Flu Season Prep|Sick Kit & Printables

Let’s face it, kids = germs. So, when you have three small ones, it’s all about the germ control to avoid colds and the flu. We do that by establishing healthy living habits that even my two year old twins can follow. We focus on prevention and keeping ourselves healthy – eating right, getting enough sleep (although the kids have not completely bought into this one yet), taking our vitamins and following habits that aim to try and prevent germs from getting us sick.

I created a printable for my oldest, who is five to help him learn 3 Easy Steps for Fighting Germs. Since he is in full-time Kindergarten now, he has a lot more responsibility for keeping himself healthy. My hope is that he’ll independently take these steps to help fight germs! We even shared it with his teacher & class.

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These small steps go a long way in preventing illness. And when his younger sisters see him putting these things into practice, they follow suit because they want to be just like him.

Teach little ones how to properly wash their hands and stress the importance of regular handwashing.

To go along with prevention, we always make sure we all receive our annual flu vaccine, which I can do at my local Sam’s Club Pharmacy while on a shopping trip. This makes it easy to ‘tick’ two things off my list at once! Don’t know much abou the flu vaccine and why it’s so important? Check out the article on Flu Vaccinations in Healthy Living Made Simple that helped me to learn about the different options. In addition, the Healthy Living Made Simple App, only available for iphone or ipad, is a sure way to make sure you always have the best info for health and wellness at your fingertips, even on-the-go!

To stay prepared at home in event we get sick, we stock up at Sam’s Club. Even with the best healthy habits, sick happens and it’s best to be prepared. I love getting great deals while I’m stocking up for the entire season.

On a recent trip to Sam’s Club, we decided to stock our “Sick Kit” so that we’d be all ready to go. It’s only a matter of time before the kiddos come down with something, and they usually do at 3am. Finding a 24 hour pharmacy is not what you want to be doing, so stock up and never be without. The pharmacy section at my Sam’s Club has just about everything I need to keep my Sick Kit filled, and my entire medicine cabinet/closet.

Creating Your Sick Kit – What to Include

1. Fever Reducer – There’s nothing worse than a climbing fever at night. You should always check in with your child’s doctor, but having a good stock of a fever reducer is so important.

2. Antibacterial Wipes – Wipe down everything – from doorknobs to lightswitches and counters to help limit the spread of germs. It’s also smart to keep these in the car, too.

3. Tissues – I always stock up on the ones that contain lotion – as they tend to go easier on little noses. Keeping a box in every room just makes life easier during cold/flu season.

4. Saline Spray -Saline spray is great for breaking up congestion and relieving pressure. I keep a few on hand. With three kids, I can label them and have one for each child!

5. Natural Illness Fighters – These cute little oranges are just one example of the amazing fresh produce my Sam’s Club has. My kids love these little ‘heroes” as they are seedless and sweet. I love that they’re getting a nice dose of Vitamin C and it’s a healthy snack to help them feel better.

Some other things to stock up on and include in your sick kit: Hand gel, hand soap, vitamins for children and adults, lozenges, a good thermometer, dosage dispensers, cold/flu medication, nasal relief, flu relief mix (to drink with hot water), and anything else that makes you comfortable!

Once you have everything you need from Sam’s Club – it’s time to put everything together in a big basket. When someone comes down with a cold or flu, everything is one place. Keep it tucked away, out of reach. When mommy duty calls to take care of the sick, you’ll have everything you need at your fingertips. No more searching through drawers or closets for the thermometer or a certain medication.

I also keep a clip board and this Temperature and Medication Chart in my kit. With multiple young children, my mommy brain sometimes fails me. I never take a chance with dosing medications – so I set up a chart to keep track of the child and what their temps were and at what time. This is so helpful when having to speak to or visit the doctor.

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