Protect Your Family During Flu Season

Don’t you just love the fall and winter season? Snow, hot chocolate, Christmas, colored leaves, cuddling under plait blankets. To name a few of my favorites things. 

There’s only one thing I dread during the crispy cold. The inevitable cold and flu. The cold temperatures just seem to invite snotty noses and feverish foreheads. Why are children such cold and flu magnets? 

It’s possible that the immune system of a young child is not yet strong enough to kill cold and flu viruses as quickly. Plus, your kid probably isn’t overly concerned with a little snot. Who cares if a virus ends up on your hands and toys, right? 

The result? Having your little one at home with a runny nose and a warm forehead a few times a year.   

On the bright side, scientists found that children who develop a ton of colds during the early years of childhood, catch a cold less frequently in later years. The reason for this may be that the immune system has learned to quickly and effectively fight off the bugs! 

Still, catching a cold or flu is never a fun time. Here are a few tips and tricks to help you to fight off the winter viruses and protect your family! 

1. Keep those hands squeaky clean
   The grabby hands of your kid are, quite literally, a breeding ground for viruses. Because, what are toddlers famous for? Touching anything and everything with their grubby little fingers and next rubbing a little fist in their eyes. Before you realize it, your kid has caught a cold or flu. 
   
   Teach your child to wash their hands. After a visit to the bathroom, before eating, after playing outside. A handy little trick can be to make your little one sing ‘Happy Birthday’ twice while scrubbing. The key to clean hands is washing them for at least 20 to 40 seconds.
   
   
2. Stay active
   Your kids are running around with unfathomable amounts of energy? Great! It may not be a structured workout, but it will do the trick. Regular, moderate exercising helps to boost the immune system, boost the circulation of infection-fighting cells, and strengthens the immune system.
   
   
3. Get enough ZZZs
   During sleep, your body works hard to recharge, repair and restore any damage it has experienced. Sleep deprivation nearly doubles the risk of getting a cold or flu. Enough reason to take a little nap or go to bed early. Babies need around 14 hours of sleep. Toddlers and preschoolers need around 11 to 13 hours of sleep. 

Sometimes, the inevitable happens and one of your children catches a cold or flu. Keep track of fever with iProven’s DMT-489 black. Now available on Amazon.