Moms Talk: Surviving the Sniffles

You want your kids to be healthy. You buy them coats, make sure they wash their hands and watch their glasses when someone is sick. Then, everyday you send them to school, where they touch hundreds of other kids, and whatever germs they carry. 

How do you keep your kids from sniffling their way through the winter? 

Jenny Wescoat
We just wash hands a lot, try to eat well and get the kids to bed on time. I don't know how you ever measure whether you're avoiding illnesses. People swear by different methods, vitamins, etc., but I'm not sure how you ever tell if they work. 

I have to credit my husband for really spending time teaching our kids to wash their hands carefully. My daughter is so thorough that sometimes when I'm waiting for her in a public restroom, I have to check my urge to say, "C'mon! I'm sure they're clean enough by now!" 

We do try to be careful not to share our germs. I feel really thankful to be able to stay home and ride out a virus without the pressure to get back to work. And we are pretty careful about that window of contagion. One kid's harmless cold is another kid's croup, so we try to keep it to ourselves if we know it's spreadable.

Lisa May
We try to avoid large crowds where germs are most prevalent. 

We are blessed to have very healthy children. In all honesty, I think my husband and I get sick more often then they do. I usually get a cough every year (around this time). 

I hope everyone can stay well through this winter. Did I forget to mention that when my children do get sick, it is generally in the summer on vacation? What a bummer!

Jennifer AuBuchon
I do send my son with his own water bottle to school so he can avoid the drinking fountains.  My daughter keeps a hand sanitizer with her at her school.  I will say that despite our best efforts, we succumbed many times to the strep virus.  

Knock on wood, since having her tonsils removed in August, we've been able to avoid that one thus far. I really hope it stays that way! Both of my kids received the Flu Mist vaccine from their pediatrician as well. That's about all we can do!

Samantha Goswami
Both my kids have gotten their flu shots. Both the cars have a hand sanitizer bottle in so after getting into the car from visiting a store , we all sanitize our hands.  I also try and spray Lysol on all the door knobs and door handles  at home before going to bed at night.

If my kids are sick I make sure I send them back to school only when they are completely ok. I think this is very important since that might prevent more kids from getting sick.

Hopefully this winter will be a healthy one!