8 doctor's tips that will help you to avoid catching the family cold
Getting a cold is a guaranteed part of winter, often accompanied by that timeless phrase 'there's definitely something going round'.
Well, new research has revealed the simple tips to stop the winter bug going around, in response to results stating that seven out of 10 parents believe they are responsible for passing their cold onto their children.
Conducted by Olbas, the research even showed that winter bugs are to blame for parents not spending as much time cuddling their children, on top of the obvious days missed at work, school and nursery.
While parents felt they were to blame (with dads believing they were the worst offenders), it turns out that kids are super spreaders themselves – even to the point where half of parents make a deliberate effort to have physical contact with their kids when they're sick. They could be on to something with 43 per cent of children sneeze directly into the palms of their hands...
The solution? GP and Olbas advocate Dr Roger Henderson reveals the tips that will help you avoid catching the family cold, without giving your children the cold shoulder.
1. Give out gold stars
A little bit of bribery never hurt anyone, and giving out gold stars is a great way to encourage children to wash their hands with soap and water, regularly. Try making a star chart and incentivising rewards for increased levels of hygiene, including washing hands for a minimum of 20 seconds.
2. Sharing isn't caring
While it might not be the most sustainable idea, Henderson advises that paper towels are much better to use in an infected house than hand towels. It is also important to make sure each family member has their own individual towel, and even consider individual cups and cutlery.
3. Give them a break
Washing up and cooking can encourage cold germs to spread, so let the infected family member, or you, off these tasks.
4. Ban the hanky
Handkerchiefs can be breeding grounds for bacteria, and using disposable tissues instead will limit the spread of germs. If your child is sick, it's a good idea to leave a bin next to them especially for their tissues, and regularly empty it.
5. Disinfect, disinfect, disinfect
Cleaning toys with disinfectant wipes or allocating your infected child certain toys to play with will stop the spread of the cold around children in the family.
6. Where to cough
Forget hands, when it comes to sneezing and coughing there is no better place, other than a tissue, to use than your elbow. This will contain cold droplets, as little contact with others is done through the elbow...
7. Stay ventilated
Acts as simple as keeping windows open will help with eliminating the cold virus. The more ventilated your home is with fresh air the better.
8. Keep hydrated
There are many reasons to stay hydrated and drink more water, one of which is it actually aids the immune system. Encourage everyone in the house to drink lots of fluids, even if they haven't caught the cold.
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