Remember the days when you didn’t have kids and you stayed healthy all the time? That was nice. But these days, as a parent you’re probably finding that small kids sneezing in your face means you’re more likely to get sick, a lot. Kids bring home a ton of germs, it’s inevitable, but what can prevent is the germs from sweeping through the house and getting everyone ill.
The part that sucks the most, is having to care for your kids when you’re sick. It always works out that the moment they stop sneezing or vomiting and are once again bouncing off the walls – you come down with it and have nothing left in the tank to parent. You need to know how to keep the family healthy when one child is sick.
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Isolate them to a different area:
One of the first things you should do is to isolate the little one from the rest of the family. Don’t worry, it’s not as daunting as it sounds! Just keep the kiddo in a separate room if possible, to limit their contact with others and give some distance. You can even make it fun by letting them choose their favorite movies or books to keep them entertained while they recover. If you don’t have a lot of space, you can make them a separate cozy nook or fort in a corner to give some separation, they’ll think it’s fun!
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Practice good hygiene:
Encourage good hygiene habits in the family, like hand-washing and covering coughs and sneezes. Make sure your family is disposing of their tissues properly.
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Label items at home:
Make sure everyone has their own hand towel and avoid sharing personal items like toothbrushes, cups, and utensils. We recommend this Split Name Label Pack, it may seem weird to have labels in your home, but it’s a huge benefit when it comes to sharing – say goodbye to siblings fighting over who’s is who. Plus, labeling toothbrushes, hand towels, kids’ cups, and water bottles means that they’re not sharing. It’s too easy at home to forget about germy mix-ups but it can often be the easiest way to spread germs!
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Disinfect frequently:
Disinfect surfaces that the sick person comes into contact with. Use a wipe or a spray every few hours to disinfect. Remember that cleaning and disinfecting are two different things. When someone is sick, you need to clean daily and disinfect every few hours.
Make sure to disinfect these frequently touched items in your home:
-Shared tablets or phones
-door knobs
-remote control
-game consoles and controllers
-Door knobs
-light switches
-fridge handle
-cupboard handles
-counters and fixtures
-lamps
-hard chairs backs -
Keep the air clean:
Use a humidifier to keep the air moist, which can help prevent the spread of germs. You can also open windows to let in fresh air and improve ventilation throughout the house.
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Boost the immune system:
Encourage everyone in the family to eat a healthy diet, get plenty of rest, and stay hydrated. Consider adding immune-boosting supplements like vitamin C or echinacea to your family’s diet.
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Stay home:
Keep sick children home from school or daycare until they have fully recovered. This will help prevent the spread of illness to other children and their families, why put another family through the same misery!?
Make sure you’re labeling all their items at daycare so you can help the daycare center limit the spread of germs and limit the amount of illness coming home! Here are more ways to label for daycare.
By following these tips, you can hopefully avoid the illness sweeping throughout the house. Remember to be patient and understanding with your sick child and do your very best to keep yourself healthy too, your kids need you to be feeling tip-top, and while it can’t always be avoided, we can certainly try! Most of all remember, this too shall pass.
