Nigerian Parents, no more singing “rain rain, go away”! This season, boost your child’s immune system and learn how to prevent illnesses in the rainy season.The raining season has hit us full force! And while we may enjoy it, sitting in our houses watching it pummel the trees and streets below, we do not always realise that it is furtively pummelling our children’s and our health as well.
Use Water-Resistant Rain Gear
The weather is predictably unpredictable. You never know when it is going to rain. Reduce the chances of your kids getting wet and falling sick by ensuring that they never leave the house without an umbrella or raincoat. Invest in waterproof shoes or rubber shoes. They provide traction and protect your children’s feet and ankles from getting wet. Also, they are easier to dry off.
Load up on Multivitamins
Build up the body’s resistance by giving your children Vitamin C and E pills or foods rich in Vitamin C and E. Vitamin C reduces your kids’ chances of falling sick by charging up their antibodies to fight the common cold virus faster. Vitamin E, too, is said to protect the body by reducing the harsh symptoms and effects of the cold virus on the system, making it more bearable and easy to treat.
Follow a Healthy Diet
Ensure your children partake of a healthy balanced diet containing a good amount of fresh fruit and vegetables rich in Vitamin A, E, C, and B – Complex, phytochemicals, antioxidants and minerals that provide a lot of protective and nutritional value to the body.
Avoid raw foods like salads wherever possible and wash the fruits and vegetables thoroughly. Avoid eating street-side food, especially uncooked foods like sev puri, pani puri, chutney, etc. Limit your favourite road-side stall’s monsoon-special pakoras and masala chais for hygienic reasons.
Make drinking a daily bowl of hot vegetable soup or herbal tea mandatory for your entire family which not only helps normalise their body temperature but also contains nutrients to boost their immunity.
Shower After Getting Wet in the Rain
Diseases develop when the body experiences a sudden and extreme drop in temperature, which generally occurs when you get soaked in rain water. Taking a shower after getting wet in the rain, helps the body by stabilising the cold temperature of the body and brings it back to normal by the time you dry off.
Drink Enough Water
Drinking clean, purified water helps fight against and prevent many illnesses, both directly and indirectly. Water cleanses your system and flushes out toxins such as germs and bacteria from your body. A well-hydrated body is better equipped to resist the cold and flu. Ensure that both you and your children drink clean, boiled or filtered water to your hearts’ content this rainy season.
Clean Hands
Dirty hands are the primary route that the germs, viruses and bacteria take to enter and harm your child’s immune system. Rain water causes outdoor things to get rusty, which is a breeding ground for bacteria. Because children like to touch everything; and moreover, because hands are used for almost every activity, it is important that your children wash their hands before touching any food.
It is also important to wash their faces often to prevent microbes from the hands entering the body via the facial route. Usage of antiseptic liquid hand washes, or sanitizers is recommended especially during the monsoons.
Prevent Wet Walls
Close your windows when it is raining heavily to prevent rain from entering the house. Walls take a lot of time to dry and may result in the growth of fungus, which is especially bad for children suffering from asthma or diabetes.
Avoid Stagnation
Empty unused tanks of stored water, water coolers, flower pots, etc. and clean them thoroughly. Ensure that there is no stagnant water either in your house or in your neighbourhood. Stagnant water is a breeding ground for mosquitoes, parasites and anaerobic bacteria. It is the main cause of potent water-borne diseases such as Malaria and Dengue.
While it is alright to let children play in the rain, do not allow them play in or near puddles and water-logged areas which are essentially stagnant water reserves. Using mosquito repellents is of utmost importance during this season.
If you follow the above precautions, there is no need to worry endlessly about your children’s health during the rainy season. Therefore, this year…instead of singing “rain rain, go way,” take a few precautions and welcome the rains with open arms.
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