How to Support Your Child's Immune System Naturally This Winter
By Kylie Sartori | Kylie Sartori Naturopathy, Spotswood Melbourne
Winter arrives and suddenly the sniffles are everywhere.
Childcare, school, and after-school activities. Your child picks something up, brings it home, and before you know it the whole household has gone down one by one. As a naturopath and a mother of three young children, I have lived this more times than I can count.
What I have come to understand both clinically and personally is that the children who recover quickly, and get sick less often, are usually the ones whose foundations are strong. Not because they take a particular supplement or avoid every germ, but because their gut health, their nutrition, their sleep, and their stress load are all being supported consistently.
Here is how to build that foundation for your child going into winter.
Start With the Gut
This is the most important place to start and the one most parents do not know about.
Approximately 70 to 80 percent of your child's immune system lives in their gut. The community of bacteria in the gut microbiome directly regulates how immune cells develop, how they identify and respond to threats, and how efficiently the body recovers after illness.
Children who have had repeated courses of antibiotics, who eat a diet low in fibre and plant diversity, or who experience a lot of stress and disrupted sleep often have a microbiome that is less diverse than it should be. That directly affects how well their immune system functions.
Supporting the gut is immune support. The two are not separate conversations.
Fermented foods are one of the most accessible ways to layer beneficial bacteria into your child's diet. Kefir stirred into a smoothie, a small serve of yoghurt with fruit, or a little sauerkraut alongside dinner are all good starting points. Begin with small amounts and build gradually, particularly if your child has not had much exposure to fermented foods before.
For children who need more targeted support, particularly after antibiotics or a period of frequent illness, a practitioner-grade probiotic makes a significant difference. The strains and dose matter enormously, which is why the probiotic supplements found in most pharmacies are not always the most effective option. I recommend Activated Probiotics for children and can advise on the right product and dose in a consultation.
Food Is the Foundation
Children's immune systems run on nutrients, and the most important source of those nutrients is food.
The key nutrients for children's immune health include vitamins A, C, and D, zinc, selenium, and omega-3 fatty acids. Rather than thinking about individual nutrients in isolation, the most practical approach is building meals around the foods that naturally provide them.
Colourful vegetables and fruits at every meal provide vitamins C and A alongside the antioxidants and polyphenols that regulate inflammation. Aim for as much variety as you can manage across the week. The more different plant foods your child eats, the more diverse their gut microbiome becomes, and the stronger their immune function tends to be.
Quality protein from eggs, chicken, fish, legumes, and nuts provides the zinc and amino acids the immune system needs to produce antibodies and repair tissue. Oily fish like salmon and sardines also provide omega-3 fatty acids that reduce inflammation and support the gut lining.
Garlic, ginger, turmeric, and manuka honey all have genuine antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory properties and are easy to incorporate into soups, stews, smoothies, and sauces in ways that children tend to accept without complaint.
On the other side, ultra-processed foods, refined sugars, artificial sweeteners, and soft drinks directly suppress immune function and disrupt the gut microbiome. Reducing these through winter, or year-round where possible, makes a meaningful difference to how often children get sick.
Bone Broth and Chicken Soup Are Worth the Effort
This one has been around for centuries for good reason.
A properly made chicken soup or bone broth, using chicken bones slow-cooked with vegetables, garlic, ginger, and herbs, provides collagen, minerals, and amino acids like glycine and glutamine that directly support the integrity of the gut lining. A healthy gut lining means a stronger mucosal immune barrier, which is your child's first line of defence against the viruses circulating through school and childcare.
It is genuinely one of the most nourishing things you can give a child who is unwell or recovering, and it works as a warming winter staple when they are well too.
Cod Liver Oil
Cod liver oil is one of those old-fashioned remedies that the research consistently supports.
It provides vitamins A and D alongside essential fatty acids, all of which are central to immune regulation, respiratory health, and the integrity of the mucosal membranes that line the nose, throat, and lungs. These membranes are your child's physical barrier against airborne viruses, and keeping them well-nourished matters.
A small daily dose alongside a meal is the most effective approach. Choose a reputable brand with a clean ingredient list and a palatable taste. Half a teaspoon daily through the winter months is a good general starting point for most children.
Targeted Supplements for Winter
Supplements work best when they are used to fill specific gaps rather than as a replacement for the food and lifestyle foundations.
For most children through winter, vitamin C and zinc together are the most clinically useful combination. Both are well-researched for reducing the frequency, severity, and duration of colds and respiratory infections. Vitamin D is worth supplementing through the cooler months when sun exposure is reduced, particularly for children who spend most of their day indoors.
