Tuesday, October 7, 2008

Staying ahead of the flu

Here's something I learned the hard way with my first child: if I don't sanitize his hands as soon as I put him in the car after playing at the playground, it is GUARANTEED that he will have a cold or the flu within two days. Lukas was a great thumb sucker (he's still a closet thumb sucker, but that's another story) and the moment I started the engine, the thumb went in his mouth and the germs spread throughout his body.

Yuck!

Then our daughter was born, and in addition to more doctor visits than I would care to remember, we spent three days a week at the local children's hospital as Natalie learned to eat by mouth through e-stim therapy. Three days a week, for six months...then twice a week for another six months. I loved seeing all the friendly faces at the hospital, but I was secretly grimacing at the thought of the rampant germs running all over my kids' bodies the moment we entered the building. Because, when you enter, you touch! And those fingers eventually go into the mouth, nose and eyes.

So here's my solution for me to REMEMBER TO SANITIZE the hands when I buckle them in the car: instead of drinks, the cup holders in the back door of the car (where little kids can't reach) hold hand sanitizer. That way I don't have to fumble through my purse to find the little bottle of hand sanitizer...there's big bottle right there reminding me to clean the children's hands.

Our previous vehicle was so old...how old was it?...it was so old that it didn't have any cupholders. So I stashed the hand sanitizer right behind/next to the carseat. There was a little pocket of space where the child couldn't reach, but a bottle of hand sanitizer would fit nicely.

For me, it had to be visible when I was buckling the kids in after a visit to [insert favorite germy outing here], or I would completely forget until I turned the engine on, and by that time--as already mentioned--it is ENTIRELY too late, because the thumb has already gone in the mouth and the germs are coursing through the body, determined to keep the child in bed for four days with fever, runny nose and aches, and to eventually spread to each member of the family.

This has worked for us to keep the number of illnesses down, I hope it works for you! Go to Shannon's site for more useful ideas and tips from bloggers across the universe...I mean across the globe.

9 comments:

BlueCastle said...

Great idea! I need to keep a bottle in the car. Thanks for the tip!

Jacqui said...

Excellent idea. Am also going to put it into action

Kelly said...

Great tip...I really don't want the flu this year.
Kelly

megret7 said...

Glad I'm not the only one. We keep a bottle of Lysol Wipes under our car seats at all times. :)

Megret

Michelle@Life with Three said...

This is a great tip -- I try to do this regularly with my kids, too. I also keep a package of baby wipes to "wipe off" the sanitizer residue for my finger sucker, because sanitizer in the mouth just tastes icky. :)

Michelle said...

great idea! I have one sitting on top of our entertainment center to remind me to wash Austin's hands when he gets home from school. The first thing he does after walking in the door is head to the TV to watch his beloved Veggies Tales so as I turn it on, I sanitize!

Anxious AF said...

Oh Cindy......another mom just like me. I have hand sanitizer in my purse, the diaper bag, the car, the bathroom, the kitchen. Right here by the computer. When Ipick the kids up from school before they can get into the car, (and next to Alex) they germ-x, after the park, germ-x, after the doctor and 100 times while inside germ-x. I am addicted. We are sick, but I know it helps. Im so glad there is someone else like me:)

MamaHen Em said...

Yep, I'm a sanitizer junkie myself. My oldest gets strep throat a couple of times a year because he still puts his fingers in his mouth allllll the time. *Sigh* I can't imagine how much more often we would get stuff if we didn't use it religiously!

Connie said...

OMG!! This is so perfect! I was just about to give up going to the park...or make the kids wear surgical gloves!

Thanks!