by Troop Atomic Mommy
This post contains affiliate links. To learn more about affiliate links, read our Affiliate Links Disclaimer HERE.
The winter is a glorious time filled with snow, holiday cheer, and sniffles. The cold and flu also make their seasonal comeback and no amount of hot cocoa is going to help with that.
While many adults get sick during the winter months, children are especially prone to it. Children catch germs from anything and everywhere, which then spreads to their parents. This is why it is so important to take extra steps to keep your children healthy during the winter season.
Here are 5 helpful tips to get them to stay healthy, which means you’ll be able to stay healthy too!
#1 Watch what your children eat and drink
From Thanksgiving to Valentine’s Day, there are so many holidays and other festivities. These holidays typically offer a lot of sweet and salty food therefore, it is best to look after what your children are eating and drinking during this time. You’ll want to make sure that they have a healthy diet and a good immune system. Make sure to feed them foods that contain zinc, Vitamin-C, probiotics, and allicin. These all fight against infections and viruses, so add these to your diet, too.
Another aspect of a healthy immune system is monitoring sugar intake. The immune system tends to get a tad weak if too much sugar is consumed, so it’s important to limit sugar intake.
#2 Know when to take your children to the doctor
Since getting sick is so common during the winter season, it’s very important to know when you will need to contact a doctor. Sneezing and sniffling tends to get ignored during normal cold and flu season, but since COVID, every sneeze and sniffle gets over analyzed from the little ones. And while this is rightfully so, there are still a few surefire symptoms to look for to know when it’s time to call the doctor. If their (or your) fever is 103 F or higher, seek medical attention immediately. Diarrhea, vomiting, sore throat, and wheezing for multiple days, are also symptoms that should be told to the doctor.
Don’t Miss a Beat… Subscribe Today!
#3 Ensure you and your children get enough sleep
No matter how old you are, if you’re not getting enough sleep, your immune system will get weak. This can lead to a lot of complications such as inflammation, headaches, being prone to getting sick, and dry eyes. While there are ptosis eyedrops for the eyes, the only solution for the rest of the side effects due to lack of sleep can only be fixed with… Yup, you guessed it, sleep! Do your best to have your little ones are getting a minimum of eight hours of sleep, while also being sure not to neglect your own sleep needs.
#4 Encourage relaxation
It’s very important to encourage your children to get enough sleep and it’s equally important to encourage them to just sit back and relax. This doesn’t necessarily mean that they need to be lazy for days on end, but staying busy and constantly moving all the time isn’t the best for their immune system either. Encourage them to take a break to watch a movie, play with their toys, play games, or just some type of slow-paced activity.
#5 Have fun!
Winter has so many fun activities to do. Playing in the snow, ice skating, tree lighting ceremonies, holiday festivals, or even doing some holiday shopping for sensory toys, are all fantastic ways to have fun! Whatever it is you and your kids choose to do, be sure to enjoy the fun together. Fun is extremely important for your child’s development and their mental health.
The Takeaway
The winter doesn’t have to be boring and it certainly doesn’t have to be spent indoors feeling ill or shooing away the germs. The kids can be kids during this glorious time of year while staying healthy, and having fun. Just remember to have fun yourselves, too!
