Did you know 1 child being sick with flu could cause a financial ripple effect on the whole family?
Here’s how: When a child falls sick during winter it not only amounts to her missing valuable schoolwork, but to a parent missing valuable work hours too. This has a profound effect on the family dynamic as well as the financial implications of hours lost at work and a domino effect can result. A UK survey conducted in May 2012, involved 310 randomly selected working parents with children under the age of 6. The survey found that 62 percent reported that their child was unable to attend childcare at least once during the past year because of illness. 42 percent of the parents said they missed work to care for their sick child with 26 percent stating they missed work three or more times during that period. 33 percent said that taking time off from work to care for their sick child was difficult because doing so meant they lost pay or put their job at risk.
The best attack is a defence in the kitchen – 5 handy tips!
Rule one in any household is to make sure children have a strong immune system. We’ve heard this time and again, yet it really is the best basis to guard off winter colds and flu strains. Children under 6 can be notoriously difficult when it comes to veggies and healthy eats, so here are some tips:1. If your child does not have a nut allergy, combine linseeds, sunflower seeds and almonds through a food processor. This will result in a fine, sweet-tasting powder which can be readily spooned into cereals, yoghurt (with it’s great ‘good’ bacteria) and sauces. Sneaky, but very effective!
2. Encourage children to eat fish – this may be difficult, but even good old fishpaste is a great source of Vitamins A and D and Omega 3 fatty acids to guard against infections of any kind.
3. Start the mornings off with non-sweetened fruit juice smoothies. This is a power-packed punch of immune-boosting goodness. Make sure not to use too much fruit, as the sugar content (albeit natural) is high. Choose winter fruits and add almond milk if needed.
4. Make sure your kitchen cupboard has a powdered form of Calcium supplement with bioflavonoids included. One-quarter of a teaspoon twice a day mixed into vegetable juice provides great immune support.
5. Broccoli is a great source of vitamin C. Next time you bake muffins, why not try a savoury immune boosting recipe? Use the usual muffin ingredients but substitute for wholemeal flour, almonds, puree broccoli and cheese (or a cheese substitute).
Safe and not sorry: It’s far better not to rely on antibiotics as they can set up a dangerous cycle of immune system disruption and in essence, weakness. Safe, natural options such as Sniffly Sprinkles and KiddieBoost can help your child to stay healthy without the harm.
Feelgood Tip: Keep your kids close Do you know that skin-to-skin contact or having your kids near you raises your (and their) levels of the hormone prolactin, which increases immune function? So get cuddling during these nippy winter days and nights!
