While the winter does have its perks such as sledding, Christmas and hot cocoa, this is season best known for getting pretty sick in. It is the cold and flu season after all. Around this time of year, it can seem like everyone around you is coughing, has a stuffy nose or running a temperature. For children in school, it is worse as they are more susceptible to passing it to one another at school – especially young children who like to put everything in their mouth. But there are ways to combat this cold and flu season and help ensure your kids stay healthy this season. Just follow these simple tips.
Wash their hands. Wash them before they get to school, after you pick them up from school, before every meal and just about any other time in between. Wash, wash, wash! This is a great way to keep young ones, especially toddlers healthy. Kids love to touch everything and they also like to put their hands in their mouths. This is a sure fire way they can catch something unsavoury. So after every activity, especially if you venture outside of your home, make sure they wash their hands after.
Sleep. Make sure each of your children is getting the proper amount of rest. Nothing makes you more susceptible to colds or the flu is not getting enough sleep. Have an establish bedtime routine where they start to wind down in the evening and prepare their little bodies for sleep. Always keep bed time consistent and on schedule.
Wash bedding and attachment items more frequently. If there is a favourite stuffed animal or blanket that they love to carry and drag everywhere, make it a point to wash those items more frequently, especially if those items venture outside the home. Kids love to hang on and put their little faces in their attachment items so it is important those they stay sanitize. Wash and change their bedding more frequently as well.
Don’t share the same drinking cup or utensils with one another. This can be hard, especially if you have young children who frequently like to pick up each other cups to drink from. But it is helpful to keep these items separate from one another so that you are not spreading any germs. A great way to make sure everyone uses their own cups is by taking them out to pick up their own “special cup” or their own “special utensils.” Most kids are become pretty territorial about things that they pick out especially for themselves. Keeping utensils and drinking cups from one another will help make all the difference in preventing passing things around to each other.