The three best ways to prevent childhoods common ailments

Young children are quite vulnerable to ailments. The years before the onset of adolescence is a time of rapid development, but the body is still not quite as robust and strong as it will grow to be in later years. It is also the time when your kids will come into contact with larger groups of other children—both in school and in other social settings. This makes for a perfect storm of germs and ailments.

So, how do you keep yourself from having a perennially sick child? Here are a few tips.

1. Get your kids into the habit of washing their hands

You are a good parent, so you have no doubt taught your children to wash their hands before sitting down to a meal. However, you need to go beyond this. You should encourage them to perform this at regular intervals throughout the day, regardless of whether or not they are getting ready to eat. Hands are one of the main accumulation points for germs. Most people, children especially, touch their face with their hands hundreds of times a day. All the germs they've collected from touching doors and other surfaces are transferred directly from their hands to their face, from which they easily enter the body.

2. Give them vitamins

A daily dosage of the right vitamin supplements can boost your child's immune system. Indeed, this is the best way to do it naturally. Vitamins C and D are especially potent weapons for fighting off colds and other ailments.

3. Dress them warmly—especially the head

Dressing warm does not counter sickness directly. People do not get sick from being cold. They get sick because their body struggles to generate enough heat to kill off germs and bacteria when they are at their weakest. Keeping your child dressed warmly will allow their body to do just that.

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