When you have young children, especially if you live abroad and don’t have grandparents close by, cold and flu season can feel like an endless marathon. Christmas has just passed, Carnival holidays are around the corner, bags to pack again, trips, planes, trains, changes in routine… and inevitably someone gets sick. Often everyone does.
My name is Davide. I’m a dad of two children, one two and a half years old and the other five and a half, and I work as a nutritionist specialised in female hormones and digestive issues. Immunity is a topic that is very close to my heart, not only professionally but also personally. After Covid, I struggled for a long time with fatigue, inflammation, and a constant feeling of having an “empty battery.” That experience pushed me to go much deeper into this field and to qualify as an immune health-centric health coach.
I’m not writing this article to promise miracles, but to share what has truly made a difference in our family. Over the past two years, our children have stayed home with fever for just one day in total. Runny noses and coughs? Those are part of the deal. But no weeks completely knocked out, no parents taking turns falling apart.
One of the key shifts for us was letting go of the idea of living in a “protective bubble.” We spend as much time outdoors as possible, all year round. Cold, wind, in-between seasons, snow. We go to the mountains whenever we can, take them skiing, ride bikes even when the weather isn’t perfect. Not recklessly, but intelligently: proper clothing, reasonable timing, and listening to the body. It’s the principle of micro-exposure: small, consistent stimuli that train the immune system instead of overwhelming it.
Another fundamental piece is a simple but consistent support routine. During the less sunny months, vitamin D every morning. Not by chance: it’s one of the most important hormones for immune function. On top of that, we use quarterly cycles of probiotics, for both the children and us adults. The gut is a central hub for immune regulation, and neglecting it means starting at a disadvantage.
These same foundations are something we also apply with many of the mums we work with. My wife Paulina specialises in postpartum fitness and recovery after pregnancy, and we see every year how heavy this season can be: kids often at home, broken sleep, stress levels through the roof. For families living abroad, without a strong support network or with limited trust in the local medical system, it can feel even harder.
Taking care of immunity doesn’t mean avoiding every virus. It means building resilience. It means children who get sick less often and recover faster, and parents who don’t collapse at the first flu that comes around. It’s daily work, made of small, consistent choices, not drastic solutions.
If this topic feels close to home for you, know that you’re not alone. Connecting with other families and sharing experiences is already a powerful form of support. And sometimes, a few simple habits done consistently can completely change how these “critical” months feel.
Wishing everyone healthy holidays,
Davide & the MammaMia Fit family