Tips for Staying Healthy in Winter

Winter months can bring on colds and flus especially if you have kids who attend school or play groups. Everyone could use some extra tips for staying healthy in winter.

Staying healthy in winter does not have to be overwhelming and filled with stress. Ways to stay healthy in winter can be simple but effective.

Whether you have a child in school that is bringing home all sorts of germs or you attend play groups with your little one. Or even just touching something at a store can be germy and bring on all sorts of colds.

Now there are ways to help prevent sickness and promote staying healthy in winter.

*Disclaimer: links may be affiliate links meaning I may receive a small commission at no additional cost to you*

Wash Your Hands

The first, most effective, and easiest way to avoid germs and sickness is to be cautious about washing your hands.

When you get back from a store, wash you hands.

Before you eat or touch your face, wash your hands.

After you go out and about and return home, wash you hands.

You get the point. Make sure you are aware and wash your hands often.

But make sure you are washing your hands properly. You should use soap, warm water, and sing happy birthday in your head to make sure you are washing long enough to wash away the germs.

If you cannot wash your hands that often, say you are traveling or running errands with kids, use hand sanitizer.

Hand Sanitizer

While this may not be as effective as washing hands with soap and water, it can do a good job when in a pinch.

I use hand sanitizer when I pick up my child from school. I give her some to use before she starts playing with her toys in the car or before having a snack.

I use sanitizer after leaving the stores before heading to another store.

Hand sanitizer is a great option for staying healthy in winter or even year round.

It can be effective if you are out and about and your kids grab ahold of something gross but you can’t get to a bathroom quick enough.

Change Clothes

If you are out and about at play dates, school, multiple stores running errands, when you arrive home change your clothes.

When my kid comes home from school, the first thing she does is change her clothes and wash her hands.

This makes sure none of those school germs get on our furniture or lingers around on her all day long.

I did the same when my youngest would come home from gymnastics. Immediately change out of the clothes that touched every surface.

So try changing clothes when you get back home from running errands, school, or play dates.

Multiple Water Bottles Daily

If your child uses a reusable water bottle, chances are they take it everywhere.

Which means that water bottle or sippy cup has touched all sorts of surfaces, then they bring it home to hang on the couch or their beds. Gross.

So make a habit of washing the cups daily or even having multiples.

I have one that my oldest uses specifically for school and she puts in directly in the sink when we get home. This way she doesn’t get the school germs all over the house.

She has a separate one for around the house for her water.

Plus this allows me to make sure she is also drinking enough water during the day so her little body can flush out whatever normal germs she may have gotten.

Essential Oils

Now this may sound totally out of left field, but hear me out.

Essentials oils can be great and helping your body naturally fight off germs and staying healthy in winter. Personally I love Thieves oil and I will also diffuse Purification oil to clean the air in the house.

Air purifiers are also great at keeping the air in your home clean.

Essential oils are also great for babies who aren’t old enough for medications or other treatments. I have a whole post about newborn colds.

I love the Young Living oils and if you want to get started for your family, click here.

Humidifiers

Another great option for the cold dry winter months are humidifiers.

They will help keep their air hydrated and prevent sore dry throats and can also help with coughs as well.

For a great humidifier option, read here. I personally love this humidifier I got from Amazon for under $40!

Sanitize High Traffic Areas

Sanitizing door handles, wiping down chairs and counter tops is another way to staying healthy in winter.

Highly touched surfaces usually carry the most germs, so sanitizing these places frequently will lower the chances of getting sick.

Take Your Vitamins

Taking vitamins to make sure your body is getting all the nutrients it needs in order to fight off bacteria and germs that could make you or your family sick.

Whether you want to take something natural like elderberry syrup for the kids to help boost their immune systems, or you as an adult want to take ACV gummies to help support a healthy immune system.

Just make sure your body is getting what it needs to stay healthy and strong during cold season.

Wash Your Toothbrushes

Now you could go out and buy a new toothbrush, which you should do if you ever do get sick to prevent getting re-sick.

But to save some time and money, you could invest in a toothbrush sanitizer.

This TAO Clean Germ Shield is a 4 minute toothbrush sanitizer. You place your toothbrush inside and the UV light kills 99.9% of bacteria which your toothbrush may have.

This sanitizer is usually $79 but if you use the code MAMABEAR at checkout it will save you 50% making this handy gadget under $40! What a deal!

This will ensure you stay healthy in winter as well as keep your mouth fresh and clean daily.

Below is a video of how to use it:

Wash Bedding

Washing your bedding and blankets is another great way to stay clean and healthy during the winter.

Sometimes we forget about washing bedding during the winter months because you tend to sweat less in winter during sleep.

But if your body is fighting something or after you have been sick, washing your bedding is a great way to stay healthy and not get re-sick either.

Plenty of Rest

Also the best way to make sure your body is in tip-top shape is to rest.

Get plenty of sleep and rest to make sure your body is able to fight off those bad bacteria germs you may get. Rest is truly the best way your body can fight off germs and keep you healthy.

Hopefully these tips gave you some new ideas and ways to keep yourself staying healthy in winter this year!