How to Keep My Kids Healthy This Holiday Season

I always say that eating a healthy, balanced diet with plenty of fruits, veggies, whole grains and proteins and drinking plenty of water then anything you can buy over the counter. Have the kids wash their hands often and get plenty of sleep. Have fun!-www.weelicious.com

Have you tried Juice Plus? You have to go online to order it and it is pretty expensive. My kids take it and while I don't necessarily swear by it, some people do. My kids have not really gotten sick since taking it.

Hand washing!!!! Wash frequently, rinse and repeat. Scrub under nails and keep them short. Put paper towels in the bathrooms and kitchen, instead of cloth towels. Wipe down their backpacks with a disinfectant wipe each afternoon and try to wipe down door handles, keyboards and light switches. The kids can help. Bring sanitizer in the car.

Moisturize!!!! Keep their hands and faces, especially around their noses and lips well moisturized. This prevents cracking which creates additional entry points for germs. It is good to moisturize the entire body, as well. Contact me if you need recommendations for great products.

We get flu shots, but that is personal.

Check the web, there are lots of amazing articles.

Bon voyage, N.

Everything the other posters said is GREAT! Hand washing being the top on my list! But the one thing that I didn't see that I swear by during this season is ZICAM. Just in case you aren't able to keep the germs at bay...it is actually something you use if you already feel the bug coming on. At 7 and 9 they should be able to tell you right when they feel like they are coming down with something so make sure they know to do that. Have the ZICAM at home, ready to use. It is not a drug, it is a homeopathic gel that you put in your nose, where they say the germs replicate. (I think it is made from Zinc?)Ever since I found out about this, I have used it at the first sign of "Uh-oh" and it stops sickness right there in it's tracks. You continue to use it for a couple days after the symptoms have passed to make sure all the germs are gone. I swear by it! My 8yo used it last time he felt something coming on and it worked for him too. It comes in different forms but I recommend the nasal gel, it really works! You can get it at Rite Aid or any store like that.

In addition to the other great responses:
1) Omega-3 supplements for kids.
2) Sleep & rest... this is the body's natural way to fight off illness and heal. If you notice, when someone does not get enough rest & is run-down, they tend to get sick... lack of sleep can reduce the immune system.
3) Probiotics.... there are many types of yogurt drinks and yogurts than have these beneficial "enzymes" in it, and can be found easily in the grocery stores. It boosts the immune system.

Good luck and have a great trip!
~Susan

I am a BIG believer in FREQUENT hand washing! Make sure they wash their hands before they eat, after going potty, after touching anything that other people have touched, i.e. door knobs, tongs at the buffet, etc. Also, have them take their showers before bed while on the cruise. Cruise ships/airplanes, etc. are like petri dishes! Have a great time! :)

Would highly recommend grapefruit seed extract and agree with the recommendation to do probiotics. Just try to stay away from too much sugar, in general, and the yogurt drinks with a lot of sugar, because the bad bugs feed on the sugar...

Jr. Airborne is great! Good luck and have fun!

Wash hands frequently, keep baby wipes in the car and have everyone wipe their hands when you get back into the car after being in a public place. Exercise really bolsters the immune system. Our pediatrician recommends flu shots.

Hi J.,

I am also a stay at home with a home based business. I can totally relate to your dilema. Keeping them healthy this time of year is so hard! And when you travel you don't want the added stress of them getting sick! My husband and I started our home based business with a new company called Zrii. It's just about a year old. We promote an ayurvedic health drink endorsed by the Depak Chopra Center for Well Being. We've been drinking it and giving it to our kids for about 9 months. Honestly since then all 3 of our kids have not had more then a day or two of sniffles! It's safe for all ages. We have a 9 year old, a 6 year old and a 1.5 year old. They like it because it tastes good, and they don't even realize they're getting a lot of immune boosting ingredients. The 7 key ingredients are Amalaki, Ginger, Tumeric, Tulsi (holy basil), Jujube, Shizandra, and Haritaki. If you would like more information about the product or business opportunity please contact me!
Best of luck!

