Tips For Helping Kids Survive Bugs
I personally find Winter one of the toughest times of the year, but not surprisingly my kids can get sick at ANY POINT in time regardless of the weather. Before I had kids, I had to worry about my own sickness, and also the terrible weather. Now I have two children, I have to worry about myself, them AND my husband. Because if any one of us gets sick, all hell breaks loose.
If you’re lucky, your child won’t get sick, but most kids do; so getting through, and surviving Winter, becomes ESSENTIAL. Now that it’s Spring, one would assume the sickness will go away – WRONG. As evident by my kids RIGHT NOW – both of whom are sick with a cold.
Here are some tips, that I myself have found useful, for helping kids survive bugs:
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1. KEEP THE HOUSE WARM
One of the most important things for your family’s health, is that your house is both warm AND dry, no matter what the time of the year. Cold, damp houses are often linked to poor health – especially for babies and small children. When my daughter was diagnoses with Asthma, one of the first things the Asthma Nurse talked about was ways to ensure the house was warm and dry. Here are some things I learned:
- Only heat the room you’re in – don’t waste electricity heating rooms that aren’t being used
- Put an oil heater in your child’s room to take the chill off the air
- Open windows on sunny days to help circulate the air, and close the windows at night to trap the heat
- Cut back any trees stopping the sunlight from entering your house
- Block up unused chimneys
- Place newspaper or a doorstopper by the gaps between the door and the floor – to stop drafts
- Insulate the roof space and underneath the house (if you can afford it)
2. KEEP THE HOUSE DRY
As I said above, keeping the house warm AND dry is essential for helping to keep the bugs at bay, and keep our families healthy. Here are some ways to ensure your house is dry…
Note, using a dehumidifier in your child’s room is best, but this can be expensive so prevention is the best way forward:
- Using a gas heater adds moisture into the air, so think about using a different type of heater
- Try not to dry clothes indoors
- When cooking, use an extraction fan or open a window
- Keep bedroom doors closed when cooking – so that the steam doesn’t travel down
- Open a window when having a shower
- If you have to use a clothes dryer, make sure your clothes are properly spun first and leave windows open while you are using it – or even better, vent it outside
- When it’s sunny, open all the windows and let the air flow throughout the house. Keeping your house well ventilated is key!
3. KEEP YOUR KIDS WARM
Children bodies aren’t capable of regulating their temperature – so it’s up to us, their parents, to ensure our kids are appropriately dressed for the weather. Layers are the key to keeping their temperature the same, remove if they feel too hot, or add if they are too cold.
Ensure they are appropriately dressed for night time too – if you know the temperature is going to drop at night, put on a pair of socks. Or add an extra blanket.
4. KEEP YOUR KIDS FED
Ensure your children have a balanced diet. If we’re going to do our best to keep them healthy on the outside, then it’s important to do our best for them on the inside.
Make sure your children eat as many fruits and vegetables as they can – to help ward off any bugs. Having hot homemade meals and hot drinks not only keeps you warm, but will keep your kids healthy.
5. KEEP YOUR KIDS HYDRATED
You’d be amazed at how just drinking water each day, will help to keep our children healthy and hydrated. However sometimes it is easy to forget how quickly kids get dehydrated. Hydralyte hydrates your body faster than water alone, especially if your child is sick from vomiting or diarrhoea.
If you ever need to hydrate your children, try Hydralyte. It’s a ready-to-use Electrolyte solution perfect for the entire family. Not only does it come in liquid form – it comes as an ice block too!
6. KEEP YOUR KIDS ACTIVE
I know it might be Spring, with unpredictable weather, but if kids remain active, it’s actually good for their health! If the weather is good, get outside and enjoy the fresh air! Take your kids to a local playground, or simply explore your own backyard.
If you’re stuck inside you can still have fun without having to put the TV on (although we all know it’s easier!) … play hide-and-seek, or build a fort. You can check out the many activities I have here on my page if you need some other ideas.
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We can follow these six steps to the letter and our kids will still get sick, but we still have to do our best. If you do find that your child is sick (like we are experiencing at the moment) then hydration is one of the most important things to keep on top of.
As I mentioned above, Hydralyte is a ready-to-use Electrolyte solution, which also comes in an ice block form. Instead of children thinking of it as medicine, it is more like a treat – which is a win in my books.
Hydralyte is widely used in hospitals and by health professionals and is available in all leading New Zealand pharmacies.
Thanks to Hydralyte for making this post possible, and keeping my kids hydrated! And yes, that means this is a sponsored post.
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