Childhood is the best time of life. For a child each day is a new day to learn new things. When the health of the child is good, he/she is able to enjoy life to the fullest, grasp and experience new things easily. With the onset of COVID-19, strong immunity is the need of the hour. It is a difficult time for children since they are not going out to playgrounds and spending enough time under the sun. Due to online classes, children are spending more time on gadgets and phones and could be eating fatty and packaged food which affects their health condition. Today, it is important that every child has some basic knowledge of Ayurveda to be able to lead a healthy life. It is a pity that our educational system doesn’t incorporate Ayurveda in the curriculum, therefore, the responsibility lies on parents or guardians to help inculcate the knowledge of Ayurveda and its application in day to day living  in their child’s life.

According to Ayurveda, every individual has a unique body constitution which consists of the tridoshas - Vata, Pitta and Kapha. Mostly two doshas tend to be more dominant and determine the characteristics of a person or in this case your child.

Take a look at the doshas below and see which doshas dominate your children:

Vata Children:

Vata children carry elements of air and space and therefore could be full of energy one minute and be very low on the energy the next minute. They tend to be fidgety and find it difficult to sit at one place. These children tend to speak quickly and often tend to stray from the subject. They love talking as talking expends a lot of energy. Due to this reason, they come across as friendly.
They have creative minds and therefore they are continuously stimulated. They love movement oriented activities. They love to daydream. Vata children are light sleepers and tend to get up during the middle of the night.  They also have sporadic appetite; they may feel hungry at one time and not at all the next or they tend to feel hungry after every two hours, and cannot eat big meals. These children are prone to frequent gas problems, bloating, and constipation.

Tips for increasing immunity for Vata Children
- Get them in a habit of a good routine like going to bed and waking up at a particular time.
- Never skip their breakfast as by mid-day they tend to feel anxious or sleepy due to a drop in their sugar levels. All kinds of dairy products, whole grains rich in fibre, cooked vegetables and healthy fats like ghee, white butter are good for these children.
- Warm and nourishing meals in regular intervals can help them feel grounded.
- Add spices like ginger and garlic to their meals.
- Warm Tulsi Green tea can provide them to help boost immunity against cold and cough.
- In case of constipation, you could give them Colonofly, an Ayurvedic medicine for relieving constipation.
- Keep them warmly clad and make them eat soups especially during the winter season.
- Training in dance, martial arts or athletics can help them direct their energy in a productive fashion.

Pitta Children:
Pitta comprises fire and water elements, and therefore Pitta type children are dominated by heat in their bodies. Their body frames tend to be proportional and well - balanced. They maintain average weight for their build as they tend to evenly distribute fat all over their bodies. Fire’s intensity in their bodies gives them a love of food and a good appetite. They also tend to digest food well but sometimes could suffer from acidity problems.

These children are inherently courageous, relatively more organised, and competitive in nature. They may enjoy leadership qualities from a very young age. These children could get aggressive and angry when things don’t work their way. They sometimes tend to be self-critical and during these times, parents need to check that they don’t make too many demands on themselves. These children sleep peacefully at night.   

Tips for increasing immunity for Pitta Children:
- Make sure you serve meals at regular times as these children become irritable if they fail to eat meals on time. Encourage them to help you in the kitchen while preparing meals.
- Add all kinds of vegetables and fruits except sour fruits like grapes and oranges to their diet, since that could aggravate
- Pitta is relieved by sweets, therefore adding a little sweet, perhaps made of dairy products like kheer or lassi is good for children.
- Avoid adding extra spices in food as they already have a high intensity of fire elements in their bodies.
- Encourage them to have an ample amount of water during the day.
- Cooling herbal teas like rose petal and mint can help them to calm down.  Cooling herbs like cardamom and fennel helps them to relieve excess heat in the body.
 - Ayurvedic Tejas cookies can help them pacify Pitta doshas.
- Keep them cool, calm, and well-hydrated especially during the summer season.
- Encourage them to play any sports which boosts their sportsmanship and helps maintain a good competitive spirit.

Kapha Children:
Kapha comprises earth and water elements. The Kapha-dominated children tend to be calm and soft ones who enjoy the pleasures of home and family. They often make friends slowly after deliberation and their friendship lasts long. These children love sleeping and sometimes oversleep. This is their way of saving energy. They like to read, and are mostly interested in indoor activities, or else could be very adventurous.

Kapha children have a good build, great strength and are best able to endure intense exercise but many times they are least interested in it. These children have very poor appetite, low digestive fire and could be prone to emotional eating. Parents need to keep a check on their children during this phase.  They are also prone to cold and cough and sometimes constipation due to sluggishness.

Tips for increasing immunity for Kapha Children:
- Ensure that they have a fitness regimen by way of any type of physical activity or exercise.
- Add spices to their meals such as ginger and garlic, some red chillies, garam masala and also black pepper. Spices will help stimulate them, and wake them up from their sluggishness.
- Encourage them to have herbal teas like masala chai and ginger.
- Give them warm soups especially during the winter season.
- Make them eat green leafy vegetables and fruits such as mangoes, peaches, pears, cranberries, and apples.
- Ojas Cookies can enhance their brain power and boost their immunity.
- Ask them to help you in the kitchen while you make their meals. This way they will learn how to cook meals and the importance of different ingredients.
- In case of cold and cough, give them Bronchiofly, an Ayurvedic cold and cough relieving syrup and in case of constipation, give them Colonofly, Ayurvedic medicine for relieving constipation.
Still, confused about which Prakriti your children fall into? Worry not; take our quiz to find out!