Tricks to Boost Immunity in Toddler
I heard horror stories of children who kept falling sick when they first went to school/childcare. So before Baby E started school, I researched how to boost Baby E’s immunity and thus minimise the chances of her falling sick. What came up were supplements and essential oils for children.
By the way, school for Baby E is a mere two hours of playgroup. Even so, it is long enough for germs and viruses to spread. The teacher told me that falling sick in the beginning can happen to playgroup students too.
In any case, we’re kind of emotional that Baby E is finally going to school! Just the thought of fetching her to and from school made us feel she is so grown up already. A far cry from being a helpless infant in our arms. What a difference in eighteen short months. She’s still a baby in our eyes, though!
Immune Boosters for Toddlers
Breastmilk
Passive immunity for newborns and infants comes through breast milk! However, breastmilk only protects against infections through the digestive tract and not the bloodstream antibodies to protect against some other illnesses. Hence, vaccinations are still required. More about breastfeeding: baby.joogostyle.com/tag/breastfeeding
Food, Exercise and Sleep
Eat more fruits and vegetables. Let the toddler exercise, or simply head outdoors to stretch and run about. Sleep sufficient hours (11 to 14 hours for a 1 t0 2-year-old toddler).
The same advice for adults, too.
Supplement
One highly raved product by mothers is Sambucol (Black Elderberry Syrup). I feed this to Baby E occasionally, particularly when we are going to events or venues more susceptible to catching a bug (e.g. indoor playground). She loves it because it’s sweet!
Be sure to choose the correct version if your child is below 3 years old, such as this version on Shopee. Another good alternative, which I later preferred, is Bicold. As an update in 2025, my children, who are older now, and I take V-Propolis from BWL (for 1 year and above) whenever we feel the sick bug coming. You can drop me a message if you want to buy. 🙂
According to a few mummies, me included, it’s not advisable to take this supplement daily. I think more so when the child is less than 2 years old. The reason is to let the child build immunity naturally (e.g. through food) and not be over-reliant on supplements at such a young age. If not, the immune system might not be strong enough to fight viruses when this supplement is unavailable.
By following the healthy eating from the Singapore Health Promotion Board, most children should be able to meet the Recommended Dietary Allowances (RDA) of vitamins and minerals through food, so there may not be any added benefit in giving supplements. Over-supplementation can also put a child at risk for vitamin or mineral toxicity.
www.healthxchange.sg/children/parenting-tips/how-build-childs-immunity-against-flu
Essential Oils
If you are not comfortable feeding supplements to your child often, do explore essential oils. I have long heard about the popularity of essential oils and how “natural” and “non-invasive” it is. A hit with those who believe in Naturopathy. But I kind of doubt its power and was simply too lazy to figure it out — it seems like a world of complication. But for the sake of Baby E, I did some digging.
The number one oil floating around Singapore mummies’ circle is Young Living’s ‘Thieves’ (name of the oil). So popular, there’s a website solely dedicated to products made with ‘Thieves’ blend. I suspect the website is recently created by a Multi-level marketing (“MLM”) seller. The website didn’t come out in my search results 2 to 3 months ago.
Apparently, once parents rub ‘Thieves’ oil underfoot, the child is less likely to get hand-foot-mouth disease (HFMD) and other illnesses. I heard mothers testifying of its effectiveness and applying it to children as young as 1 to 2 years old. With the common HFMD at the top of my unwanted list, I almost got ‘Thieves’ from a MLM seller. That is, until I did more googling for cheaper alternatives and found Rocky Mountain Oils.
In the end, I chose Rocky Mountain Oils over Young Living for Baby E (my 17-month-old toddler then). Why so? Other than pricing, is it truly a better alternative? More on that in my post: “Essential Oils for Children: Review of Rocky Mountain Oils“! 🙂
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