colder months also indicate the peak of cold and flu season, runny noses, fevers, and sick days taken from school and work.

Besides regular check-ups, parents can help their children stay healthy by building and maintaining healthy habits. Ensuring good nutrition, getting enough sleep, and exercising are all great strategies for boosting immunity in kids. 

1: Prioritize Balanced Nutrition

One of the most important things you can do to keep your children healthy is prioritizing good nutrition. This can be especially difficult during the winter months, when holiday parties and treats seem to be around everywhere you go. 

While you don’t need to restrict every holiday treat, it’s important to help your children maintain a balanced diet. Children need a good balance of lean proteins, healthy fats, whole grains, and fresh produce throughout the winter.

According to the Cleveland Clinic¹1. 11 Foods That Boost Your Immune System. Cleveland Clinic. 2022. https://health.clevelandclinic.org/food-to-boost-your-immune-system, there are some foods that are especially good for immunity. Some high-protein foods are especially good for the immune system, such as: 

• Fatty fish
• Yogurt
• Almonds
• Sunflower Seeds

Finding high-protein snacks for kids can be a challenge. Many high-protein foods require cooking or refrigeration, and it can be difficult to send those types of foods to school. Ensuring that your child eats a high-protein meal for breakfast can help. 

Instead of sugary snacks, try offering your children fresh fruits or vegetables. The best fruits for small children and babies include a variety of colors and textures, and many of them have immune-boosting vitamins and minerals. Citrus foods are especially good for fighting off winter illnesses. 

Some of the best immune-boosting fruits and vegetables include: 

• Berries
• Oranges
• Broccoli
• Bell Peppers

Consuming healthy fats and whole grains is also essential to maintaining a healthy body and well-functioning immune system. Whole grains include whole wheat bread, long-grain rice, and quinoa. Sources of healthy fats include olive oil and avocado. 

2: Ensure Sufficient Sleep

Experts at the Sleep Foundation²2. Suni, E., & Truong, K.. How Sleep Affects Immunity. Sleep Foundation. 2023. https://www.sleepfoundation.org/physical-health/how-sleep-affects-immunity explain that sleep and immunity have a bi-directional relationship. They each have a strong impact on one another. For example, a stuffy nose from a cold can make it difficult for your child to sleep, and insufficient sleep can decrease the body’s ability to fight infection. 

Adequate sleep ensures that the body has a healthy inflammatory response, that white blood cells can find and fight infections, and that damaged tissues can heal. 

Children of different ages need varying amounts of sleep. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends the following sleep schedules for children: 

• Ages 4–12 months: 12–16 hours daily
• Ages 1–2 years: 11–14 hours daily
• Ages 3–5 years: 10–13 hours daily
• Age 6–12 years: 9–12 hours daily
• Age 13–18 years: 8–10 hours daily

When children are fighting an illness, they may need a few hours of extra sleep to speed up their recovery. 

In order for children to get enough sleep, parents need to establish good bedtime routines and sleep environments. Good sleep habits should be established in young toddlers and maintained throughout adulthood. 

Good sleep habits to establish include: 

1. Consistent Bedtimes

Children should go to bed and wake up at roughly the same time each day. Bedtimes and wake times can be adjusted on the weekends, but not by more than one hour. 

2. No Screens in Bedrooms

Avoid televisions, computer screens, and tablets at least 60 minutes before bedtime. Ideally, screens should be kept out of bedrooms. 

3. Bedtime Routine

A bedtime routine does not have to be long, but children should follow the same 3–5 steps each night before bed. This might include brushing teeth, reading a story, and singing a song each night. 

3: Encourage Regular Physical Activity

Physical activity is essential for the physical and mental health of your child.

UV Medicine³3. Hoonan, R.. Can Exercise Boost Your Immune System?. Right as Rain by UW Medicine. 2021. https://rightasrain.uwmedicine.org/body/exercise/exercise-immune-system explains that exercise helps boost disease-fighting chemicals in your body called cytokines and chemokines. These chemicals help your body respond faster and more effectively to an infection. 

Unfortunately, many people have difficulties finding ways to keep their children active through the colder winter months. 

Finding indoor play spaces is a good option for parents of young children. Trampoline parks or restaurants with indoor playspaces are fun for most children—just make sure they wash their hands well before and after playing. 

Other great wintertime activities include: 

• Sledding
• Snow-shoeing
• Ice-skating
• Building snowmen or snow castles 
• Walking

Remember, exercise for kids should be fun. Children do not need long or intense workouts. Having fun while moving their bodies for about 60 minutes each day is enough.

FAQs

What are the signs of a weakened immune system in children?

All children get sick from time to time. However, if your child is constantly struggling with fevers or congestion, you may worry that they have a weakened immune system. It’s normal for young children to have up to 8–12 colds per year⁴4. Why is my child always sick? A pediatrician answers your questions. CHOC. 2022. https://health.choc.org/why-is-my-child-always-sick-a-pediatrician-answers-your-questions. However, if the colds are severe, last longer than 7–10 days at a time, or require hospitalization, you may want to speak to your pediatrician about a weakened immune system. 

How do outdoor activities in winter benefit children’s immune health?

Outdoor activities help children’s immune health for several reasons. Outdoor activities encourage movement and exercise, which promotes good immune function. In addition, children are able to get much-needed vitamin D from being outdoors in the sunshine. Lastly, children who spend less time indoors in the winter are less likely to be exposed to other people in close proximity to one another, spreading viruses and bacteria through contact. 

Why are colds more common in the winter?

Even experts cannot completely agree on the reason for increased viruses in the winter. Some explanations include decreased immune response in extreme temperatures and better virus survival in cold weather. The most likely reason is that people spend more time indoors and close to each other, spreading germs by coughing, sneezing, and touching unclean surfaces. 

Does taking a multivitamin help boost immunity?

Taking a high-quality multivitamin may help your child’s immune system, especially in the winter months, when fewer fruits and vegetables are in season. Choosing a multivitamin high in vitamin C, zinc, and vitamin D will help. Omega-3 supplements may also help your child stay healthy through cold and flu season. 

References

1. 11 Foods That Boost Your Immune System. Cleveland Clinic. (2022, December 30). https://health.clevelandclinic.org/food-to-boost-your-immune-system
2. Suni, E., & Truong, K. (2023, August 15). How Sleep Affects Immunity. Sleep Foundation. https://www.sleepfoundation.org/physical-health/how-sleep-affects-immunity
3. Hoonan, R. (2021, June 2). Can Exercise Boost Your Immune System? Right as Rain by UW Medicine. https://rightasrain.uwmedicine.org/body/exercise/exercise-immune-system
4. Why is my child always sick? A pediatrician answers your questions. CHOC. (2022, August 18). https://health.choc.org/why-is-my-child-always-sick-a-pediatrician-answers-your-questions

The information WonderBaby provides is not intended to be, and does not constitute, medical or other health advice or diagnosis and should not be used as such. Always consult with a qualified medical professional about your specific circumstances.