Elizabeth Johnson Are you wondering how to prevent the flu? This coming flu season has me worried as a parent. I imagine there are other moms out there that are worried too, so I put together this helpful guide.
As we have been living with coronavirus for months now, it is easy to become numb to the situation. When the news about the virus first emerged, I was cleaning the house frantically. After a while, I eased up.
Yet we need a healthy balance—literally.
Keep reading for your quick reminder on how to prevent the flu, and some helpful tips you may not think of.
Why I’m Worried About Flu Prevention
As I said, I was a cleaning machine. But at some point, there have to be diminishing returns.
Regardless, I’ve been thinking about the coming flu season and the importance of how to prevent the flu. I think it may be time to remind myself of flu prevention best practices.
Several things worry me about the flu season. First, the idea of my child potentially having both the flu and coronavirus at the same time. Second, someone in the family has the flu and we think it is coronavirus and freak out. And third, is that we do get coronavirus and the hospitals are already overwhelmed with flu and COVID patients.
I can’t be the only mother out there with these thoughts.
So, this brought me to the idea of finding out how to prevent the flu. And if this list helps even one other worried mom, then I’m grateful.
Some of these tips may be common sense, but as I said, I think we could use a friendly reminder to tighten up defenses again.
So, let’s get into these helpful tips on how to prevent the flu.
7 Helpful Tips on How to Prevent the Flu for Families With Kids
1) At Work
For a lot of families having a provider out in the workforce is their X-factor. They need to leave the home and increase their exposure to co-workers, clients, and customers.
Here are a few tips for keeping healthy at work:
- Find out is your employer has an action plan if there is a virus outbreak, and if they are offering flu vaccinations on-site.
- Frequently clean highly touched objects and surfaces, including doorknobs, keyboards, and phones, to help remove germs.
- Make sure your workplace has a sufficient supply of soap, paper towels, tissues, alcohol-based hand rubs, and disposable wipes. Don’t be afraid to ask for these things or take matters into your own hands when needed.
- Go/stay home when you or a family member feels ill to prevent virus spread.
2) Prep Your Kids
If you have decided to send your children to school this year they will be the new X-factor. Despite my reservations, it is best for our children’s mental and emotional development to go to school.
I honestly feel like there may be a bad outbreak after the kids go back, and we will end up having them at home anyway. But my thinking is at least they will have made that personal connection with their teacher before that happens.
Anyway, here are ideas on how to get your children ready for going back to school:
- Practice good hand washing. Even if you think your child already knows good hygiene it is important to review and remind them how important it is. They need it.
- If your child is old enough send them with personal sanitizers and small tissue packs.
- This year we will have our children take off their clothes and shoes in the laundry/mudroom after school. The idea is that they will go straight to the bath after school vs. waiting until the end of the day. This will reduce the amount of virus getting into the house and infecting other family members.
- Be aware of how your school is keeping children safe. Ask how sick students will be identified, separated from others, and who will care for them until they can go home. Find out the school safety plan and demand more if you feel it is lacking.
3) Avoid Touching Your Face
According to the CDCTrusted Source, flu viruses can live for up to eight hours on hard surfaces. That’s why it’s so easy to pick up flu germs without knowing it. You can get infected if you touch a contaminated light switch or doorknob.
Here are some thoughts on face touching:
- This seems obvious, but it’s harder than you think. No itching your nose, no rubbing your eyes, or resting your head in your hand. If you do need to scratch wash your hand or use sanitizer before touching.
- Using masks with kids is a great way to help remind them to not touch their faces or pick their nose.
4) Practice Healthy Habits
We all know a healthy lifestyle is important for long life. But now it’s important for how to prevent the flu.
Follow these tips to boost your immunity and to keep your family safe:
- Get lots of sleep. Researchers found in a study that sleep (affecting your stress levels) has the potential to improve T cell functions. That means sleep has a direct effect on how your body fights viruses.
- Managing your stress has similar benefits to sleep. Lower stress levels mean better performing T cells. I like to use essential oils to fill my home with calming scents.
- Exercise will not only have your muscles and organs functioning at their prime, but it may also balance your hormonal levels and reduce stress. Win, win.
- Eat well. Try to eat more fruits and vegetables. Limit processed foods and alcohol.
- Drink lots of fluids. Be sure to send your children to school with their water bottles (you don’t want them drinking from fountains). Water has been proven to be vital to human health.
