Protecting Yourself and Your Family From Colds and Flu This Winter

This time of year is notorious for flus, cold, and fevers. Children who go to school and are in close proximity with other students are especially at risk of catching an unwanted bug from other children (unfortunately there are parents who send their children to school sick), and many adults go to work sick rather than take a sick day. People who feel under the weather still go out in public, exposing others to their germs. My sister-in-law's school was closed down due to an outbreak of swine flu a short time ago, so there is even more reason these days to practice (and teach to children) good hygiene and how to prevent colds, fevers and more.

Symptoms of the common cold usually include sneezing, a runny or stuffy nose, the feeling of being tired, post-nasal drip, thick nasal secretions, mild cough, and sore throat. It can usually be prevented by practicing good hygiene while out in public and when exposed to other people. Treatment is usually aimed at alleviating symptoms and making you less uncomfortable while the cold runs its course.

Symptoms of the flu are often similar to those of a cold (such as a stuffy or runny nose, or a sore throat), but more intense, and can last much longer- up to several weeks. Other symptoms of the flu that are usually not found with colds include possible fever, sweats, and chills, headache, general aches and pains (especially in muscles), exhaustion and weakness, and a more severe cough. In addition to good hygiene and other methods of prevention, some may choose to get a flu shot (talk to your doctor about this, as this may not be suitable or desirable for everyone). For very bad flus, there are some prescription medications available.

Good hygiene is the best way to prevent getting sick. Avoid close contact with anyone sick or who may be sick. Avoid getting to close to anyone in general while in public~ schools, daycare, and work places (anywhere large amounts of people can be found in close quarters) are notorious for spreading bugs. Wash your hands often, and teach your children to also. Consider carrying hand sanitizers in case you find you have no access to soap and water. Washing hands often with an antibacterial soap for 20 seconds kills most communicable germs that can cause colds and flu. A great product to encourage proper hand washing for kids are Disney Musical Hand Wash Timers (retail for only $3.99 each). Princess Ariel for girls, which plays "Under the Sea", and Lightning McQueen for boys, which plays the tune "Real Gone". When the pump is pressed down to dispense soap, the timer plays a tune for 20 seconds (along with flashing lights), and the goal for your child is to scrub their hands well until it stops. The Disney Musical Hand Wash Timers fit on any liquid soap pump dispenser.




It is also a good idea to avoid sharing items, and avoid touching items that are publicly available. Many places now offer touch-free soap dispensers, hand dryers, and faucets (I love this!). Simplehuman offers one for use in the home or workplace that is a really great product. Their sensor soap pump comes in white, black, or chrome, and features a 20-second light so you wash for the proper amount of time. It is touch-free, so family, guests, or co-workers can have soap dispensed without having to touch the soap dispenser (preventing the spread of more germs). It's also a great-looking product to have in your home's bathrooms, and guests may really appreciate this. Since I have a newborn in my home, I have become rather neurotic about germs and hand-washing and love that this product is available for us to buy for our homes.If your children go to school, discourage them from sharing items, especially drinks, with other children. Keep them bundled up warmly, stock fruits and veggies for their lunch, and keep products in the home to make them more comfortable should they catch a bug anyway (such as acetaminophen for aches and pains or a sore throat). Encourage regular hand washing at home as well as school, and if you or your children are sick, do not go to school and work (even if your boss insists), because you can make others and their families sick as well.

In your home, keep air hydrated to alleviate cold irritations and symptoms such as raspy breathing, dry throat (especially if you are taking an anti-histamine to relieve post-nasal drip- anti-histamines can be very drying and cause a dry, sore throat). A great cool mist humidifier is the Vicks Pediatric GermFree Cool Mist humidifier. This humidifier is very easy to use, and has been helping our son breath better. Our apartment is very dry and hot, as we don't control the heat, and his raspy breath has given us many sleepless nights. With the air well-hydrated, he has been breathing easier, which makes us feel better. It helped soothe the air passages of my husband and myself too, but our son's raspy breathing, and feeling like he was suffering as a result, caused us pain, so we love this product now that he breathes so well. It also It kills up to 99.9% of mold and bacteria through a germ-killing UV light chamber (which is good, because this time of year, when it's snowing, we don't really like to open windows as much except to let excess heat out, and we worry about the stuffy air in our apartment). It's a new product that can be found at most major drugstores for about $69.99 or less.

