Back-to-School Germs: 6 Ways to Support Your Child’s Immune System

Simple Ways to HELP YOUR CHILD BE HEALTHY THIS SCHOOL YEAR

School has started—and apparently, so has your child’s mission to bring home every cootie in the building.
Suddenly, they’re surrounded by sniffles, coughs, shared pencils, water fountains, playground equipment, and what seems like a million other opportunities to catch whatever the designer sickness is that season.

And you’re thinking: Child-when you walk through that door- Please, please don’t let this turn into an entire household full of sickies!

Because, what happens?
The entire household never gets sick all at once so you are all “out” for a week together.
No, that would be heavenly, almost.
Instead, it seems like 4-6 weeks of rolling waves of fever, chills, snot, coughing, and no sleep.
Which also translates into no work for you and someone always out of school.

Have I painted the picture clearly enough to terrify you yet-you surely did not forget from last year???

Well, unfortunately, we cannot put our kiddos into a germ-proof bubble. 
But we can support our child’s immune system with some surprisingly simple everyday habits.
I am not going to tell you about the new super expensive and amazing new mushroom or beet supplements-these are the things you an do right now on the cheap!

A healthy immune system starts with the basics: good hygiene, nutritious food, plenty of water, a healthy gut, enough sleep, physical activity, and ways to manage stress.

Here are six simple ways to help your child head into the school year healthy, strong, and ready to learn.

1. Make Handwashing a Habit

Handwashing is HUGE.
I like to see the positive in everything, and COVID did make it “normal” to spend a little extra time at the sink lathering and washing.
According to the CDC, keeping hands clean is one of the most important things students can do to stay healthy during the school day.
This is probably also one of the easiest healthy habits we can teach our kids.
Encourage them to wash their hands:

• After using the bathroom
• Before eating
• After blowing their nose, coughing, or sneezing
• After playing outside
• When they get home from school

And don’t forget the 20-second rule. Soap, water, scrub for at least 20 seconds, rinse, and dry.

If soap and water aren’t available, the CDC recommends a hand sanitizer containing at least 60% alcohol.
Honestly, I would just get some moisturizing sanitizer and make this a “norm” as well.

One other little habit worth teaching?
Cough or sneeze into your elbow—not your hands.

We aren’t going to eliminate every germ our children encounter, but we can make it harder for those cooties to hitch a ride home.

2. Keep Those Water Bottles Filled

Our bodies need water for just about everything.
That is not a fun, awesome, or even cool statement.
No kid wants to hear about how much water they have to drink.
Good, healthy water, has no taste.

However, water helps regulate body temperature, carries nutrients throughout the body, aids digestion, and helps the body get rid of waste.
It also plays a role in the lymphatic system, which is part of the immune system.

In other words, hydration matters.

The simplest solution is also the cheapest:
Help your child learn to love water…just water.

Send a refillable water bottle to school if allowed, offer water with meals, and encourage kids to drink before and after sports or outdoor play.

If plain water gets a giant NO THANK YOU from your child, try adding berries, cucumber, lemon, lime, or orange slices.
Notice I did not say to add those little powders.
Nope, stay away from those, those turn water into power drinks.
I love adding berries, my favorite is actually cucumber and lemon, I feel like I am at the spa.

Sometimes a fun cup or water bottle works wonders, too.
Stickers are such a “thing” this can be what you will purchase at special outings, their sticker.
They can decorate their water bottles with places they have been, experiences, feelings etc.

3. Feed Them the Rainbow

When it comes to food and your child’s immune system, variety is your friend.
Instead of worrying about one magical “immune-boosting” food, aim for a variety of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, protein foods, and dairy or appropriate alternatives.

The American Academy of Pediatrics says most healthy children who eat a varied diet get the nutrients they need from food and generally don’t need extra vitamin or mineral supplements.
Do you have any idea how much money Americans spend on vitamins and supplements-feed the kids well and those supposedly in “the know” say you don’t have to fight the daily pill war!

So bring on the rainbow!

This seems so easy, yet it is really hard for a lot of people.
Have you ever heard that we all wear about 20% of our entire wardrobe?
There is a lot more choice, but we tend towards our favorites.

I think it is the same for fruits an vegetables.
Me-I prefer veggies over fruits.
I eat a lot of: broccoli, bell peppers, carrots, and cucumbers (yes, I realize the last is a fruit).

Different foods provide different vitamins and minerals that help your child’s body function normally—including nutrients involved in healthy immune function.
A few nutritional all-stars include:

• Vitamin C: strawberries, oranges, kiwi, bell peppers and broccoli
• Vitamin A: sweet potatoes, carrots, spinach, eggs and dairy products
• Zinc: meat, beans, lentils, nuts, seeds and whole grains
• Vitamin D: fortified milk and foods, eggs and fatty fish
• B Vitamins: salmon, eggs, meat, beans, lentils, leafy greens and whole grains

Don’t panic if you just read that list and thought, My kid won’t touch half of those.
Start with what they will eat and keep offering variety.
I have plenty more ideas in 13 Simple Ways to Get Kids to Eat Their Vegetables.

