Sleep: What Every Parent Needs to Know

Proper sleep is a key component of good health, sharp minds, happy spirits, and a harmonious family. I am pleased to have served as a contributor/technical reviewer for the section on twins/multiples for Sleep: What Every Parent Needs to Know, the latest book by the American Academy of Pediatrics. This terrific resource will be available everywhere September 2013. 

The Quest Against Cooties [Part 2 in a Series]––The "Cough Pocket"

"Aaaa-choo!"  During the winter months, many a family hears an infectious symphony of sorts––the sounds of kids sneezing and coughing during yet another wave of upper respiratory viruses.  Families with twins or more have plenty of opportunities for cooties to invade the home, especially when the kids are attending school or day care, picking up viruses from more than one classroom.

Most of us were taught in our younger years to "cover your sneeze," usually with the hand.  The hand method is polite, but not the best way to prevent the spread of germs!  Using your hand to 'catch' a cough ensures that whatever was just coughed up will then be sitting in your palm, ready to contact other items and people.

An even more polite method is to cover one's sneeze or cough with the inside of one's elbow, minimizing the spread of germs [demonstrated in the above picture].  Kids as young as toddlers can learn this technique easily.  I used to coach my own kids in a cumbersome way ["Sweetie, cough inside your elbow please!"], until my terrific sister-in-law Becky taught me the handy-dandy term "cough pocket"––genius!  The term "cough pocket" is simple, straight to the point, and even a 2-year-old can understand it!

I encourage parents to teach their young kids to cough in their "cough pocket" [or sneeze in their "sneeze pocket"].  Keep in mind that healthy, normal kids can catch 10 to 12 colds in a year's time [on average], so do not be alarmed if and when illness strikes.  The "cough pocket" technique, however, may quiet your home's "sneeze symphony" somewhat during the cootie-laden winter months of the year!

The Quest Against Cooties

A few weeks ago, my Mothers of Twins club welcomed a guest speaker to discuss illness prevention––a timely topic with the onset of cold and flu season.

Proper handwashing techniques are key to staying healthy. Many of us moms nodded in agreement when we heard the familiar recommendation to help our kids wash with soap and water while singing "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" two times.  Simple enough if there is one child per caregiver, but what if you have twins or more?

I don't know about you, but I always get a twinge of guilt when I hear that advice. Our family had four kids within four years [including our twins]; the mom:kid ratio is 1:4! Clearly being outnumbered, I honestly didn't have the luxury of individually leading each child to the bathroom sink for a good, proper handwashing session before every meal.

Enter hand sanitizer. Handwashing IS best, but if you are not near a sink and [be honest] you know at that particular moment that you can't dedicate some time to soap and water, hand sanitizer is an acceptable substitute. We even keep a sanitizer pump ready in our family car for the kids to use after grocery shopping or preschool pickup––preschool, with the shared toys, can be a virtual petri dish of infectious agents!

A couple caveats to the wonders of hand sanitizer, though––for one, many common brands contain alchohol. Do not leave any bottle unattended with young kids, and don't let toddlers "lick" their hands when using the product, minimizing the risk of ingestion. Also note that when you visit a playground, your kids' hands can get a bit grimy and dirty; handwashing is best in this case, as hand sanitizer will just move the dirt around.

Do your best to keep the kids' hands clean, but when a virus strikes, do not despair! Ride out the storm and keep the silver lining in mind; each illness gives your kids' immune systems a healthy boost, fighting off the infection.