Echinacea and elderberry are the two herbs with the strongest evidence base for children's immune support. Echinacea works best taken at the first sign of illness and consistently through the exposure period. Elderberry has antiviral activity that is particularly useful for influenza and upper respiratory infections.
One thing worth knowing is that many children's supplements on the market are heavily flavoured, contain added sugars, and use forms of nutrients that are not well absorbed. Choosing practitioner-grade supplements makes a significant difference to both safety and effectiveness. If you would like specific product recommendations for your child's age and picture, this is something we can work through in a consultation.
Sleep Is Where Immune Repair Happens
During sleep, the body produces cytokines, the immune signalling proteins that regulate inflammation and fight infection.
Children who are consistently undersleeping or sleeping poorly have measurably suppressed immune function. This is one of the most direct and evidence-based connections in immune health, and it is also one of the most overlooked.
Age-appropriate sleep needs vary, but most primary school aged children need between nine and eleven hours and most toddlers need ten to thirteen hours including naps. A consistent bedtime, a dark and cool room, screens off well before bed, and a calming wind-down routine all support the quality of sleep as much as the quantity.
When sleep is protected consistently, everything else works better.
Movement and Fresh Air
Regular physical activity supports immune function through several pathways, including improved circulation, lymphatic flow, stress hormone regulation, and gut motility.
This does not need to be structured or intense. Bike rides, backyard play, swimming, beach visits, and active games are all genuinely beneficial and support the kind of joyful movement that children engage in naturally when screens are not competing for their attention.
The balance between movement and rest matters too. When a child is run down or recovering, rest is more important than activity.
Keep Mucus Thin
This is a practical one that is easy to overlook.
Thick mucus is a more hospitable environment for bacterial growth and makes respiratory infections more likely to develop into secondary bacterial complications like ear infections, sinusitis, or chest infections.
Staying well hydrated is the most effective way to keep mucus thin. Aim for at least one litre of water daily for school-aged children, more during illness. Foods like garlic, onion, ginger, and horseradish also have natural mucus-thinning properties and are worth including through winter, particularly in soups and warm meals.
Reducing dairy during active illness can also be useful for children who produce a lot of mucus, as dairy tends to thicken secretions in those who are sensitive to it.
Working Together
If your child gets sick frequently, takes a long time to recover, or has been through multiple courses of antibiotics and you would like to support their gut and immune health properly, we can work together to build a plan that is specific to them.
I see children and families in person at my Spotswood clinic in Melbourne and via telehealth across Australia. Acute supplement consultations are also available if you need specific guidance on what to give your child right now.
You can also explore what conditions I work with or read more about functional testing for children's gut health.
Frequently Asked Questions About Children's Immune Health
How do I know if my child's immune system needs support? Frequent illness, defined as more than six to eight colds per year for a school-aged child, prolonged recovery times, recurring ear infections or chest infections, or a history of multiple antibiotic courses are all signs worth taking seriously. These patterns often point to an underlying gut health issue rather than just bad luck.
Is it safe to give children herbal medicine? Yes, when it is prescribed appropriately for the child's age and weight and chosen by a qualified practitioner. Echinacea and elderberry are both well-studied and safe for children. Dosing matters, and practitioner-grade products are preferable to general retail options for both safety and effectiveness.
How do I support my child's gut after antibiotics? Starting a practitioner-grade probiotic during the antibiotic course and continuing for four to six weeks afterwards is the most important step. Including fermented foods, increasing plant diversity in the diet, and reducing sugar in the weeks that follow all support microbiome recovery. The sooner you start, the faster the recovery.
What foods should I focus on most for immune health? Variety is more important than any single food. The wider the range of vegetables, fruits, legumes, whole grains, nuts, seeds, and fermented foods your child eats across the week, the more diverse their gut microbiome becomes and the stronger their immune function tends to be. If you had to prioritise one thing, it would be getting as many different plant foods into the week as possible.
Should I keep my child home when they are sick? Yes, and this is worth saying plainly. Keeping a sick child home protects other children and allows your child's immune system to do its job without the additional demands of a full school day. Rest during illness is not lost time. It is immune support.
Kylie Sartori is a degree-qualified naturopath based in Spotswood, Melbourne, specialising in gut health, children's health, immune support, and family wellbeing. She offers in-person consultations at her Spotswood clinic and telehealth appointments for clients across Australia.
Book an appointment | Learn more about Kylie | Conditions treated | Functional testing
