Immune-boosting has become a bit of a buzzword, but it’s normal to wonder if there’s anything you can do to support your baby’s health – especially since infants and toddlers are considered “high risk” for illnesses due to underdeveloped immune systems. Below, we’ll nerd out on how the immune system works, what serves it well, and what can interfere.
What is the immune system, exactly?
It’s a network of cells and proteins throughout our bodies; its job is to fight off germs that cause infection. Your immune system is designed to be pretty smart and tough on its own. We have two types of immunity: innate and adaptive.
Innate immunity is the first-line defense, and it includes protective barriers, like your own skin or mucus, designed to trap the pathogens. That’s right- that annoying congestion is kind of a good sign that your body is doing its job. Even stomach acid, sweat, and tears can counter pathogens.
Adaptive immunity is the backup defense. When something harmful enters, special cells make antibodies and increase immune cells that attack and destroy it. Our immune system remembers the threat, so if it returns, it can react faster and more effectively. You might feel your adaptive immunity doing its job when your lymph nodes swell, or you get a fever.
Adaptive immunity is acquired from natural infections and vaccination and is, therefore, what babies and toddlers lack because they are new here. So, in the most literal sense, time is going to be one of your baby’s most natural “boosts ” – time to practice, fight, and build! This is why vaccination is so important; it boosts your baby’s adaptive immunity to better fight off infections that pose serious risks, like measles, rotavirus, or polio.
What else helps?
In general, as humans, our immune systems like it when we:
Eat a balanced diet
Get enough sleep
Lower stress levels
Have a healthy gut (think prebiotics and probiotics)
Get enough sunshine and physical activity
Multivitamins and other supplements may help certain people but could harm others. It’s best to check with your medical provider—or, in your baby’s case, their pediatrician—to identify any deficiencies that may benefit from supplementation.
Here are the minerals and vitamins that studies have found to help the immune system, and that you can prioritize through diet first and supplementation when deficient:
Zinc, selenium, iron, copper, folic acid
Vitamins A, B6, C, D, and E
While it’s helpful for your baby to have solid foods rich in these vitamins and minerals, they are still in a stage where solid foods are complementary to breast milk or formula. So, don’t sweat it if baby doesn’t “finish their plates.” Breast milk or formula does a good job of giving baby everything they need (minus iron, which is a common deficiency in babies and toddlers).
Breast milk is a powerful immune booster
Breast milk contains antibodies, enzymes, and white blood cells that help protect the baby against infections and illnesses. These components work together to strengthen the baby's immune response, reducing the risk of respiratory infections, ear infections, diarrhea, and other common childhood illnesses. Additionally, breast milk contains prebiotics and probiotics that promote the growth of healthy gut bacteria, which play a crucial role in immune function. Breast milk's protective capabilities remain beneficial into toddlerhood.
In short, your baby’s immune system is smart and will get stronger in the first 7-8 years of early childhood. The best things you can do are support healthy sleep routines, offer a variety of foods, and stay up to date on your baby’s well-checks and vaccinations. If you can, continuing to breastfeed or sourcing donor milk is one of the most natural and effective ways to offer a “boost,” too.