The cold weather this holiday season often brings with it a rise in sicknesses as well. As you try to fight off the common cold in your household, it can be hard to know exactly what your child needs to get better and keep it from spreading. Kids In The House pediatricians know how to help you keep your kids healthy this winter!

Dr. Lawrence Ross explains that the best way to prevent common illnesses is to teach your family the importance of hand hygiene. “It is clear that when we use gels, such as alcohol gels, in schools and preschools and nursery care and in our own homes, that we dramatically reduce the risk of acquiring infections,” explains Dr. Ross. Teaching your kids to wash their hands both in school and at home is a simple and easy way to prevent them from contracting or spreading sicknesses to others.  If your child does get sick, make sure they are taking medicine that will help them feel more comfortable and get over the sickness more quickly. This can be hard because most children don’t like taking medicine but author Kelly Townsend has great advice to help parents. She shares that by explaining the purpose of the medicine to kids and offering them something they like afterwards to get the taste out of their mouth will help them be more willing to take their medicine.

Along with the common cold, many children experience ear infections, which can be very painful and irritating.  Dr. Jay Gordon says there may be a few different reasons for an ear infection. “If you are sure the eardrum is intact, not perforated, you can put a few drops of mullein oil, warm mullein garlic oil which you can get at any health food store, in to the ear canal to take some of the pressure away it decreases the inflammation,” explains Dr. Gordon. If you are thinking of using antibiotics to treat the ear infection, Dr. Gordon encourages parents to wait a few days. “The British Academy of Pediatrics all recommend that ear infections not be treated with antibiotics during the first three days because you tend to created resistance bacteria when you treat ear infections over and over,” says Dr. Gordon.

The winter season also decreases children’s exposure to the sun and thus their Vitamin D intake is lowered as well. Dr. Alan Greene explains how important Vitamin D is for kids of all ages.  “Besides the benefits of helping bones and teeth, which people know about, it lowers the risk of a lot of other conditions like asthma, diabetes, even the common cold,” shares Dr. Greene. Vitamin D also increases serotonin, which will help you and your children be happier.

Do you still have questions on raising healthy kids? Join us for our Google Hangout, “Pediatrician Panel: Raising a Healthy Generation,” where we will be joined by pediatricians Dr. Lawrence Ross and Dr. Lisa Stern for a live Q&A discussion! Click here to RSVP and ask your questions.