A Germ Fighting Secret

One of the best ways you can prevent sickness in your children is to help educate them about germs. You can explain to your children that germs called bacteria and viruses are what cause us to be sick. You can also explain to them how these germs spread from sick people to healthy people and can live in many unclean environments. Here are some tips that you can teach your children to help reduce their chance of getting sick this flu season.

-Teach your children to cover their mouths if they sneeze. Sneezing into the inside of your elbow is the best way to prevent the spread of germs. It covers your mouth and the germs coming from it, as well as prevents these germs from getting on your hands. Once these germs are on your hands, they will be transferred to everything you touch. Remind children that covering their mouths when they sneeze helps to prevent the spread of germs.

-Teach your children how to properly wash their hands. The best tip for this is to remind your children that they are not done washing their hands until they sing their ABC's. This will remind them to wash their hands for the necessary length of time. You should also remind your children that proper hand washing includes the back of their hands and between their fingers. Children should wash their hands before meals, after going to the bathroom, and whenever their hands are dirty. If you are sick, you should wash your hands more often.

-Remind your children to clean up their messes. Any mess can potentially increase germs in their environment. Depending on the ages of your children, you may want to consider making disinfecting wipes available to them. This reminds children that they are responsible for their messes, and disinfecting these messes as well.

-Keep your children away from certain foods. There is a risk of illness for anyone who handles or eats undercooked meat and other foods which may be contaminated with different viruses and bacteria (e. coli for example). Making sure your children's meals are fully cooked and promptly cleaning up preparation areas and utensils helps reduce their (and your) risk of food-related illnesses.