Keep the flu bug away from your kids

How to prevent flu...

Germs, germs, germs, they are everywhere and you cannot really avoid coming in contact with these menacing elements. With the flu bug now turning into what most people have come to term as the "flu season", you should make a mental note of ways to keep your kids from being a casualty of the sniffles and coughs.

There are medical options to look into or simple common sense actions you could practice to limit the chances of your kids catching the flu bug. The following should be helpful, without making you and everyone else go overboard in the quest to stay "protected" and prevent flu from agonizing your family...

Vaccination

Some doctors advocate getting you child inoculated against the flu bug. Depending on your beliefs and knowledge on the effectiveness of this method, you may be interested in choosing this recourse.

Clean all toys thoroughly

For the sake of your sanity, you may not want to confine your child indoors until the flu season passes. If playing with other kids is your concern, the packing the toys used, into mesh bags, is advised. This way, you can bring them home and simply throw them into a gentle washing solution that can ideally kill any germs.

Teach your child the proper way to wash hands

Teaching you child to wash his/her hands properly, meaning, for longer and just to get them wet, is another measure you can encourage. Ideally, your child should wash their hands with soap and water for about 20-30 seconds.

Some parents have found that encouraging their child to sing or hum a particular tune or song until its end, effectively gets the child to stay put long enough to wash their hands thoroughly.

Confinement may be a viable option

Keeping your child away from group activities and school may be one option to explore although it is not ideal. After all, you do not want your child to miss lessons, nor do you want to be the "teacher" at home trying to fill in the gaps.

Besides keeping your child up-to-date with all the school assignments, you would also have to be prepared to entertain a restless little one, as coping with confinement is not something kids are good at.

Introduce them to face masks

Wearing a face mask could be an option to introduce to your child. However, you would have to be a little innovative in your approach as your child is more likely to pull the mask off, at the first sign of discomfort.

Telling your child, its part of a spy game, where he/she is a secret agent is ok, if your child is still a toddler, but this probably wont work for older kids. With older kids, you have to make them understand the importance of wearing the mask to keep the flu germs away.

Limit exposure

Limiting your child’s exposure to areas where the presence of flu germs would be considered high, is well worth the effort. Day care centres, play groups, schools, playgrounds, parks, sports meets, malls, confined spaces such as buses, airplanes, trains and even the doctors office are high-risk areas. Do not drag the whole family to the doctor’s clinic simply because one member of the family is sick.

Written by

Serena Mui

prevent fluflu bugkids flucommon cold