The cold and flu season has begun, which can mean your child is more susceptible to getting sick. No one likes having to miss school, or worse, missing out on family gatherings due to illness. Now more than ever, keeping your child safe and healthy is at the forefront of every parent’s mind. Knowing how to protect them from sickness while still letting them be kids can sometimes be difficult, but it’s possible to lessen their chance of getting sick without keeping them in a bubble. By following a few simple steps, you can help protect your child and yourself from missing out on the fun this holiday season.
Keep Hands Away From The Face
One of the most common ways germs enter our bodies is through touching our faces. If you think about how many things we touch throughout the day that have bacteria and viruses on them, it’s no wonder touching our faces is not a good idea. Kids are notorious for putting things into their mouths, rubbing their eyes and nose, and generally touching their faces. Couple that with the higher risk of germs in a typical classroom, and you’ve got a potential Petry dish of sickness. Begin teaching your kids now to keep their hands away from their faces, and it will help them avoid unnecessary exposure to germs in the future.
Eat A Healthy Diet
The foods we eat determine how well our bodies function. Feeding your kids a healthy, well-balanced diet will keep their immune systems top-notch and help them to feel great all year long. Theirs nothing wrong with having treats every so often, but the majority of their diet should contain generous amounts of fruits, vegetables, and lean protein. If you have picky eaters, as I do, try to use seasoning to tempt their taste buds. It may take a while, especially if they’re new to eating a well-balanced diet, but eventually, they’ll begin to enjoy the healthier meals.
Take A Multi-Vitamin With Probiotics
Continuing the healthy diet trend, kids should take a multi with probiotics every day to fill in the nutritional gaps their diet may lack. It is no secret that a healthy gut promotes a healthy body. Adding a probiotic into their multivitamin will ensure their gut health and eliminate problems like constipation that an unhealthy diet can cause. There are many great options for vitamins; I give my kids the Olly Kids Multi-Vitamin + Probiotics every day. They love that it’s a gummy, and the flavor tastes great. They never let me forget to give it to them in the mornings!
Encourage Hand Washing
Washing their hands is one of the most effective ways you can help keep kids from getting sick this holiday season. As we talked about before, they touch germs and viruses all day long, so cleaning them off their skin as much as possible is essential to their health. Have them wash their hands when they come home from school and before every meal. Of course, hand washing should already be a habit after every bathroom break. If there is no soap and water available, hand sanitizer is a great option. It is readily available now in almost every store and is very affordable.
Keep Nasal Passages Moist
Not everyone knows that dry nasal passages are a breeding ground for the viruses that cause the cold or flu. Ensuring your child’s nasal passages are kept moist throughout the day will not only help protect them from sickness but will keep them comfortable and help avoid bloody noses from the temperature changes. Having them use a saline spray twice a day and keeping a cool-mist humidifier in their rooms at night can help promote a moist and comfortable nasal passage.
Sanitize Surfaces
Keeping surfaces sanitized will help kill the germs that can make you and your kids sick. Use a disinfecting wipe for hard surfaces and a spray for soft and aerated areas. Disinfect the areas you touch the most in your home, including doorknobs, light switches, appliance handles, and bathrooms for best results.
Having a sick child is never fun, and every parent wants to do whatever they can to ensure their child stays healthy. By utilizing the tips above, you can help ensure your child has the best chance of not getting sick this holiday season.
