Keeping your children healthy is always a priority. As the weather turns colder, coughs, sneezing, and sniffles can become all too frequent, so it’s always a good idea to take precautions.
Tips to Keep Your Kids Healthy This Winter:
- Make sure your child is well-versed in proper hand washing techniques and cough etiquette.
- Teach children to turn their heads and cough or sneeze into a tissue or their elbow if necessary. Using their hands will spread their germs to everything they touch.
- Getting a yearly flu shot is recommended. Despite what you may have heard, your child won’t get the flu from the flu shot, which is comprised of a killed virus.
- Keep kids physically active during the winter.
Children can’t actually catch a cold from playing outside in the snow or cold, even if they don’t wear or jacket or get wet. Colds and flu are caused by viruses, not from being underdressed. However, you should always dress kids appropriately for the weather, as children are at a higher risk of frostbite and hypothermia. Make sure they come inside and warm up at regular intervals, and plan to add one extra layer to what keeps you as an adult comfortable. Children should wear multiple layers of loose-fitting, lightweight, tightly woven clothing beneath a heavy jacket. Mittens or gloves, a hat, scarf, and waterproof boots will help to keep them warm.
Additionally, be aware that even if the sun’s rays aren’t as strong in the winter as in the summer, there is still a risk of sunburn, especially when the sun reflects off the snow. Be sure to use sunscreen to protect your child all year-round. If it’s too chilly for outdoor activities, consider indoor sports, such as basketball, volleyball, indoor soccer, dance, or gymnastics. And while there’s nothing wrong with loading kids up with orange juice and vitamin C, remember that extra vitamins and minerals won’t prevent children from catching colds and flu.
