As flu season quickly approaches, here are a few tips to prevent our families from catching this highly contagious virus.
First and foremost, we need to emphasize to our children the importance of good hand washing. Children need to wash their hands frequently throughout the day and need to wash for an extended amount of time with an antibacterial soap.
Everyone who is able needs to get the flu vaccine. With school back in session, germs are everywhere. We need to do a few things to ensure that we offer the least amount of opportunities for the spread of the virus. As a parent, you can make sure that your children have a small bottle of hand sanitizer with them at all times. You can also prepare goody bags for the other members of your child’s class. Some items to include in your goody bags would be tissues, hand sanitizer and antibacterial soap.
Don’t be afraid to discuss the importance of identifying early signs of the flu virus with your child’s teacher. Teachers, you should stress to parents the importance of keeping children at home that are experiencing fever, headache, nausea or vomiting, as these are early signs of the flu virus.
Determining the difference between the common cold and the flu is best left to your primary care provider or pediatrician. The symptoms can often be identical and without a flu test, could remain a mystery. Ensure that your child takes a multivitamin throughout the season, as well as eats plenty of fruits and vegetables to help boost his or her immune system.
Regular exercise, even in the form of playing outside, is a great way to keep children healthy and stress free. Get out and play with your children— you will serve as a good example and possibly even drop a few pounds yourself.