The kids in my house (big and small) are all about coughs and colds right now. Winter is good at making us think we need to be stuck inside with our germs and bugs. There are easy things we can do to stop the winter germs from making us miserable.
FRESH AIR
You can’t beat fresh air to rid the body of pesky germs. Even if your kids aren’t used to outdoor play in the colder weather, rug them up and get them out there. Even the big kids are better off with a book or device in the garden than in their bedroom.
NATURAL AIR FLOW
Ensure you let fresh air circulate through the house, especially the kids’ bedrooms, during the warmest parts of the day, wherever possible. Open the blinds or curtains and let the clean air through.
HAND HYGIENE
Washing hands with soap and water will always be the most effective way of getting rid of germs. Sanitiser gels, sprays work too if that’s what you have available. Always dry hands well as germs love wet, warm little hands. You may need to moisturise little hands too to protect them from extra handwashing.
COUGH-SNEEZE ETIQUETTE
Our kids are often better at this than us. Sneeze or cough into the elbow rather than spraying germs all over the place. In a world of reduce, reuse recycle- one item that should be always strictly single use is a tissue. Sneeze in it, cough in it, snot in it- BIN IT.
DEEP BREATHING
We cough for a reason. The lungs need to fill with clean air and get rid of dirty, germy air. A cough clears germs from every corner of the lungs. Encourage your kids to have a few big deep breaths and a few good hearty coughs. They’ll feel better for it. This can be difficult with smaller children but I find if we play a game and get them to mimic me coughing it can be done with a bit of a laugh.
SHARING THE LOVE
Kids share coughs and colds. It’s hard to avoid. If your child has active caterpillar action (dripping nose snot) avoid visiting babies or groups of children where possible. Some kids are more vulnerable than others to catching germs. Chat to your friends. Decide amongst you whether you’re happy to get together if it means sharing the love (and snot) or not.