What About Vitamins and Supplements?
It’s tempting to grab a bottle labeled “immune support” during cold and flu season, but more isn’t necessarily better.

According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, most healthy children don’t need additional vitamins or minerals when they’re eating a varied diet.
Too much of certain vitamins can even be harmful.
If you’re concerned that your child isn’t getting enough of a particular nutrient—or you’re considering adding a vitamin or other supplement—talk with your pediatrician.

I am very “pro” specific supplements when I feel the “crud” starting.
Zinc, garlic, elderberry syrup, and high doses of Vitamin C.
I am an adult, if you have favorites or things you grew up on, ask your pediatrician, if you feel they will “poo-poo” anything “natural” just ask if these things will hurt your child.

4. Don’t Forget Gut Health

Who would have thought the trillions of tiny organisms living in our digestive systems would become such a big topic in health?

But here we are!
Our gut microbiome—the enormous community of microorganisms living in the digestive tract—interacts with the immune system and plays a role in digestion and nutrient absorption.
So how do we help kids develop a healthy gut?

Feed the good bugs.
Fiber-rich foods help support beneficial gut bacteria.

Think:

• Fruits
• Vegetables
• Beans and lentils
• Whole grains
• Nuts and seeds

Fermented foods can also contain beneficial bacteria.
Yogurt and kefir are probably two of the easiest kid-friendly places to start, although adventurous eaters might also try sauerkraut, kimchi, pickles, or other fermented foods.

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends focusing on healthy foods rather than automatically reaching for probiotic supplements.
If you’re considering a probiotic supplement for your child, that’s another good conversation to have with your pediatrician.

Gut health doesn’t require a special “gut-health diet.”
Once again, we come back to the basics: lots of different whole foods and plenty of fiber.

5. Protect Their Sleep

Sleep is so important that I wrote an entire article about how much sleep your child needs.
And back-to-school can wreak havoc on it.

After later summer bedtimes and slower mornings, suddenly the alarm clock is ringing, lunches need packing, shoes have mysteriously disappeared, and everyone needs to be out the door NOW.
So, not only has the sleep been altered, but our stress has been ratcheted up a considerable notch!

But sleep isn’t something we want to sacrifice.

While your child sleeps, the body is doing important restorative work.
Adequate sleep also supports learning, memory, attention, mood, behavior, and overall physical health.

A few ways to make school-night sleep easier:

• Keep bedtime and wake-up times fairly consistent.
• Start winding down before bedtime.
• Turn off screens before bed.
• Keep bedrooms cool, dark, and quiet.
• Avoid packing every evening with activities.
• Build enough time into the morning so kids aren’t regularly losing sleep to get everything done.

A well-rested child isn’t guaranteed to dodge every classroom cold—but sleep gives their body the rest it needs to function at its best.

6. Help Them Manage Stress

Back-to-school season isn’t only physically tiring.

New teachers.
New classrooms.
Homework.
Sports.
Friendships.
Tests.
Busy schedules.
That morning rush we mentioned earlier!

Even things kids are excited about can create stress.

Short periods of stress are a normal part of life, but ongoing stress can affect both physical and emotional health.
Helping children learn healthy ways to manage it is a skill they’ll use long after the school year ends.

Fortunately, stress relief doesn’t have to involve complicated mindfulness exercises.

Try:

• Playing outside
• Exercising
• Coloring or drawing
• Listening to music
• Playing with a pet
• Gardening
• Reading together
• Teaching simple breathing exercises
• Creating a safe space to talk about problems
• Simply allowing some unscheduled downtime

And don’t underestimate plain old-fashioned FUN.
Laughter, play, family game night, shooting hoops outside, walking the dog together—these little breaks can help kids decompress after spending all day “on” at school.
Sometimes the best question after school isn’t “How much homework do you have?”
It’s “Want to go outside?”

It doesn’t have to be complicated to support your child’s immune system.
Here’s the part I hope you remember:
You cannot eliminate every school-year germ.
Your child is going to encounter them.
They may still catch a cold.
Someone may still come home with a stomach bug and generously share it with the entire family.

The goal isn’t to create a child who never gets sick.
It’s to give their body the everyday support it needs to stay healthy and recover well.
And supporting your child’s immune system doesn’t have to mean adding one more complicated thing to your already-full plate.

Healthy food. Water. Sleep. Movement. Good hygiene. Less stress.

The simple things really do matter.
So fill the water bottle.
Add some strawberries to the lunchbox.
Send them outside to play.
Protect bedtime.
Remind them—again—to wash those hands.

And when they walk through the door after school?
Maybe give them a hug after they wash off the cooties.

“You children have been given good health, and by jingo, it’s your job to keep it.”
— Frank Gilbreth, Cheaper by the Dozen