When my first daughter was about 5 months old, I came down with a nasty flu virus. One day, I woke up and felt like I had been hit by a truck. It took me about 3-4 days to get my energy back. I hated the feeling of being helpless when I had so many responsibilities as a new mom.
Having sick kids isn’t any better. If you’re a parent, you know the drill. Many sleepless nights trying everything possible just to make sure the kids stay comfortable and try to get sleep…so you can sleep! And if you have more than one kid, sickness almost always sweeps through them all.
During my first couple of years as a mom with the first few rounds of sickness passing through the house, I quickly turned into a germaphobe. I wanted nothing more than to keep all the germs away. Everything got wiped down with Lysol wipes and we covered ourselves with hand sanitizer. I freaked out if my kids ate something off the floor or touched a grocery cart. This in itself was a sickness and was exhausting really.
Then, when my oldest started school, I realized it’s impossible to keep away all of the germs. I’d lost the control I once had when my kids were home with me all day. I could have them wash hands before every meal and tell them to stop putting their hands in their mouths.
So, rationally, I thought “What can I do at home to help my kids live a healthier life without spreading germs on every square inch of the house. Thankfully, I found some things that I can control. They’re things that I think are most important for everyday germ prevention.
I’ve put together the list for you. These are things we do in our house on a daily basis. Thankfully we really haven’t had any super yucky illnesses pass through our home (Knock on wood) and I attribute that to following these tips. I’ve become a strict stickler for a few of these tips, and my family is pretty much trained to automatically do them…yes, even the kids!
I must also note that these tips are really for anyone. Whether you have a family or not, some of these are just great daily practices to use every day.
WASHING OUR HANDS AS SOON AS WE WALK IN THE DOOR
This one took a while to get my whole family on board with and also started when my first daughter was born. Whenever we get home from anywhere, especially school, we all wash our hands before doing anything else. I can’t control what germs we all touch out in the world, but I can try to keep fewer of them in our home. I heard years ago that washing your hands is the very best thing you can do to not spread germs to yourself and others, so that became my #1.
This next one goes with the first
WASHING HANDS BEFORE WE EAT
This one is a given to most people, but washing
NO SHOES IN THE HOUSE
I grew up in a strict home where shoes in the house were forbidden. Once I got married and we had hardwood floors, I didn’t think twice about wearing shoes inside. But, after I had my first daughter and she started crawling, I started becoming more aware of germs on our floor. I started thinking about all of the things we step in while out and about that ends up on our shoes. I didn’t love the idea about my baby touching those things, and then, of course, eating it.
Our house became a strict “no shoe” zone. Even though my girls are much older now, they pretty much live on the floor and play there most of the time. So, even now, we still skip shoes 99% of the time. It all sounds crazy, but I think this not only has kept our family a little healthier, but extended the life of our rugs and carpet.
TAKING ELDERBERRY
This one is more recent, but I think it has helped a lot in last year’s school season. I’d heard about Elderberry for years and we’ve taken it here and there, but last year, both myself and my girls have taken it every day. The girls got a couple cold-like illnesses, but never got some of the nasty stuff going around. We’ll be doing it again this year, and if we stay healthy through Christmas, I’ll be a true believer!
ESSENTIAL OILS
Essential oils are everywhere these days. I’ve been using thems for about 5 years. Essential oils have helped me personally in many ways, from easing burns to relieving sinus infections. Since my kids have started school, we roll a special immunity blend on their feet every morning before they head out. My girls can now do this themselves every day because it’s been a daily habit for so long. I truly believe that it’s helped my kids fight off any viruses before they turn into something yucky.
So, there you go! Those are the 5 biggest things we do in our home to stay healthier all year long. It may sound like a lot to think about, but almost all of them are just automatic to us. They have become part of our daily routine. Of course, it doesn’t keep every germ away but so far has kept the nasty stomach viruses and flu away. It’s limited the times this mom has had to be sick, which is a huge plus!
My motto is: “We can’t control what germs we come in contact with while we’re out in the world, but we can try to control what we bring into our home.”
And I must note, we also try to eat pretty healthily, get in exercise, soak in lots of Vitamin D during warmer months and stick to a regular sleep schedule for the kids. These are also very important things to help us stay healthy all year long.
I hope I can inspire you to add one of these into your family routine to help you have healthier years to come! What are some of your healthy habits you’re a stickler about?
disclaimer: I am not a medical professional. The information in this article is based on what has consistently worked best for our family, it might not work the same for yours.
