10/20/2026
⬇️ Full explanations:
1. They go to bed at the same time every night.
Pick a bedtime and keep it on weekends too. School-age kids need 9–12 hours, and a tired body fights viruses less well. Clocks go back this Sunday, so shift bedtime gradually over a few days instead of all at once.
2. They wash their hands the minute they walk in the door.
Not just before meals. Make it the first thing they do at home, before they touch the fridge or the tablet. Use soap for 20 seconds, including the backs of the hands.
3. They play outside every day, even when it’s chilly.
Cold weather doesn’t cause colds. Viruses do, and they spread most easily in warm, crowded rooms. Dress them in layers and send them out.
4. Their plates are colorful, but their supplement shelf isn’t.
Vegetables, fruit, protein, and whole grains do more than gummy vitamins. The one supplement worth asking your pediatrician about is vitamin D, since there’s so little sun between now and spring.
5. They don’t get antibiotics for every cold.
Most autumn colds are viruses, and antibiotics don’t work on viruses. If your pediatrician says it’s viral, trust rest and fluids, and save antibiotics for when they’re actually needed.
