Covid, Cold, Flu….. What do we do?!!

Winter is a wonderful, joyful, magical holiday season. It’s also a season of all kinds of icky respiratory viruses. As if usual cold virus, RSV, and Flu wasn’t enough; now we have covid to worry about as well. Truth is, no matter what we do, there are germs all around us. Getting sick on and off is part of growing up. Children in daycare and school can get multiple respiratory viruses in a season. So, what do we do? How do we stay healthy? What if we do catch a bug? When do we need to get checked? When is it an emergency and when is it ok to wait for your pediatrician to get back to you?

 

Well, here are a few suggestions and tips to help you out!

​

Practice Hand Hygiene:

Good Hand-washing: That’s right, good hand-washing is one of the most

effective ways to prevent the germs from entering your body. Have your

kids wash their hands after coming back from outdoors, before and after

eating, after they blow their nose, after playing with animals, and of course

after they use the toilet. Teach kids how to correctly wash hands. Have

them scrub their hands for at least 20 seconds before they rinse off. A good

way to ensure 20 seconds handwash is by having them sing a song. There

are few song options for this. They can sing “Twinkle twinkle” or “Row, row,

row your boat” songs while they scrub their hands. There are many other

fun handwashing songs on internet. Or get creative and make your own fun

song.

​

Educate Them:

Teach your kids to cover their cough and sneeze with their elbow rather

than hands. They can use their elbow like a super-hero shield to protect

everyone around them from the nasty germs and feel like a superhero

themselves

​

Beware of Your Surroundings:

Wipe down high use surfaces frequently, especially if someone is sick in the

family. Viruses can survive on hard surfaces for hours. Wiping down the

surfaces can prevent other family members from catching these germs.

 

Prevention is Key:

Vaccinate, Vaccinate, Vaccinate!!! Kids over 6 months are eligible to get Flu

vaccine and Covid vaccine is currently approved for all kids over 5 years of

age. Its true that you can still catch Flu or Covid if you are vaccinated, but

vaccinations prevent severe illness and hospitalization.

 

Identify What You're Up Against:

RSV usually looks just like a cold for most children and healthy adults.

Infants, immunocompromised children, children with chronic lung disease

or heart disease are at high risk for developing severe symptoms called

Bronchiolitis. Bronchiolitis is a condition when the tiny little air tubes in the

lungs get inflamed and get that nasty mucus build-up which makes it hard

for affected child to breathe and to oxygenate. Bronchiolitis can be caused

by other viruses, including Flu and cold, but RSV tends to be the most

common culprit. There are no medications to treat bronchiolitis. All we can

do is support children with hydration, fever reducers, clearing their mucus

out as much as possible, and seek medical care if they are having difficulty

breathing or staying hydrated.

 

Know When it is Time to Get Help:

Call your doctor or go to Emergency Room right away if you notice that

your child has labored breathing, he or she appears very ill, or is unable to

take enough liquids to stay hydrated. To check if your child is having

difficulty breathing you pull their shirt up and look at the chest and tummy.

If tummy is moving in and out faster than usual, they seem to be belly-

breathing, or muscles in between ribs or under the rib cage are getting

sucked in when they breathe then its time to seek immediate medical care.