How I Keep Our Family Healthier All Year Long

(Realistic Mom Tips that Actually Work)

When my first daughter was an infant, I got so sick that I physically couldn’t take care of her. Before kids, being sick was inconvenient—but manageable. After kids? Totally different story.

As a stay-at-home mom, I remember feeling completely helpless. And then later that same year… she got sick too.

If you’re a parent, you already know how that goes—sleepless nights, constant worry, trying everything just to keep your kids comfortable… and hoping you might get a little sleep yourself. And if you have more than one child? Illness usually makes its way through the entire house.

That phase of life is actually what pushed me to start focusing on healthy habits for families—especially things I could control inside our home.

HOW I WENT FROM GERMAPHOBE TO REALISTIC HEALTHY MOM LIFE

During those first couple years of motherhood, I’ll be honest—I went full germaphobe.

I wiped everything down constantly, cleaned the floors daily, and panicked over things like grocery carts or snacks dropped on the floor. It was exhausting.

Then my oldest started school… and I had a realization:

👉 You cannot control all the germs your kids are exposed to.

So instead of trying to control everything outside the home, I shifted my focus to what I could control:

What we bring into our home—and the daily habits we build.

That’s when everything changed.

5 SIMPLE HEALTHY HABITS THAT HELP KEEP OUR FAMILY FROM GETTING SICK

These are the exact daily routines for a healthier home that we stick to no matter what. They’re simple, realistic, and honestly… they’ve made a huge difference for us.

All of my hand soaps around the house are made with Branch Basics concentrate. You just need any foaming hand soap bottle; you can reuse one. These are my favorite. You just fill it with water, and squirt in a little of the concentrate, and you’re good to go. It’s non-toxic and won’t irritate little hands.

washing our hands as soon as we get home

This is non-negotiable in our house.

Whether we’re coming home from school, the grocery store, or running errands—everyone washes their hands immediately.

It’s one of the easiest and most effective ways to:

Reduce germs in your home
Prevent stomach bugs
Build lifelong hygiene habits for kids

I always say: I can’t control what we touch outside—but I can control what comes inside.

Mom tip:
We use a non-toxic hand soap (made with Branch Basics concentrate) because it’s gentle on little hands and keeps things simple. Find it here.

This next one goes with the first

WASHING HANDS BEFORE WE EAT

This sounds obvious—but it’s one of the most overlooked healthy habits.

Even when we’re out, we:

Stop at a restroom before eating
Choose snacks with wrappers in the car
Use wipes or hand sanitizer if needed
These are my favorites:
The Honest Company Sanitizing Wipes
The Honest Company Hand Sanitizer Spray
Lemyn Organics Medical-Grade Hand Sanitizer

This helps cut down on the germs we’re actually ingesting—which is huge for preventing illness.

On-the-go mom hack:
I keep a small travel foaming soap bottle + water in the car for quick hand washing when sanitizer just isn’t enough. A disposable water bottle or one like this that can live in the car is nice.

NO SHOES IN THE HOUSE

I grew up in a strict NO SHOES-in-the-house home. Once I was out on my own, wearing shoes in the house didn’t bother me, especially when we had wood flooring. But, when I became a mom, and my first daughter became mobile, I became aware of all of the possible things we could bring in on our shoes…and that my daughter would ingest. I grew up with this rule—and came right back to it as a mom.

Now we’re a strict no-shoes household, and honestly:

It keeps our home cleaner
Cuts down on germs
Helps protect floors and rugs

If guests come over, we sometimes offer disposable shoe covers—easy and practical.

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 my girls and I took it every day. The girls got a couple of 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! We love these:

Elderberry Gummies
Elderberry Syrup

Using ESSENTIAL OILS

I know essential oils can feel overwhelming at first, but we’ve kept it super simple.

Essential oils are:
Plant-based
Highly concentrated
A simple addition to a non-toxic lifestyle

We use an essential oil immunity roller (from Revive) and apply it to the bottoms of our feet before school. The kids think it’s fun, and love doing it. This one makes it super easy.
It’s just one more small habit that supports overall wellness in our home.

REAL TALK: YOU CAN’T PREVENT EVERYTHING (AND THAT’S OKAY)

Let’s be honest—kids will still get sick sometimes. That’s part of life.

But since we’ve built these healthy home habits, we’ve:

Reduced how often illness spreads
Avoided more severe sicknesses
Created routines that feel easy and automatic

And honestly? That peace of mind is everything.

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 to 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.