We all know the feeling of hearing that first cough. Whether it be from a friend at school or a playdate, or your kiddo laying in bed unknowingly giving you signs that they might soon be unwell while sleeping. Though we are not living in times of a pandemic any longer, it never hurts to avoid sickness in general. Here are some focus facts that will help you and your prevent winter illness:

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• Wash your hands well and often; avoid touching your face. Some daycare programs did and continue to do a great job of having students wash hands upon arrival at school, before meals, and after using the restroom. Just because there are less commercials and cartoons about the importance of hand washing these days, doesn’t mean we shouldn’t be enforcing this extremely beneficial practice. We are big fans of Doc McStuffins in our house and she sings a great “wash your hands” song that we sing all the time! Also consider providing your school aged child with their own hand sanitizer (maybe in their lunchbox?) so that they can be more diligent themselves.
• Be sure everyone gets adequate sleep and proper nutrition. Rest is something that can be hard to come by these days and can make all the difference. Do your kids feel drained from school at the end of the day and struggle to get excited for after school activities? Maybe consider being more lenient on attendance to anything that isn’t super necessary. More time to rest and less access to other kiddos could be helpful. Add in an earlier bedtime or not insisting on being the first one in the school drop off line, your kids will feel better for it! Vitamin regimens can be fun and helpful this time of year. Wouldn’t hurt to put some in the Christmas stocking!
• Cover coughs and sneezes. Seems like a no brainier but you’d be surprised what we got more lax on since 2021.
• Disinfect frequently touched/used surfaces. Whether it is your homemade and/or all natural concoction (we love OnGuard) or good old Clorox, stock up this winter and leave it handy! Again, could be fun to make this a “helping” task for your kiddos! Also, we noticed our kids put their mouths on even their pretend food… when was the last time you gave their toys a good wipe down? Yipes.
• Use humidifier to help moisten the air. This is the golden ticket for us and we have tried (and thrown out) many. Our favorites in our house are our Doterra and our Canopy humidifiers. They seem to be the easiest to keep clean and running for longer than just 1 season, though with that, they are a little pricier. Additionally, mom (that’s me) even keeps her humidifier going year round to encourage skin moisture!

While these habits may seem like no brainers, consider this your call to action to make sure you are using them extra thoroughly during cold & flu season. Don’t forget, it is recommended that you consider getting your flu shot!

Sick and not sure which of the big ones you or your kiddo could have? Check out this post!