- Try vitamins. There is still a debate on the benefit of vitamins. You can find strong articles for the pro and con, but honestly, I think it’s worth a shot.
5)Prep Your Home
To keep up with flu prevention it is best to have systems and plans in place beforehand.
Try these helpful tips to get your family ready for the flu season:
- Stock up on essential items before the flu season begins. This should include paper towels, sanitizer, household disinfecting cleaners, soap, and yes, toilet paper.
- Have a system for taking off your shoes before coming indoors by setting up a tray, basket, or bench. Consider a system for changing clothes and bathing as well.
- Use hampers to carry dirty laundry vs. taking a load in your arm near your face with potential viruses on them. Wash your hands after doing laundry.
- Stock up on nonperishable foods, so you could go without grocery shopping if you have a potential flu outbreak in your home.
- Have a plan for alternative room and sleeping arrangements if children share rooms. This will quarantine the virus to one area of the home. It is also best if the ill person has a bathroom to themselves.
6)Clean Your Home
Sure, we all know we should be cleaning our homes, but like I said we become numb to it after a while. Cleaning is just one aspect of keeping your family flu-free.
Be aware of cleaning these highrisk areas of your home if you’re wondering how to prevent the flu virus from lingering:
- kitchen sponges: Microwave them for 1 minute to kill viruses and throw them away more often if possible.
- dishcloths: It’s best to change your dishcloth after washing dishes.
- cutting boards: Use plastic or glass cutting boards that can be thoroughly washed with hot water or in the dishwasher.
- home desks: Especially if you have shared desk space and computers, it is best to disinfect between users.
- floors: Try to clean the floors frequently. Since the flu virus stays active for hours you may potentially spread it around by walking. A steam mop is a great way to disinfect floors naturally while you are cleaning.
- sinks: Sinks are a breeding ground for bacteria, but viruses also hang out here from used dishes. Since this is often an unloved task try to make a point to clean it more frequently.
- toilets: Of course, right?! But in between cleanings be sure to disinfect door handles, faucet handles, soap dispensers, and toilet handles. Honestly, with small children, you can never clean a bathroom too much.
- door handles: This is a great task for children. Give them a pair of rubber gloves and a disinfecting wipe and set them loose to wash every door handle in the house.
7)Get Vaccinated
Vaccines have been up for debate for years. And the real question is do they do more harm than good.
Parents are worried about the connection between autism and vaccines. In 1998, a small study by A. Wakefield created this myth and desperate parents looking for answers took it and ran with it. Since then, over two dozen studies have been done dispelling this link, and the doctor who falsified the information lost his license, but the damage was done.
My heart goes out to any parent that has a child with a disability. It’s heartbreaking, frustrating, and often times guilt-inducing.
We want answers, but more research needs to be done on disabilities.
In the meantime, I too am leery about vaccines. I try to do an extended schedule so my child doesn’t get so many in one visit. And there is a small percentage of risk with vaccines.
It would be a lie to say there is none.
But in the end, vaccines do more good than bad.
With that being said, I usually don’t get the flu vaccine for me or my children. It is only 40%-60% effective and often times less. So, I usually weigh the risk of the preservative and mercury in the shot against my otherwise very healthy children.
This year, however, the risk has a whole new factor—coronavirus.
The unique risks this season holds have pushed the pendulum of my decision to get it. It’s just worth it. Vaccines are one of the best ways how to prevent the flu.
Getting the Flu Vaccine Helps Us All
And that is the true reason for vaccines—herd immunity. The more people that get vaccinated, the lower the potential for virus spread. This helps protect the elderly and those with complications that prevent them from taking a vaccination.
In addition, it will lower the potential to overwhelm the medical system with both flu and coronavirus patients.
I realize that the decision to vaccinate your children is very personal. I don’t wish to ruffle any feathers, but if you are on the fence about it I would like to encourage you to consider it this year of all years.
Final Thought on How to Prevent the Flu
I hope these tips help you with how to prevent the flu. At the very least it might help us both get into the right frame-of-mind.
I think planning ahead is going to be key to get ahead of this season.
If you are interested in boosting your immune system you might like this post on the 9 Best Essential Oils for Detox and since you have kids check out these great posts on activities for kids.
You’ve got this momma. I hope you and your family stay well this season.
