When my oldest who will be 9 in just a few shorts months was a baby, I can still recall the phone call I got from her on-site daycare saying she was running a fever! I’ve never moved so fast to get back to my baby and booked her a pediatrician appointment that day! I was literally questioning everything at that point like how did she get sick, should we even be doing daycare….all the questions. My sweet pediatrician who was a Mom of 3 said, “she can either build her immune system now in the early years or build it in Kindergarten”. I loved that she made it clear there was no way around illness we as Moms just have to decide how best to get through it. While, I know I’m not going to prevent every illness here are 5 things we do in our home to hopefully help us ward off some things and make it easier if we do get sick!
Prioritize Healthy Eating and Exercise
Truly this is the best recipe per my pediatrician for being healthy and staying healthy! Yes, just like everyone we do the occasional drive through dinners, but during the winter months I really try to double down on cooking more whole foods for my family! Ensuring we load up on fruits and veggies during these months seem extra important to fuel our bodies with foods to fight off any bugs we might be exposed to. I love whipping up Green Smoothies on days when it is hard to get my littles to actually eat their veggies because you can pack so many nutrients in without them knowing.
Here is our go-to Green Smoothie Recipe:
Greek Yogurt
Strawberries (Fresh or Frozen)
Spinach (Fresh or Frozen)
Banana (Fresh or Frozen)
Splash of Chocolate Milk
Splash of OJ
MIX!
We love doing Cosmic Kids Yoga and you can check out details on this at one of my previous Blog posts below.
Humidifiers in Rooms
Most of us are running lots of dry heat during the winter so running humidifiers in rooms help keep our kids airways and skin moisturized. Honestly, I love running one in my own room too! Be sure to change the water frequently. Here is the one we use!
Multi-Vitamin Everyday
My kids are obsessed with their multi vitamins and that is half the battle. I know so many Mom’s are passionate about not using gummy vitamins and are switching to expensive alternatives, but I’m here with an unpopular opinion to say that if your kids are waking up and reminding you to give them their gummy vitamin then that is half the battle! We love these brands all found at Target and I mix it up based on what is on sale through Target Circle:
Shoes off at the Door and Bath into Pajamas
Fact, all four of my babies are technically Winter babies born with birthdays between January and March! Therefore, it was always so crucial for me to keep my little newborns healthy, especially as our family grew and we had older ones coming home from school with who knows what germs.
Once again I consulted my pediatrician who offered the advice that I am sharing. Leave the germs at the door, while not all germs can be brought in on clothes or shoes, some can be, so just remove them. When we had a newborn in our home and/or when we get news that things are picking up in classrooms we inact this policy. Shoes come off at the door and we have our kids remove their clothes and take a quick bath or shower and jump into cozy pj’s for the rest of the evening. Seriously this works well in the cold winter months anyway when it gets dark early and you want to be cozy too!
Here are our go to pajamas to slip on:
Keep the Medicine and Pantry Stocked
No one is going to avoid all the germs so practically it’s important to prepare by stocking up on medicine cabinet and even pantry essentials. Here is my list that I try to have on hand:
- Infant and Children Tylenol
- Infant and Children Motrin
- Children’s Benadryl
- Forehead Thermometer and extra Batteries (trust me on this one)
- Zarbee’s Cough Syrub and Chest Rub
- Frida Saline Spray and Nasal Aspirator
- Gatorade or Pedialyte
- Popsicles (work for tummy bugs and sore throats)
- Chicken Noodle Soup and Saltines or Ritz Crackers
- A few fun Target Dollar Spot items for rewards in taking antibiotics or medicine!
I hope these tips are new to some of you or if not at least provide a reminder that while we as Mom’s can’t prevent all the illnesses that our kids will get we can do our best to take preventative measures and be prepared when illnesses hit! Are there other items that are essential to your medicine cabinet or pantry to help sick kids? I’d love to hear those and add them to my list!