If your child is allergic to anything, you’re probably familiar with the constant anxiety about your child coming in touch with the thing they are allergic to and having a severe reaction. Although you can’t protect your child from every flu and cold, there are things you can do to improve their immunity and minimize the effects of allergies. Instead of resorting to vaccines and medications right away, here are a couple of natural and fairly simple things you can to protect your kids from allergies.

5 Tips to Protect Your Kids From Allergies

1. Clean regularly

The more stuff you have lying around, the more room dust mites will have to thrive in. Since they are one of the most common allergens, it’s important to keep them under control. This is why you should establish a cleaning routine and get rid of all the potential clutter. Vacuum your home as often as you can, especially the carpets, pillows, covers, and your child’s plush toys, since they can accumulate a lot of allergens. Also, pay attention to the kind of cleaning products you use; some of them might have ingredients that can irritate your child. If you can, use only eco-friendly cleaning solutions, and many of them you can even make yourself.

2. Encourage Healthy Habits

If you want to boost your child’s immunity, you should encourage them to change their habits. For example, physical activity is extremely important for your child’s health, but many children today would rather play computer games than go outside. Luckily, there are many ways to motivate your child to spend time outdoors. For example, you can ride bikes together, go for walks, or play with a ball. Feel free to get creative, since it’s important to make exercising fun for your child. Plus, you’d get to spend some quality time together.

Also, make sure your child gets plenty of sleep so their body can rest and recover. It’s okay to let them stay up occasionally, but not every night. Usually, they should sleep between ten and 14 hours, depending on their age. In addition, try to make it a rule for them not to use any technology an hour before bedtime, since phones and computers emit blue light, which can reduce the quality of your child’s sleep.

3. Include Healing Foods

Another great way to improve your child’s immunity and overall health is to make sure they get all the nutrition they need. So, instead of unhealthy snacks, introduce fruit, nuts, and other healthier alternatives. Pineapple, for instance, can reduce nasal swelling, which can help your child breathe more easily. Fish like salmon, tuna, and sardines are also a great choice, because they contain healthy omega acids that have anti-inflammatory properties.

4. Ensure Air Purity

One of the most important steps in reducing the amount of airborne pollutants is purifying the air inside your home. First, you should make sure to get the best air purifier for allergies so you can clean the air from harmful mold spores and improve its quality. It should have a HEPA filter, though, as purifiers with the filter reduce the number of the harmful particles to a minimum. Just make sure to add a purifier to every room where you and your child spend a lot of time.

Moreover, try to keep the humidity of your home below 40%, because moisture can lead to mold and mildew. Of course, a good air purifier would take care of mold as well, but it’s better to be safe by not creating a mold-friendly environment in the first place.

5. Always be Prepared

No matter how many preventive measures you take, it’s still important to have all the medication you might need. Consult your child’s doctor in order to get the right medication, and make sure to keep it somewhere where you can always reach it quickly and easily. Needless to say, your child should also know what they are allergic to, so they don’t accidentally eat something they shouldn’t. This also means that if they are traveling somewhere with their friends, you should inform those in charge, and you should still make sure your child knows how to recognize symptoms of an allergic reaction and carries with them all the necessary medication.

Protecting your child from allergies means that you should do whatever you can to make them as healthy as possible. Of course, it cannot erase their allergies, but it can help them have less severe reactions and recover more easily. So, adjust your child’s diet, and improve their lifestyle by motivating them to be more physically active. Clean your home regularly, and get quality air purifiers. Finally, make sure your child understands what allergies are, what do to if they have an allergic reaction, and how to protect themselves from allergies even when you are not around. This way, you will feel much more at ease no matter the season, as you’ll know that you’ve done everything you could do to keep your child safe.