Sincerely,
B. Feuling
###-###-####
____@____.com
http://timfeuling.liveamalaki.com/ or
www.whydrinkamalaki.com

I have gone on two cruises with my son and the one thing I can say is wash there hands as often as you can also. The cruise company has sanitizer all over the ship. including all dining rooms.

Here at home make sure again that they wash there hands often. and if they do get sick then atleast it was here and not on the cruise. also have they gotten a flu shot. I know this may not help. I hiope you have fun

lots of vitamin c packed meals. good rest. healthy foods. make sure they are getting all their shots and a flu shot (if you choose to vaccinate). a good vitamin once a day is great too. also just as precaution you should have our kids see their dr like 3 days before you leave so your not surpised by a illness that pops up on your vacation. good luck have a great trip!

Don't forget frequent hand washing, especially before meals and use the Lysol spray on your door handles, telephone, etc. right before you go to bed.

Don't forget to bring a can of Lysol and/or Clorox wipes with you ON the cruise. I know this sounds paranoid, but it's really helpful to sanitize EVERYTHING in the room once you get there. Besides being around sick people before and on the ship, the best way to catch something is by someone sick having been in your room before you (or another room, see cleaning crew comment below)!
The biggest offenders are the TV remote, door handles, lightswitches, and telephone, but I always Lysol the toilet, toilet seats and sink, as well as Clorox wipe the sink counters and tables whenever we arrive at a hotel.
It is pretty gross to think that the cleaning crew could be taking their cleaning tools and everyone's germs from room to room and just spreading the love with dirty rags and toilet brushes.

Hi J.,

My mother-in-law is an infection control specialist at a major hospital. To stay healthy, she says that good hand-washing is the key! Scrub with soap and water for at least 15 seconds throughout the day. She also advocates the use of Purell, and she would tell you that you should all get your flu shots. Make sure you all stay hydrated, eat healthy foods, and get plenty of sleep in the weeks before your trip.

Also--if you are cruise-bound, bring Lysol and/or Clorox wipes to clean off the remote control, door handles, countertops, toilet seats, etc. in your room on the ship. Cruises are famous for breeding nasty stomach viruses! Ew!

Happy sailing!
D.

Hi J. - What a fun way to spend Christmas!! I highly suggest you get yourself and your kids on Juice Plus capsules and chewables right away (you can get the kids free with each adult order, so your whole family can get more than the recommended daily amount of fruits and vegetables to protect their health for less than $2.80 per day). It's difficult to find anything in the grocery store worth feeding your whole family for $2.80. Other than eating the whole food, it's the best way for you to ensure your kids are getting enough fruit and vegetable nutrition which is proven to strengthen and balance the immune system, protect and helps repair DNA and lower risk of disease. The difference between Juice Plus and virtually all other supplements is that it's not vitamins at all - it's actually the nutrients, antioxidants and enzymes from 17 of the real fresh fruits and vegetables. There is more independent gold standard research proving the health benefits of Juice Plus than any other nutritional supplement in the world. Me and my husband and our boys 5,7 and 9 have been taking them every day for three years and they rarely ever get sick and if they do it's mild and brief. Feel free to check my website at www.wethriveonjuiceplus.com. Another great source of info on the research is the free recorded health info hotline: 800-942-1260. There's a recorded call from world renowned pediatrician Dr. William Sears on Juice Plus as well as many doctors. Feel free to call me at ###-###-#### for more information or to order. I'd be happy to help.

There is a product line called Simply Nutrilite that has liquid supplements you put in water. There is one for immunity, one for joint health, one for antioxidants and one for working out. Go to we-us.mychoices.biz and look for it.

I use them and they are great. Organic too.

Have a great time on your cruise!!

Endless hand washing works the best. Especially if your kids can do this at school before they eat. I was shocked to find my kid’s school didn't even have soap in the bathroom. So you might want to send them to school with some hand sanitizer. While I was on a cruise I used the bottles of sanitizer that they had every where and it helped. My acupuncturist gives me herbs that knock out a cold in the first few days, and I always take those with me.