We’re so grateful to Kelly, of House of Houtts, for partnering with us to share her family’s story! View Kelly’s full blog post here.
We can all agree this year has been crazy. I hated not having control of many things this year. I had no control of the pandemic, toilet paper shortage, panic buyers, and list goes on. I find comfort in knowing I do have control with something this year, getting my family vaccinated. The health of my family comes first, always! With my children being so young and my mom having cancer we don’t mess around with the flu. Making sure my family gets their flu shot every year is one of the best things I can do to keep them safe. Vaccines are safe, effective, and help protect everyone.
As a mom of young children, I make sure to get my children their vaccines by the end of October. Looking into the facts I know young children under 5 are considered “at risk” for the flu (source). Both of my children are under five which makes me take this extra seriously. The flu can be very dangerous and fatal. Taking proper precautions to prevent the flu is absolutely necessary. Every year my family gets the flu vaccine to keep us safe. Vaccines protect our children and teens from 16 vaccine-preventable diseases (including HPV which can cause 6 different types of cancer).
Other preventable measures are very similar to avoiding COVID-19 such as frequent hand washing, avoid touching your face, avoiding people who are sick. It also helps to have a healthy lifestyle of eating foods rich in vitamins and exercising.
Have a child terrified of shots? Me too. I have a mom hack for you! Ask the nurse giving your child the shot for the “shot blocker” It appears to be a piece of foam or something similar to foam that takes the edge off the shot sting. Our pediatrician introduced us to it this year and I’m pretty sure they are at other doctor offices besides ours. It’s worth asking about, my daughter didn’t cry at all and she’s usually a screamer. Another thing that helps us is playing doctor prior to getting the vaccine. She helps me find ways to comfort her stuffed animals and will remind them they get a sticker and sucker for being so brave.
For more information, talk to your child’s pediatrician and explore resources like IVaccinate.org