The holiday season is generally jam packed with fattening foods, drunken relatives and way too much traveling. Unfortunately taking the kids to the airport and from house to house and mall to mall will undoubtedly expose them to every flu strain under the sun. If you’re me, you just avoid this by never leaving your house and locking your daughter in a Lysol filled plastic bubble where she will remain until she has finished college and is allowed to date. If you’re not a psychotic germ-o-phobe like me, you’ll probably need some other methods to avoid sick kids ruining your private Santa and Mrs. Claus holiday cheer.
Here are some tips to keep you and your kids out of the doctor’s office this holiday season:
- Stay Home. For real, avoid unnecessary trips. Junior doesn’t need to wait in line with you at 6AM on Black Friday to get that $249.99 laptop at Walmart. Also, with H1N1 (swine flu) flying around everywhere, this would be the year to tell your extended family that you really don’t care for them and you want to spend Christmas at home with the wife and kids.
- Take the Meds. If your child is over 6 months old, get a flu shot. With the H1N1 hype happening right now, most people are losing site that the regular flu tends to get nasty in late December. Protect yourself and your kids and get both types of shots.
- Tell your friends and family to get shots. As adults, our immune systems have been strengthened by shirtless football games in January and the barrage of germs, viruses and parasites that are ingested during spirited beer pong play…your kids on the other hand have not led the cultured life that you have and can’t handle exposure like you can. Avoid exposure by (putting on some pants) asking your relatives to get flu shots before you come and visit. If grandma really wants to see her granddaughter, she can take her butt to the pharmacy for a shot.
- Keep them clean. I saw a kid pick up a chicken bone from the floor of a restaurant and put it in his mouth once. Gross right? I swear, the little buggers will touch and eat anything…ANYTHING. Keep their hands clean and keep an eye out for what they’re touching. Grabbing Uncle Randy’s wooden leg is one thing, sucking on a handrail at the mall (I literally just gagged) is another.
- Teach them how to sneeze and cough. I keep telling my 6 month old that if she doesn’t start covering her nose and mouth when she sneezes that I’m not going to let her talk to boys until she’s 50. Lucky for me, she’s not covering up. If your kid is old enough to get it, teach them how to cover their mouth/nose and teach them to wash their hands afterward. A sick kid is bad enough, being known as the family that’s spreading the outbreak can get you run out of some places.
Do you have any tips? Please comment!
Popularity: 1% [?]
