Teach Your Kids Cold- & Flu-Fighting Habits

How soon should your kids learn how to avoid cold and flu viruses? The sooner the better.

As your babies get older -- and grow out of that maddening I-must-put-everything-in-my-mouth phase -- you can start teaching them habits that will protect them from germs like cold and flu viruses. How soon? The sooner the better.

"Good hygiene habits are much easier to introduce when your kids are young," says Laura A. Jana, MD, a pediatrician in Omaha, Neb. and co-author of Heading Home with Your Newborn and Food Fights. "Bad habits are hard to break."

Adopting healthy habits for kids can have concrete benefits. Dodging just one or two of those day care cold viruses could save you a lot of misery. And healthy habits can help protect your child from swine flu this fall and winter. Even if the benefits aren't immediate, teaching healthy habits will pay off.

"If they start learning proper hygiene when they're young, they may not get sick as much when they're older," says Tanya Remer Altmann, MD, a pediatrician and author of Mommy Calls:Dr. Tanya Answers Parents' Top 101 Questions About Babies and Toddlers.

What Your Teen Isn't Telling You

By Valerie Frankel On a recent Tuesday afternoon, my daughter Maggie, 15, didn’t come home on time from school. I tried her cell phone; no answer. To my knowledge, she didn’t have any activities or specific plans. By five o’clock, genuine worry kicked in. My hand was poised over the phone. I had no idea whom to call. Her friend circle was in heavy rotation. At 5:13, she walked in, dropped her backpack on the floor, and said with infuriating nonchalance, "Hey. What’s for dinner?" "Where have you...

Read the What Your Teen Isn't Telling You article > >

So what sort of healthy habits for kids are realistic? Can a preschooler really learn ways to get protection from cold and flu viruses? Here's what the experts have to say.

When teaching healthy habits, focus on what's important. You probably don't need to lecture toddlers on the germ theory of disease. Concepts like contagion are probably too hard to grasp for little kids.

"You really can't teach a preschooler to stay away from a friend who's coughing," Jana tells WebMD.

So instead of explaining, the key is to practice and ritualize some good behaviors. If you make them systematic, the odds are much better that you kids will stick with them -- and stay a little healthier as a result.

"If you make good habits part of a routine, it all becomes much easier," says Jana. "Your kids will do them without thinking."

When it comes to healthy habits for kids, hand washing is the most important one. To make it work, it's got to be built into their daily routines.

"Parents should make hand washing a ritual, like brushing their teeth," says Jana. You don't have to do it so obsessively that their hands get chapped. But you should always have your kids wash their hands:

When they arrive at day care or preschoolBefore they eatAfter changes or after using the potty or toiletAfter a play dateAs soon as they come in the house -- whether it's from school or from playing in the yard

The key is consistency. Get them to do it every time. If you do, your kids might start hand washing automatically. They might even start reminding you if you forget.

Teen Girl Safety: Parties, Raves, Drugs, Alcohol, and More

Why partying may be riskier than you think

Partying sounds fun. But sometimes, parties get out of hand.

Here are seven risky scenarios and ways to work around them.

You already know that it's illegal if you're underage. But alcohol is often part of parties -- and some teens drink so much that they put their lives at risk.

"I've seen people come in barely breathing, they can't remember what happened the night before, they've thrown up, fell over, or peed on themselves, and ended up in the hospital with a plastic tube in their nose. There's nothing sexy or attractive about that," says Yale University ER doctor Darria Gillespie, MD, MBA.

And the earlier you start using alcohol or other drugs, the more likely you'll be addicted later on, Gillespie says.

What to do: Stay calm and say no. Pretty soon, people will forget about whether or not you're drinking. Bring your own cup to the party, filled with fruit punch and covered with a lid. That way you can say, "Thanks, I've got one," and change the subject, says Amee Nash, LPC, a counselor and community educator who has worked with teens and addiction for more than 10 years.

Or blame your parents, Nash says. Try one of these lines:

"If I do, this is the last time you'll see me at a party.""I'll lose my car if I get caught.""I was just grounded, so I don't want to get in trouble again."

Be aware that it wouldn't be hard for someone to slip something into your drink, such as a date rape drug like Rohypnol or GHB. So stick to nonalcoholic drinks, pour the drink yourself, and don't leave it unattended.  

"Whatever is going to help you stay safe, do it," Nash says.

Apart from drinking games, there are some other dangerous party games you should absolutely never play.