Helping Kids Fight Flu

You’re doing all you can to stay healthy this flu season, but what can you do for your kids?

• Teach your children to wash their hands frequently with soap and water for 20 seconds. Set an example.
  
  
• Show your children how to cover coughs and sneezes with tissues or by coughing into the inside of the elbow.
  
  
• Teach your children to stay away from people who are sick.
  
  
• Keep sick children at home, especially if they have a fever or cough. Keep them home for 24 hours after the fever has gone away.

Kids have a better chance of fighting off the flu if they’re healthy from the start. Make sure your children are receiving all the nutrients they need and that they are getting eight hours of sleep at night. If you are the parent of an infant, remember that breast milk also boosts immunity. The CDC recommends that mothers who are breast-feeding continue doing so even if they become ill, though they should be sure to avoid sneezing or coughing in their baby’s face.

For more information about defending children against illness, call Bastyr Center at 206.834.4100 to make an appointment with a naturopathic physician.

Originally published in the Fall/Winter issue of Healthy & Wise, the Bastyr Center newsletter.