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!