Last winter you schlepped your kids to and from the pediatrician with more colds, ear infections, and cases of strep throat than you'd care to remember. But there are simple diet and lifestyle changes you can make this sniffle season to prevent this again from happening.
 

Here are 10 ways to quickly boost immunity:

1. Get enough sleep. "If you're sleep deprived, you have lower levels of infection-fighting cells in your system, which leaves you more susceptible to illness," explains Stuart Ditchek M.D., clinical assistant professor of pediatrics at NYU Medical Center and author of Healthy Child, Whole Child (Collins Living, out in January 2009). Depending on your child's age, he should be getting anywhere from 10 to 14 hours of sleep per night.
2. Drink plenty of fluids. "Across the board, most kids don't drink enough liquids, which ups their risk of getting sick. The mucus membranes that line your nasal passages are the first line of defense when you're exposed to respiratory infections, and if your child is dehydrated, those will be as well," explains Ditchek. Kids should get 1.5 ounces of liquid per pound each day (so a 30-pound toddler would need 45 ounces per day)—preferably in the form of healthy, low-calorie options like water or milk.
3. Use alcohol-based hand sanitizers. Carrying these around not only makes it convenient to keep hands clean, but sanitizers also don't dry out hands like frequent latherings with soap and water, according to Mark Moyad M.D., M.P.H., director of Preventative and Alternative Medicine at the University of Michigan Medical Center. Look for brands that have at least 62 percent alcohol, like Purell.
4. Avoid unnecessary antibiotics. You know those antibiotics that you coax your pediatrician to prescribe for your kid's case of the sniffles? Well, they can backfire. "Sixty-five percent of your body's immune-fighting cells are in your gut, and unfortunately antibiotics wash out the normal immune components of the gut, which means they destroy all these good cells along with the bad bacteria," says Ditchek.
5. Try saline nasal washes. Spritzing your kid's nostrils twice a day helps wash out the nasal passage, preventing any type of virus from setting up shop there for any length of time, says Moyad. Look for washes with metered pumps, like Simply Saline. Don't bother with sinus washes like Neti pots—the saline nose sprays work just as well and are much easier to use, adds Moyad. But also try to get your children to gargle once or twice a day with plain water—research shows it also helps reduce the risk of respiratory infections by flushing out any bacteria or viruses lurking in the throat.
6. Give a spoonful of dark honey. A recent study in the Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine found that dark honey beat out the common cough ingredient dextromethorphan when it came to soothing nighttime cough in children. But it also works as a preventive measure because it's so highly concentrated that it draws water from viruses and bacteria, effectively killing them off, says Moyad.
7. Sip black elderberry. In clinical studies, this compound appears to increase your body's levels of cytokines, cells that help ward off infection, says Claire Wheeler, M.D., an instructor at Portland State University in the School of Community Health. During cold and flu season, try two teaspoons of black elderberry (you can find it in health-food stores) per day for prevention.
8. Get enough vitamin D. Vitamin D is crucial to maintaining your immune system. In fact, the American Academy of Pediatrics recently doubled the amount of vitamin D it recommends for children to 400 IU. You can make sure your little one is getting her fill by giving her at least three servings per day of a calcium-loaded, vitamin D–rich food, such as calcium-fortified orange juice or milk. You should also make sure she gets outside to play whenever possible, even during the cold winter months, since the best source of vitamin D is still procured in the form of sunlight, says Ditchek.
9. Boost vitamin C intake. While vitamin C has long been touted as a means of avoiding colds and flu, research also suggests it may prevent a case of the sniffles from developing into something more serious, like pneumonia. "During cold and flu season, I recommend kids take 250 milligrams of vitamin C in a nonacidic form, like Ester-C, so it doesn't irritate their stomachs," says Moyad.
10. Don't overschedule. You might think you're stimulating your kids by carting them from soccer practice to French lessons to a dance recital, but research shows that if you're stressed out, you're more likely to come down with a respiratory infection, says Ditchek. Instead, schedule some playdates instead: Plenty of social support (in your child's case, in the form of loving family and friends) enhances immunity.