Do you feel like you practically live at the pediatrician’s office these days? Like you should have a frequent visitor punch card for a free visit coffee or something?
Don’t you just wish you had the magic formula to keep your kids from getting sick?
I have been there! Particularly in those first five years – it’s like a revolving door! It’s even worse if you have more than one kiddo or they are in daycare. Germs, germs, everywhere!
But I might be able to help. I have a proven strategy that you should at least try if you really want to keep your kids from getting sick.
I’m going to be completely honest with you – this is not a cure-all strategy for every possible ailment. I am not a medical professional by any means. I just know what has been working for us.
It’s also no secret. You can find most of this same stuff by scouring the internet and talking to medical professionals. But lucky for you, I’ve done all the leg work for you! And tested it out myself!
HOW TO KEEP YOUR KIDS FROM GETTING SICK
Below are the very steps that we used to prevent our son from getting sick and maintain perfect attendance at school in 1st grade. A feat that I would have never believed a year or two before had I not seen it with my own eyes.
It doesn’t hurt to try and see if it just might work for you too!
AFTER SCHOOL ROUTINE
Did you know that there have been studies done on doctor’s ties and what they’ve found is not pretty. The neckties of healthcare professionals have the propensity to pick up and carry illness-causing bacteria at an alarming rate.
That leads me to the first step, your after-school routine. This is really what we do when we come home from anywhere – school, daycare, church, play dates, the mall, etc.
First, leave shoes at the door – shoes track in more than just dirt. Next, change out of your day clothes and into either house lounge clothes or PJ’s right away.
Then wash hands really well with soap and warm water for at least 20 seconds. I also like to have my kids brush their teeth after school for good measure.
This seems so simple and obvious, but it’s probably the most important part of keeping your kids from getting sick. Because you are shedding all of the germs that you picked up while you were out.
VITAMINS + MORE
I’m a freak about vitamins. I don’t know why, but I love them.
Every morning I set out two SmartyPants gummy vitamins. I do the same in the evening but add Vitamin C.
In addition, during the school year, I set out Children’s Allegra to combat his seasonal allergies.
At the slightest hint of a sniffle, I switch to Airborne gummy vitamins and also give him Children’s Sudafed morning and night until it passes.
I picked this up one year when my Mom, my son, and I all ended up at the urgent care clinic for upper respiratory issues. I was diagnosed with pneumonia, my son had bronchitis, and my mom had some other UR infection.
The doctor that treated us told us that she uses Allegra and Sudafed all through allergy season to keep herself from getting sick.
ESSENTIAL OILS
A few years ago I didn’t even know what essential oils were. Sure, I saw a lot of friends and old classmates talking about them.
But I just figured they must be a bunch of pretty smelling oils. And assumed it was just the next Scentsy or Yankee Candle craze.
Of course, I’m all about making my home smell yummy, so it totally made sense to me.
Boy, was I off-base! Luckily one of the gals I knew through Instagram enlightened me.
Did you know that you can use EO’s for wellness support? And did you know that you can even use them on babies?
That was life changing for me!
I’m sure that you can relate to the helplessness that we feel when our babies are NB – 2YO and sick. And you can’t give them anything.
When your baby is sick, all you want is to be able to *DO something*. And with EO’s I felt some of that control return – I didn’t feel utterly helpless anymore.
This is the wellness roller that I roll on my kid’s feet and spine daily during cold + flu season for wellness support. We love it + it smells good too!
“KEEP YOUR KIDS FROM GETTING SICK” WELLNESS ROLLER
- 6 drops Thieves*
- 4 drops Lavender
- 4 drops Frankincense
- 3 drops Oregano
- 3 drops Lemon
- OOC – we like Fractionated Coconut Oil
- 15 mL Roller Bottle
* For visual proof on why Thieves, check THIS out!
SLEEP
Ok, so the next three might be a bit obvious, but critical nonetheless.
I will admit, I am the poster child for “crazy busy”. It’s SO hard juggling all of our evening activities, dinner, and bedtime routine to get the kiddos to bed at a reasonable time.
But it’s SO important for their overall well-being, particularly during cold + flu season!
So I just do my absolute best to get them to bed as close to “on time” as possible on weeknights. And make sure they have plenty of extra sleep time on the weekends.
You can view the updated recommendations for optimal sleep HERE. This will help keep all their systems running in good order and help in your effort to keep them from getting sick.
WATER
Of course, we all know how important water is. But it can be really hard to get kids to drink water at all, let alone the recommended daily amount.
But I swear that you CAN retrain your child to drink water even if they are used to drinking other beverages. I started with after dinner – all they could have was water. Then slowly began to reduce their access to other beverages.
Now both of my kids LOVE water!! They each carry a water bottle around with them at all times.
The only annoying thing is that they always want “fresh” water. So I’m always having to fill those water bottles. It’s only a problem because we use a Brita pitcher and I don’t trust them to do it on their own.
But if you have a water dispenser in your fridge door, then they can just do it themselves. And an alternative to carrying around a water bottle would be these cute cups we just bought on Amazon!
That way the kiddos stay nice and hydrated to flush out any icky toxins that may be lurking!
HAND SANITIZER VS. HAND WASHING
Obviously, hand sanitizers are super popular these days – you can barely pass a desk without seeing a bottle. And they are great in a pinch.
But I caution you, please educate yourself about the sanitizer that you choose. We’ve started to use alcohol + triclosan free options like Thieves Waterless Hand Purifier or Babyganics Foaming Hand Sanitizer. They are both great options for the whole family.
I recommend that your family just thoroughly wash hands when possible and use alternatives to standard sanitizer when the need arises.
START EARLY
Your child’s wellness starts at birth. If you are expecting or plan to be, then consider these options:
Your birth may not allow for all of these, but it’s helpful to be informed and know your options.
WE NEED GERMS
One other tip is to not over sanitize your world. We all need exposure to germs, that is how we build and strengthen our immune response.
So don’t freak out when Baby drops that binky on the floor. Just lick it and give it back to them!
You might just be preventing asthma or eczema based on the Hygiene Hypothesis. This NPR article is my favorite on the subject.
Which leads me to bathing.
You’re likely from the same generation as me, where our parents daily routine included giving the kids a bath right before bed. But guidance on this has changed since then.
Not only are you stripping away the healthy, protective oils from their skin + hair, but you are also limiting their exposure to germs + bacteria. Though that may sound like a good thing, it’s probably not. Check out the expert guidance on bathing your kiddos HERE.
OUR STORY
You’re probably wondering what makes me an expert on how to keep your kids from getting sick…
I’m not. I only have my own experience to go off of, but it worked! So why not?
I’m a planner. I plan everything. And leave very little up to chance.
So I research every detail of every endeavor before I embark upon uncharted territory. And keeping our family healthy is no different.
OUR ELDEST
Our eldest, GQ, was sick All.The.Time from the time he started daycare at 2-years-old until he started Kindergarten.
That was in large part because of genetics. I have seasonal allergies and am prone to upper respiratory infections. So is he.
In addition, he was constantly exposed to all the icky germs that run rampant in childcare facilities. So he was always coming home with something.
The worst was the winter when he was 3-years-old. I’ll save all the gory details for another post. But he spent a week in the hospital over Christmas with a crazy upper respiratory infection.
Now he hardly ever gets sick – which is such an amazing change for our family!
CONCLUSION
As you can see, I’ve been there. And am so very thankful for the tools that I now have in my arsenal to keep my kids from getting sick. I hope these work as well for you as they have for us!
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