In winter time there are always a lot of coughs and colds about and small children pick them up as they play so closely together. Often they take the germs home too so that the whole family gets sick. What can you do to keep everyone healthy in the coldest months?

• Dress the family in warm clothes. Teach the kids to keep their jumpers on when going outside. Make sure they have sound shoes and hats or beanies to protect their heads.
• Teach good hygiene. Children can learn to cough into their elbows instead of their hands so germs are less likely to be spread around the room. Teach them to keep their noses wiped and tissues put into bins. If the kids have bad coughs or are sneezing a lot, keep them home from school or day-care, so they don’t spread the germs. Make sure kids wash their hands after using tissues and before eating and after going to the toilet.
• Choose good food. Citrus fruits are high in vitamin C which is vital to fight colds. For lunches include pieces of orange or mandarins, kiwi fruit, strawberries, capsicum, carrot sticks and little tomatoes. Soups are also good for the whole family. For family meals stews with lots of vegetable included are tasty and will warm and satisfy the whole family.
• See that everyone has plenty of sleep as well as exercise both indoors and out.

If the children are not well, seek advice from the doctor or chemist straight away.

Tags: health