6 easy ways to Prevent Your Kid From Catching A Cold

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Cold and flu season is quickly approaching and what better time to start thinking about prevention than right now. When kids get sick it’s not a good experience and it can be hard on the whole family. It is important that you know how to prevent your kid from catching a cold or getting the flu. Here are five practical tips to prevent your kid from catching a cold.

Why kids are such cold magnets?

The common cold is a virus that is transmitted by infected airborne droplets or by direct contact with infected secretions. The common cold causes symptoms such as a sore throat, cough, runny nose, nasal congestion, and a low-grade fever. Kids tend to come in contact with more viruses and bacteria than us adults because they haven’t come to fully understand the concept of infections yet. Kids are more concerned about having fun and playing all day than the number of gems they come in contact with on a daily basis. Therefore, they are more unlikely to wash their hands frequently and are more likely to put their hands or objects in their mouths. Which puts them more at risk for coming into contact with infected secretions. Their immune systems are not fully developed yet and therefore they tend to get sick more often. It is not unusual for kids to get recurrent colds. As parents, we try our best to keep our kids healthy and care for them when they are sick. Therefore, it’s important to teach a child proper hand hygiene practices and promote a healthy lifestyle. All these tips below are easy practices that you can teach your kids and your family to decrease their chances of getting sick.

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Natural ways to prevent a cold in kids:

Washing hands:

Regular washing of hands is necessary to get rid of germ build-up. Wash your child’s hands regularly and teach them the proper hand washing techniques so they learn to do it on their own. Experts say you can use regular soap or antibacterial soap, whichever the choice, both work fine if hands are washed using the proper handwashing techniques. Here is how to wash your hands properly according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Alcohol-based hand sanitizers:

An alcohol-based hand sanitizer is an excellent option when you don’t have access to water and soap. However, ensure you supervise your children while they use it and if your child is young or a toddler who still puts their hands in their month I would not recommend the use of alcohol sanitizer. Make sure you are using products that are safe to use in small children.

Sneezing or coughing into a tissue or into your elbow:

It’s important to teach children proper sneezing or coughing etiquette. Teach your kids to sneeze or cough into a tissue or into their elbows instead of sneezing on their hands. This will help avoid the spreading of germs to other family members or back to themselves. If it’s not on their hands it can’t get on things that they touch.

Wipe down surfaces:

This is necessary both when your kids are sick and even to prevent them from getting sick. You should wipe down the surfaces in your home where your children frequently stay and touch. Antibacterial sprays and wipes can come in very handy and many are safe to use in your home. If your child is young and still puts toys and other items in their mouth it’s important to wipe those items down too with a solution that is safe for small children.

Don’t share:

Sharing, in general, is good but certain things should not be shared especially when one child is sick, the tendency of the cold to spread is high. Avoid sharing cups, spoons, toothbrushes, etc.

Bundle Up and dress warmly:

The common cold is often prevalent in colder seasons and is not caused directly by the cold weather. However, the cold weather is a contributing factor to developing a cold. There are many reasons and theories such as people spend more time indoors near each other during cold weather. Therefore, that is why children in daycare or at school are particularly prone to getting sick. Also, the colder and drier weather is a better condition for the cold virus to survive in as opposed to hot and humid weather. The last few reasons are that the cold weather may decrease our immune system and breathing in cold air may dry out airways or nasal passages making it easier for the virus to enter. With that being said it’s important to dress children warmly in colder weather which includes wearing scarves.

Caring for sick kids is not an easy task. The above practices to help you prevent your kid from catching a cold is also helpful for you as well. Remember, you need to stay healthy too for you to effectively help your kids avoid colds and the flu. Pay attention to your health, get enough rest, and eat healthy as well.

I hope these tips were useful in helping you.

Until Next Time,

Sincerely Jackline

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