If your child feels feverish, some great thermometers for children include the Braun ThermoScan, which is used in the ear (if you don't want to go the rectal/oral route). It is used most by pediatricians, and can be used from birth. Because fever is one of the first signs of the flu, the ThermoScan features a multiple memory function, allowing you to monitor fever’s progress. It usually sells for about $39.99 or so, also at most major drugstores and chains. Many parents who don't want to use thermometers rectally, and have trouble taking a temperature orally with an unhappy, sick baby, find this to be a miracle product.


A thermometer for oral, rectal, or underarm use is the Vicks ComfortFlex InSight Thermometer. It takes accurate readings in about 8 seconds, has a large, display that is backlit for late night readings, has a memory to keep track of a fever's progrees, and is waterproof. Depending on the color of the display, you can see at a glance if your child has a fever (red means fever). It can usually be found for only about $10.

My favorite hand soap is Dial, because it's inexpensive and antibacterial. I used to use expensive, fruit-scented, moisturizing hand soaps, but once my son was born I switched. Look for an antibacterial soap during the winter months for your family, in a scent you like so that you enjoy washing your hands often.

Some more tips:

* When in a public bathroom with standard equipment, use tissue paper to turn the faucet on and off, to turn the hand dryer on, etc. Don't touch anything if you can help it.

* Stay about two feet away from anyone (a bit further than usually required for personal space) and avoid crowded areas, especially if many children are there. Avoid rooms with coughers.

* Avoid shaking hands if possible and not insulting, but if you have to, make a conscious effort not to touch your face, eyes, mouth, etc after. It is a good idea in general to not touch your face, bite your nails, etc since this is bad hygiene for cold prevention. After you leave your house and touch public doorknobs, handles, etc your hands should not go anywhere near your face.

* For new parents, a "No Children Allowed" policy for visitors is a good idea. This was actually mandated by my son's pediatrician, but I'm passing this advice along to other new parents as well. Until a newborn is two months old, it's a good idea to avoid his exposure to school-aged children.

* A healthy diet (lots of fruits, proteins, vegetables, etc), Vitamin C supplements, a good night's sleep, and low stress also help maintain good immunity so you are less susceptible to getting sick, as well as reduce the length and strength of colds and flus when you do get them.

Good hygiene and maintaining healthy habits goes a long way toward prevention of colds and flus, and if you are exposed to germs but have a strong immune system, chances are you will not come down with anything, at least not long term. If you do become sick, staying home, drinking lots of fluids, bed rest, and eating well should be part of your recuperation plan, in addition to whatever OTC remedies you may choose to use. There are more natural alternatives for many irritating symptoms that you can look into as well. If you get a lot of colds, consider taking Vitamin C and Echinachea to lessen the degree, and consider taking zinc lozenges for sore throats (they don't taste that great, but they work very well) before using topical anesthetics. If you have a stuffy nose, saline drops and sprays are a more natural way to treat this, and will not raise your blood pressure like nasal decongestants do (though if you need to, and are suffering, you should use stronger OTC products...you can make these decisions on a case by case basis, starting with the most natural and working your way toward stronger products). Just remember that with stronger products, there are usually more side effects also (nasal decongestants can make you feel very alert, for example, and when you are sick, you may just want to sleep). I tend to find that as long as what I have is a simple cold or flu, the less I do, the better. If it lasts a long time, gets worse, or the symptoms are out of the ordinary, see your doctor to make sure it isn't something more severe than the common cold or flu.

With good hygiene, a healthy diet, and lots of rest, hopefully this winter will be a great, cold and flu-free one for you and your families.

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