Keeping Mom Well When Jr. Is Ill

Though children bring much delight into parents' lives, they also bring something a little less welcome -- germs. Preschoolers tend to get six to ten colds a year because of germ contact at daycare, the playground and anywhere else young kids can be found.

But contrary to popular belief, they don't have to make others in the family ill as well.

The Early Show medical correspondent Dr. Emily Senay offers some simple guidelines for staying healthy while tending to sneezing, coughing, sniffling youngsters.

One thing, Senay says, is for mothers to realize it's OK to look out for themselves. It's a mother's nature to care more about her baby than herself, but mothers have to take care of themselves as well.

It's a fact of life that kids are going to catch colds. Their immune systems are still developing, and you can't stop them from touching things, sucking their thumbs, rubbing their eyes, and whatnot.

But adults have an easier time staying healthy, and as long as they are, they can better care for the little ones.

Plus, family members often pass viruses back-and-forth among each other. So, if you can stop one in its tracks, you're all better off.

By the same token, parents should take good care of themselves even when the kids are well.

Parents need to keep their immune systems healthy -- and that means doing all the things you know you should, but often let fall by the wayside, such as getting enough sleep and eating enough fruits and vegetables.

Hand washing can't be stressed often enough. And it's not about the anti-bacterial this, super acting that -- it's about standing at the faucet with any soap and water and scrubbing for 15-20 seconds before you eat, after you use the restroom, before you cook, after you change the baby or wipe his or her nose, before you feed the kids, and after using your hands in a communal setting such as the gym or the grocery store.

"Hand washing," Senay emphasized, "has been shown again and again, no matter what the setting -- whether it's at home, in school, in the hospital -- is the No. 1 thing everyone should be doing to reduce the transmission of colds, viruses, bacteria, whatever's going around. It really works."

Wipes and gels are fine when you don't have access to a sink.

You also want to get your kids in the habit of washing their hands frequently from a young age, and doing it right. Make sure they dry their hands when they're done washing, because germs will cling to wet hands. You also want to teach children to cough and sneeze into their elbows, not their hands.

And try and frequently clean surfaces that your kids touch often, such as favorite toys or the fridge door handle, to stem the spread of germs. With certain illnesses, kids may be contagious before they actually demonstrate symptoms, so you want to go by these guidelines all the time, not just when someone in the family is sick.

With common, extra-contagious diseases, such as conjunctivitis, pinkeye, strep throat, and the stomach infection giardiasis, you should continue with the frequent hand washing and add some other precautions to the list: Make sure your kids aren't sharing cups or utensils. With pinkeye, make sure your children are using separate towels, and wash linens and sheets frequently. You may want to consider changing the sheets of an infected child daily until they're better. If they're suffering from diarrhea, think about getting the child a new toothbrush when they're well. If they're in diapers and have giardiasis, clean the changing table and the pail with a disinfectant and wash the baby's hands.