What Can You Do To Keep Your Children Healthy This Winter?

Youngacademics, 02 Jul 2020

Staying healthy throughout the winter season is more difficult than it sounds. Kids are usually the first to get sick and then often, spread it to others in their homes. Children are also notorious for not keeping the best hygiene practices and refusing to eat fruits and vegetables, enabling the transfer of germs and a weakened immune system. To protect your family from getting sick, it’s important that you keep your child healthy and take precautionary methods at home and daycare.

Why do kids get sick during winter?

Winter is usually the flu season for everyone, but especially for kids. There are a few reasons why children get sick during winter. Though research is not conclusive as to why the influenza virus thrives during winter, some conclude that it may simply be that the influenza virus is happier in cold, dry weather and thus, better able to invade our bodies. Winter in Australia can be extremely cold and wet, making it hard for our kids to stay active and easy for colds, coughs and runny noses to thrive. Staying inside also means that kids are cooped up with others and are more likely to transfer or contract the flu. Whatever the reason, it’s extremely important that we protect our children from the flu and keep them healthy during this season.

Keeping your child healthy during winter does not only constitute avoiding the flu. It also means maintaining: a strong immune system, an active lifestyle and a healthy diet–all of which contribute to a healthy human being. It’s important to instil these healthy habits so that later on in life, they are able to practise positive habits and healthy lifestyles.

How To Keep Your Child Healthy This Winter

Instil hand hygiene

Children are well-known for skipping handwashing, a key practice for fighting germs. Try to explain to your child the importance of proper and thorough hand washing techniques. According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), handwashing should be done for at least the length of time it takes to sing the “Happy Birthday” song twice. Allow your child to sing out loud if it motivates them. Ensure that they practise this with regularity, especially at crucial times such as after school or daycare, using the bathroom and playing, and before eating or touching any food or drink items.

Maintain a healthy diet

Maintaining a healthy diet can be difficult with children as they do not often love vegetables and fruits, the source of many necessary vitamins and nutrients. However, it is vital that they get the recommended amount of healthy foods in order to maintain their immune system and be able to fight off the flu and other viruses. Shop at your local farmer’s market to access the seasonal fruits available in Australia during winter. Fruits like apples, lemons, limes, mandarins and tangerines are all high in vitamin C and immune-boosting properties. Encourage your child to drink fresh citrus juice or snack on apple wedges dipped in peanut butter in order to sneak in their necessary vitamins and nutrients.

Ensure your kid dresses warm

It is essential that your child stays warm and dry during an Aussie winter. Though we are fortunate not to have a bitterly cold winter, it is still significantly cooler than our summer and spring temperatures. Ensure that your child’s head and neck are kept very warm and covered whenever they are outside. Though just being in the cold will not get you or your child sick,  it is important that your child stays warm in order to control the rate that heat flows into and out of his or her body. Additionally, if the body gets chilled it becomes weaker and more susceptible to viruses.

Keep your child hydrated

Keeping your child hydrated during winter can be difficult during winter. However, it’s important as it helps regulate their body temperature and is essential to the proper function of cells, tissues and organs. Drinking water also gives their immune system a boost, preventing them from getting sick during winter/flu season.

Our licensed and professional staff are dedicated to ensuring that your little one is kept healthy and secure during his or her time at Young Academics. We try to implement the tips mentioned in this article to ensure that your children are not only happy when they are with us, but that they are also safe. We understand the importance of hygiene and try to educate your children about it in the hope that they practise, even when not at daycare.

For more information about our centre, contact us today on 1300 668 993.

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