Toughening up a child

Accustoming children to environmental variability

In building up immunity it is very important to accustom your body to the changing conditions in which you will most likely find yourself. Earl contact with these conditions allows you to develop appropriate reactions that will become the basis for fighting infections and diseases. This is exactly how one toughens a body and one of the most frequently changing variables in our climate is temperature, so getting ready early for its variability is an excellent investment in a child’s immune system.

Let’s go for a walk

One of the most common and easiest forms of toughening the body, from the first days of life, is daily walks, irrespective of the time of the year. There is no such thing as bad weather, just inappropriate clothes. Of course, the exception to this are extremely low or high temperatures, but fortunately these only occur a few days throughout the year. Walking promotes oxygenation of the body, improves circulation, and makes the body naturally produce vitamin D through contact with the sun’s rays. In addition, especially in the winter, a change in air temperature with proper clothing is excellent training for the immune system.

I’ll go barefoot

As adults, we often forget how nice it is to walk barefoot. We usually remember this when we are on the beach. Children, however, naturally tend to show more inclination to wander around in bare feet. If your surroundings are safe and you are not worried that your child’s feet will be injured, allow them to run barefoot, even if there is a dew. It is the perfect stimulus for the body and immune system.

Let’s go to water

A common way to get used to temperature fluctuations is to alternatively take a warm and then a cold shower. While this works well for an adult, whose immune system is already fully formed, for children there should be a more measured approach. You can immerse just the feet in warmer and cooler water and at the seaside, you should let your child paddle in cool water, if it wants to.

Let’s run together

Childhood is a time to shape good habits, which is why sharing games in the open air is an excellent idea for relaxation and toughening up the entire family. Don’t worry that your child is sweating while playing with a ball or running around. This allows your child to get used to temperature variations and will enable it to cope well during the winter or autumn, when it is exposed to much greater temperature variations. Furthermore, outdoor activities have a major impact on the cardiovascular system and support the production of endorphin, making you feel happier.  Nothing has as much influence on bonding and family ties like time spent together enjoying a family game.

Toughening up cannot be overestimated

It is impossible to overestimate the importance of toughening up the body when it comes to strengthening the immune system. It’s excellent training and even the best and oldest pearls of wisdom from our grandmothers cannot replace a healthy walk and fresh outdoor air.