How to Keep Your Kids Healthy This Winter

Though children can get sick any time of year it is during the fall and winter seasons that it tends to happen the most. From the common cold or flu to other viruses and bugs, your children’s immune systems are highly susceptible to getting sick at the drop of a dime. The worst part – they tend to spread their sickness around the household in an instant leaving everyone feeling less than themselves. That’s why it is imperative at this time of year to take additional precautions to ensure they remain happy and healthy.

 Clean Your House Thoroughly and Often

 During the wintertime windows and doors tend to stay closed. This means that all the dust, dander, debris, germs, and bacteria are trapped in the house with you for the next few months. It creates an unhealthy environment that could quickly lead to a house full of sick children. You can reduce the chances of this happening by thoroughly cleaning your house from top to bottom. Using disinfecting products to kill germs and bacteria, clean hard surfaces and floors. You should also sweep, deep clean, and vacuum your carpets regularly. To keep up with cleanliness, weekly cleaning should be done.

 Keep Hand Sanitizer Nearby

 Though the best practice for getting rid of germs and bacteria is to wash your hands with soap and warm water, this isn’t always an option (not to mention, your kids are kind of forgetful). So, it is recommended that you keep a hand sanitizer nearby. It is a quick solution to kill germs and easily accessible. You can post some larger bottles around the house and instruct the children to use it after coughing, sneezing, or before meals. You can also do your family a favor by having a few travel bottles in your bag for when there’s no sink around.

 Spend Time Outdoors

 Just because it’s cold outside doesn’t mean you have to stay cooped up in the house all winter long. In fact, the more time you spend in the house the more likely the kids are to be spending their time in front of a screen which can be hazardous to their health. Encourage your kids to get outside and have a good time. Just be sure that you have dressed them appropriately so they don’t freeze or get frostbite. You can get winter coats, hats, gloves, scarves, crochet baby shoes for your little one, and snow boots for older children. Let them go outside and build a snowman or a fort and run themselves crazy. The fresh air helps to boost their moods and their immune systems which can help keep them healthy this winter.

 Get Flu Shots

 If you haven’t done so already, now is the time to schedule flu shot appointments for your family. Though your kids may not like the idea of being poked, flu shots help to reduce the chances of them developing a sickness that can be very uncomfortable and traumatic to get through. If you don’t have insurance or a primary care physician to get the shots, get the kids dressed in their coats, hats, crochet Jordans, scarves, and gloves, and head down to a nearby pharmacy. Many of them offer free and/or affordable flu shots to the general public.

 Don’t Forget Winter Nutrition

 The change in temperatures, shorter days, and a higher risk of catching the common cold, flu, and other viruses, children also need proper nutrition to stay happy and healthy during the winter. Ditch the sugary, salty, fast-food, and start feeding them healthy and hearty meals each day. Make sure they’re getting enough whole grains, fruits and veggies with vitamin C, foods high in iron and zinc, antioxidants, and B vitamins to support a healthy immune system. You can make nutrition fun for kids by allowing them to help make decisions and even prepare meals as a family.

 Lots of parents dread the wintertime. Though there are a lot of reasons for this (i.e. terrible traffic, bad driving conditions, shorter days, cabin fever, etc.) at the top of the list is having a house full of sick children. If you want to prevent that from happening this year, do yourself and your children a favor and follow the steps above to keep them happy and healthy all season long.

Wayne Whitehurst