Winter means colder weather, more time indoors, and the dreaded cold and flu season (with the addition of COVID as well). Ideally, you and your family can protect yourselves from catching anything during the winter. However, with daycare, playdates, and general life happenings, it does become difficult.

At Sawyer, our goal is to make life simpler for families. In this guide, we’ll outline some top tips from medical professionals to help you protect your family from getting sick. But, we’ll also include tips for when parents, caregivers, and children inevitably catch what is going around. Cold and flu season beware!

How families can manage cold and flu season

• How to protect your family from getting sick
• Tips for when parents and caregivers get sick
• Tips for when children get sick

How to protect your family from getting sick

Children, especially little ones, learn with their hands. That means that they are constantly touching what is probably better left untouched. Unfortunately, children are also prone to putting their hands in their mouths and even sometimes the mouths of their friends, siblings, and caregivers. This can often lead to quickly spreading viruses and a feeling of “constantly being sick.”

How can parents and caregivers protect their children and families from getting sick? Here are some top tips from medical professionals.

1. Wash hands constantly. From an early age, impress the importance of handwashing onto your children. Remind them to wash their hands before eating and after playing outside, coming back from daycare or school, using the bathroom, and coughing, sneezing, or blowing their nose. By modeling this behavior and including yourself in the handwashing with your child, you can ensure they are not scared or overwhelmed.
2. Disinfect around the house. When your child comes back from daycare or school, they are likely carrying a lot of germs. Keep up with the disinfectant around the house, especially in high touch areas like the sinks, kitchen counters, and door handles/knobs, as well as on devices like your child’s tablet, your phone, and more.
3. Welcome fresh air. On milder winter days, open the windows and let the house breathe. If you have an air purifier and/or humidifier, running those during the winter can help clean the air and reduce germs. The American Lung Association has a variety of recommendations to help you keep the air in your home clean. And don’t forget to get outside and enjoy the fresh air that way, even if you need to bundle up.
4. Don’t share drinks or food. This should be a tip all year round, but it is especially important during cold and flu season. Sharing utensils, cups, and water bottles is a surefire way to catch whatever is brewing. Children should be reminded not to share food and drinks with their classmates and friends as well.

Tips for when parents and caregivers get sick

As a parent or caregiver, it can be difficult to take a step back and take care of yourself when you need it. However, listening to your body is so important to both your mental and physical health as well as the health of your children.

We know it is often not possible for parents and caregivers to drop everything when they get sick, but hopefully you can utilize some of these suggestions to help yourself get better more quickly.

1. Ask for help. This is our number one recommendation for parents and caregivers if they get sick. Getting help from your partner or spouse, parents or in-laws, siblings, neighbors, and friends can help you get the rest that you need to feel better. Maybe they can run to the store for you to get groceries or essentials, spend the afternoon with your little one so you can take a nap, or take your child to their activities so you can avoid spreading germs and picking up something new.
2. Stay home. Parents and caregivers are superheroes, but continuing to run around and do it all when not feeling well is a recipe for disaster. When you are sick, your immune system cannot work as well to combat new diseases, so you risk getting something else. Plus, you need to rest so that your body can fight the illness. 
3. Keep it simple. When you are not feeling well, allow yourself grace. You can cook simple meals like soup and sandwiches, give your children a little extra screen time, and outsource some of the fun to educators offering in-person activities and online classes. Break out the dress-up box, LEGO bricks, arts & crafts, and other activities that your child can enjoy while you supervise from the couch.
4. Try not to get everyone sick. We know, easier said than done. This is probably the hardest part of being sick as a parent/caregiver. Depending on the age of your child, it is very difficult to stay away from them whether or not you are ill. Therefore, the best advice doctors give is to be careful. Rely heavily on disinfectant, handwashing, and sanitizer especially if you are blowing your nose, coughing, sneezing a lot.

Tips for when children get sick 

When children pick up colds, coughs, stomach bugs, and the like, they can be more tired than usual, irritated and more prone to tantrums, and just not themselves. As a parent or caregiver, it can be tough to see your child like this. Here are some tips to handle times when your child is sick, so that they can get better and get back to having fun.

1. Keep them hydrated. It takes a lot for the human body to fight an illness. Drinking lots of water is super important to helping their little bodies fight, especially if your child is running a fever. Keep water next to them in their favorite cup at all times and be creative with hydration by offering popsicles, soup, hot chocolate, and other hydrating treats.
2. Keep them resting. When your child is sick, they need to rest so that their body can do what it needs to do. Don’t be afraid of screen time: let your child do what they need to stay in bed or on the couch.
3. Listen to their doctors. If the pediatrician recommends using children’s Motrin or another medication to reduce their fever and make them more comfortable, listen! The doctors are looking out for your child and your family.
4. Offer low energy activities. When children start to feel better or when the medication kicks in, it can be tough to keep the energy low so that they can continue to fight the illness. In that case, offer at-home activities that can keep them entertained. Our educators on Sawyer offer lots of great online activities and classes that your child can enjoy while on the mend.

Cold and flu season is tough on parents and children, but we know that you got this! Keep washing those hands and teaching good habits. It will be spring before you know it!