It never fails that when one of your kids is sick, the rest of the family ends up with that illness at some point; spreading the illness around and around until finally it's gone. Preventing illness in the first place is one thing you should do, but if a bug makes its way to your home, read on for tips on how to prevent it from spreading around and knocking down each family member one by one.
Quarantine
Keep the ill family member away from the rest. If the sick one has a fever, try your best to keep them somewhat quarantined. You don't have to treat them like they're alone on an island, but keeping them in bed to rest is the best place.
Clean And Sanitize
Wipe down door handles, toilet handles and faucets that your ill family member may have touched, as well as other items that may have been handled by them such as phones, tablets and other devices. Cleaning these items is always a good idea to prevent spreading germs, but when there's an illness involved, it will help prevent the spread of the illness as well. Use a sanitizer such as bleach water or bleach wipes.
Teach Coughing In The Arm
Coughing and sneezing without covering your mouth or nose at all can spread a lot of germs. Coughing or sneezing in the hands can also easily spread germs. Teach your family to cough in the crook of the arm, not in the hand. You aren't going to spread germs quite as much this way.
Don't Share
Of course you want your kids in your home to share on a normal day, but when there's an illness involved, sharing should be discouraged. This means no sharing food, cups or anything else that can be consumed or used on the face or in the mouth. No sharing lip moisturizers or lipsticks, or anything else. Mouthwash cups or other oral health tools also should not be shared.
Toss Toothbrushes
When anyone in your home is hit with an illness their toothbrush should go into the trash and a new one should be purchased. Toothbrushes carry a lot of germs, and can spread illness back to the person that was ill, or to someone else that touches (or accidentally uses) the toothbrush. A new toothbrush doesn't cost too much money, but if you can't buy a new one, at least sanitize the toothbrush by placing it into boiling water.
When someone is ill in your home, it can be awful, but when it spreads around to everyone else in the house it can be detrimental. Prevent spreading the illness around by following the tips above. Talk to your healthcare provider about other ways to prevent the spread of illness and to keep your family healthy. Visit a walk in clinic for more help.
Share
