How To Avoid Catching Your Child's Cold
Sniffling, snorting, hacking, and coughing -- your sick kids can't go to school, but you might wonder whether they should be around any healthy person, including you. Here's how to care for them without getting sick yourself.
When your children are too sick for child care or school, you might wonder
whether it’s just a matter of time before you get the bug too.
“Avoiding transmission, particularly if with minor children
in the house, is not easy,” admits Larry Anderson, MD, a professor of pediatric
infectious diseases at the Emory School of Medicine in Atlanta. One of the
biggest challenges for a healthy mom, he says, is that a lot of transmission happens early in the sickness, well before
symptoms cue you in that you have sick children.
On the other side, it’s possible for healthy mommies and
healthy daddies to stay that way while caring for sick kids. Research published
in the New England Journal of Medicine said that having sick
kids at home doesn’t automatically mean you’ll get sick too. An analysis of 215
households in which one person had the flu showed that another person in the
house came down with it just 21 percent of the time. Sickness spreading to more
than one other person in the house was even less common, occurring only six
percent of the time.
Another way to stay healthy is to practice healthy home practices
or habits. Here’s what you can do when your home is filled with sniffling and
coughing sick kids:
Stay safe from sneezes. Teach your kids to cough
or sneeze into their elbows or a tissue. Second to regular washing hands,
covering coughs and sneezes is the most essential step in avoiding the spread
of sickness in your home. Promptly throw away any tissues used to collect
coughs, sneezes, or sniffles. If collecting them becomes your job,
wash your hands carefully afterward.
Use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer. If your
children or you can’t wash your hands, an alcohol-based hand sanitizer will
help control the spread of germs. Tuck a small bottle in your purse so you
can protect against catching a bug from other people’s sick kids too.
Regularly Wash your hands. Your own parent’s advice
is still relevant nowadays. “The best and most time-tested way to protect
against colds is regularly hand washing,” says
pediatrician Jonathan Gold, MD, an associate instructor in the department of
pediatrics and human development at Michigan State University in Lansing. Wash
your hands regularly, for 35 seconds each time. A regular bar of soap will do
just fine; it's doesn't have to be antibacterial.
Wipe down surfaces. When you have sick children,
you’ll need to step up your home cleaning routine a notch or two. Regularly
wipe down any sides that your children touch commonly. Try using bleach-based
sprays or wipes (avoiding contact with your clothes). “For toddlers and older
infants who mouth everything they touch, wipe down toys,” advises Dr. Gold. Pay
attention to surfaces that lots of hands touch, such as door knobs, faucets, and handles
on the refrigerator and freezer.
Vaccinate. Cold and flu season comes around
every year, so you know what you’re facing. “Get flu shots for everybody,” advises Gold. Illness often
spreads before you realize you have sick kids. You can’t vaccinate against the
common cold, but you can take a stand against the flu.
Don’t share. You want your kids to share when
they're healthy, but encourage sick kids to be selfish. Cups, forks, spoons,
toothbrushes, thermometers, medicine syringes, and anything else that goes near
their eyes, mouth, or nose should be washed thoroughly before anyone else uses
it. If you’re using saline nasal sprays to help relieve congestion, get a
bottle for each child and label them.
Set up a mini-quarantine. Sick kids can’t go to
school, and they shouldn’t have the run of the house either, at least until
their symptoms ease up. “A sick child will do better in a limited area,” says
Dr. Anderson. Limiting the places your child can rest while sick will also
limit exposure for the rest of the family.
Take care of yourself. Even when you’re caring
for your sick kids and keeping up with your other obligations, try to get enough sleep and eat healthy.
You’ll resist illness better if you stay strong, rested, and well-nourished.
When your children are too sick for child care or school, you might wonder
whether it’s just a matter of time before you get the bug too.
“Avoiding transmission, particularly if with minor children
in the house, is not easy,” admits Larry Anderson, MD, a professor of pediatric
infectious diseases at the Emory School of Medicine in Atlanta. One of the
biggest challenges for a healthy mom, he says, is that a lot of transmission happens early in the sickness, well before
symptoms cue you in that you have sick children.
On the other side, it’s possible for healthy mommies and
healthy daddies to stay that way while caring for sick kids. Research published
in the New England Journal of Medicine said that having sick
kids at home doesn’t automatically mean you’ll get sick too. An analysis of 215
households in which one person had the flu showed that another person in the
house came down with it just 21 percent of the time. Sickness spreading to more
than one other person in the house was even less common, occurring only six
percent of the time.
Another way to stay healthy is to practice healthy home practices
or habits. Here’s what you can do when your home is filled with sniffling and
coughing sick kids:
Stay safe from sneezes. Teach your kids to cough
or sneeze into their elbows or a tissue. Second to regular washing hands,
covering coughs and sneezes is the most essential step in avoiding the spread
of sickness in your home. Promptly throw away any tissues used to collect
coughs, sneezes, or sniffles. If collecting them becomes your job,
wash your hands carefully afterward.
Use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer. If your
children or you can’t wash your hands, an alcohol-based hand sanitizer will
help control the spread of germs. Tuck a small bottle in your purse so you
can protect against catching a bug from other people’s sick kids too.
Regularly Wash your hands. Your own parent’s advice
is still relevant nowadays. “The best and most time-tested way to protect
against colds is regularly hand washing,” says
pediatrician Jonathan Gold, MD, an associate instructor in the department of
pediatrics and human development at Michigan State University in Lansing. Wash
your hands regularly, for 35 seconds each time. A regular bar of soap will do
just fine; it's doesn't have to be antibacterial.
Wipe down surfaces. When you have sick children,
you’ll need to step up your home cleaning routine a notch or two. Regularly
wipe down any sides that your children touch commonly. Try using bleach-based
sprays or wipes (avoiding contact with your clothes). “For toddlers and older
infants who mouth everything they touch, wipe down toys,” advises Dr. Gold. Pay
attention to surfaces that lots of hands touch, such as door knobs, faucets, and handles
on the refrigerator and freezer.
Vaccinate. Cold and flu season comes around
every year, so you know what you’re facing. “Get flu shots for everybody,” advises Gold. Illness often
spreads before you realize you have sick kids. You can’t vaccinate against the
common cold, but you can take a stand against the flu.
Don’t share. You want your kids to share when
they're healthy, but encourage sick kids to be selfish. Cups, forks, spoons,
toothbrushes, thermometers, medicine syringes, and anything else that goes near
their eyes, mouth, or nose should be washed thoroughly before anyone else uses
it. If you’re using saline nasal sprays to help relieve congestion, get a
bottle for each child and label them.
Set up a mini-quarantine. Sick kids can’t go to
school, and they shouldn’t have the run of the house either, at least until
their symptoms ease up. “A sick child will do better in a limited area,” says
Dr. Anderson. Limiting the places your child can rest while sick will also
limit exposure for the rest of the family.
Take care of yourself. Even when you’re caring
for your sick kids and keeping up with your other obligations, try to get enough sleep and eat healthy.
You’ll resist illness better if you stay strong, rested, and well-nourished.
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