when your kids get sick | can we avoid it or are we doomed?

This week at our household we’ve played “pass the bug”.  My step daughter arrived in our home last Friday with what appeared to be a flu bug. Her systems got more severe over the week-end and after an urgent care visit and many doctor appointments later, it turns out a nasty viral infection visited her body and it didn’t want to leave. (She was so sick she couldn’t eat for 4 days). One sick kid, ah, not so bad. But then my 5-year-old and I got hit with it hard yesterday morning. Then my step son got it today. We have been so sick this week I didn’t even think I’d be able to have an article to finish for Friday.  As I lay here in bed barely able to keep food down, I’m wondering how did this happen to me? I was washing my hands non-stop and no one shared a bathroom with her. Is there anything else we could have done to prevent from passing this around the family? As parents, can we prevent ourselves from getting sick or are we just doomed?

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First off, many times our children are running around feeling just fine. We have no indication they are sick.  Then boom, it hits them. That also means that they’ve been slobbering all over us the past few days and many illnesses people get can have them contagious for 2 to 3 days before they show symptoms.  Your children could be running around with a soon to be sickness right now and you don’t even know. What’s a mom to do?  Well, there are a few things we can do on a daily basis – don’t wait til your child is sick to be in “prevention mode”.  It might not guarantee that we will NEVER get sick but it will definitely increase the chances of us staying healthy.

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For me, I used to get everything my little guy brought home from daycare.  Then I’d be sick, miss work and sometimes was barely able to care for him.   The single most important thing my pediatrician told me to do is stop sharing his food with him at all times.  That means no double dipping in the same bowl, don’t take a little sip out of his cup, no sharing plates or utensils or anything. Once I started doing this, I found a huge difference in the number of bugs I picked up from him.

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WASH HANDS!! This is still the single most effective method for disease prevention. According to the Mayo Clinic, antibacterial soaps are no more effective at killing germs than regular soap. All you need is warm running water and a liquid or clean bar soap that you can lather well.  Rub hands vigorously for at least 15 to 20 seconds scrubbing all surfaces including the backs of your hands, wrists, in between your fingers and under your nails. Rinse well with a clean or disposable towel and use a towel to turn off the faucet.   The Mayo Clinic notes that using antibacterial soaps may lead to the development of bacteria that are resistant to the products’ antimicrobial agents — making it even harder to kill these germs in the future. In general, regular soap is fine. They add however that alcohol-based hand sanitizers, which don’t require water, are an excellent alternative to hand washing, particularly when soap and water aren’t available. They’re actually more effective than soap and water in killing bacteria and viruses that cause disease. The key thing is getting your young ones to practice the same method of hand washing – supervision may be necessary on this one!

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And that brings up my next point, when cleaning, make sure to wash door knobs, faucets and hard surfaces that your kids are touching. Got an Xbox?  Shared things like controllers should be wiped down regularly. Anything that kids are sharing amongst themselves is a breeding ground for germs. I’ve also switched to using strictly paper towels in the bathroom. After this week’s infection I realized it’s just more sanitary and easier than keeping clean hand towels in the bathroom on a daily basis.

Infectious Disease Specialists recommend maintaining the three feet rule. Keep at least 3 feet between you and others if you or they are sick. That way, if you cough or sneeze the mucus can’t hit anyone else. I know that’s hard for small children but try to teach them to back up or walk away if they have to sneeze or cough around you.  Other alternatives are sneezing and coughing into their elbow or arm and having tissues in all the rooms of your house so they can use them and immediately put them in the trash. Try to avoid direct contact if possible – although we know that’s hard to do when little ones are always coming up and hanging on you wanting hugs and kisses. Also, avoid rubbing your eyes and touching your nose or mouth before washing hands. Apparently a significant percentage of viral infections are introduced by rubbing eyes after touching a contaminated surface or object.

Lastly, have a strong immune system to begin with.  Do this by getting enough sleep, participating in regular exercise and eating healthy. Drinking green tea and eating dark green vegetables (broccoli and green in particular) are particularly good because they contain lots of nutrients that boost the immune system. Green tea contains antioxidants to help repair damaged cells. Take your vitamins, drink plenty of fluids and reduce stress as much as possible. Reducing alcohol and sugar consumption helps as well as stopping smoking if you haven’t already kicked the habit.

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Airing out a room to kill germs appears to be an old wives tail – however, keeping windows shut 24/7 helps germs/bacteria breed within the closed atmosphere.  If the air is moisture rich, it makes it even more of a breeding ground for viruses and bacterium. Don’t forget to change linen / bed sheets regularly and change out towels in bathrooms often.

Of course, even with these precautions you may still get sick. After researching to put this article together, I realized we could have done a better job of wiping down hard surfaces that my daughter surely was touching. I was also not well rested all week because of work deadlines so my immune system probably was not where it should have been. Thus, I’m sick!

The above tips all seem like common sense but sometimes we need a little reminder!