How to Avoid Winter Colds & Flus

January 08, 2025

The winter season tends to lead to a spike in colds and flus among babies and small children. This also tends to be true for adults. While it can feel near impossible for families to completely avoid sniffles, coughs, sneezing and other common symptoms, there are a few ways you can help prevent your little one from contracting an illness. Here are some ways you can arm your immune system and stay healthy this season!

Focus On Strengthening Immune Systems Naturally

Prioritizing diets that contain real organic food, limiting processed foods and excess sugar, getting plenty of hydration, exercise, sleep and enough exposure to sunlight are all wonderful ways to arm your little one (& yourself) with a strong immune system. When bodies are strong, they have an easier time fighting off germs that they may come into contact with. Establishing a healthy body is a great first step in preventing illnesses. For small babies and toddlers, offering breast milk and organic formula helps to provide plenty of nutrients that can safeguard against sicknesses as well. Keep in mind that if you are celebrating this season with a newborn or infant, breastmilk or organic formula will be one of their body’s best ways to fight sickness. Ensuring that the nutrition they are getting is top notch is a great way to help them to get a healthy start!

Strengthening Baby's Immune Systems Naturally

Practice Good Hygiene Skills

Being mindful when it comes to good hygiene practices can help to wash away germs that your baby may come into contact with day to day. While you do not need to go overboard and scrub constantly, just aim to wash their little hands as well as your own when returning home from an outing, before meals and as needed throughout the day. Babies and small children tend to put their hands in their mouth often and this can expose them to colds and flus that they may have come in contact with at places such as play places, the grocery store, church, playdates and parks. Teaching them how to wash their hands from an early age can be helpful when it comes to keeping their hands clean. Be sure to regularly wash items such as pacifiers, teething toys, blankets or stuffed animals that they bring along on outings as well. Regularly washing jackets and items that may not get laundered daily is also important as these types of materials can pick up germs as you go about your days. If you are around others such as caregivers or extended family members who are in direct contact with your babies or small children, be sure they are washing their hands as well and kindly remind them not to kiss your young child on the face or share drinks or utensils to avoid passing on germs.

Establish a Culture of Rest in Your Home

Oftentimes our culture can promote the idea that constantly being on the go is just a way of life. Pushing through when you are not feeling well or are in need of a rest can negatively affect your health, yet this concept seems to be a popular one. Just scroll social media or look around you when out and about and you will see the ways that this “hustle culture” seems to be almost celebrated. Taking a moment however to consider all of the ways that cooler winter weather offers our bodies the chance to rest and restore can encourage you to teach a different norm in your home. In the same way that mother nature seems to slow down this time of year, be sure to allow time for your family to do the same. For parents, modeling healthy ways to rest such as sipping tea under a cozy blanket, getting some sunshine while sitting on the porch, reading, limiting technology use and enjoying the presence of loved ones around you with authentic connection are all great ways to teach your little one how to rest well physically from an early age. Getting out in nature is a wonderful way to rest the mind as well! Finding a hiking trail that allows for lots of fresh air, birdwatching and being amongst the outdoors is a great way to escape the busyness that the holidays can promote and helps to reset the mind and promote strong mental health. Teaching your family how to rest well is a gift that can grow with your child well into adulthood!