How do YOU keep your family healthy during cold and flu season?

I feel that my family and I cannot get a break from these germs. As soon as that spring air hit NYC, I was boasting (in my own mind) that we went the entire winter without getting some horrible virus. It seems that since October, my friends have been posting Facebook statuses that their families ended up with the flu, stomach virus, and other illnesses that attacked everyone in the household. I figured we were able to escape the bugs since I washed my hands obsessively and always explained to my toddler that after school she needed to wash her hands to get rid of the germs from school.

Then- it hit me. 3 weeks ago I was driving with my two girls in the car and I got really hot, then immediately felt cold and dizzy. I had to pull over and called my husband to come pick us up with an extra person that could drive my car because I felt THAT horrible. I had this horrible nausea that was characteristic of my early pregnancy days and had to do some quick calculations just to make sure that’s not what I was dealing with. Sure enough, within hours of getting home my toddler started displaying the same symptoms and we were both lying on the couch with 102 fevers and nausea. This must have been a quick moving virus, because by the next morning, we were both back to normal – and then my husband started having the same symptoms. I feared that the youngest member of our family, my 10 month old, would end up with her first virus as well. Thankfully she remained healthy, and we were all well within a few days.

Until last week. My toddler woke up with what seemed to be laryngitis. Any mom can tell you that a few hours of quiet from your typically-tantrum throwing tot is bliss, so I didn’t think much of her inability to scream and yell that day (she had no other symptoms.) The next morning she woke up with a horrible sore throat and I worried that she picked up something at the doctor’s office just days before when the kids went for a well visit. It figures! My story is already dragging out, but to sum it up – my toddler, myself, and my infant came down with a nasty upper respiratory infection that left the girls with high fevers for 5 days, lots of boogies, and a horrible cough. I just cleaned my home from top to bottom, changed all the sheets, and Lysol’d the entire house- including bedding, pillows, and couches. My mom swears by Lysol when someone is sick in her home, and she always has. I can almost kick myself, because when I realized my toddler was getting sick, I was slow to reach for the Lysol and my whole family paid the price.

So, my tips for staying healthy during virus season is frequent hand washing, and proper disinfecting with Lysol spray and wipes. We use the Lysol No-Touch soap dispenser at every sink in the house so that germy hands don’t actually touch the soap dispenser. I use Lysol wipes every time I clean the kitchen and bathroom, and I spray Lysol disinfecting spray on all the soft surfaces and toys when cleaning.

To help spread the word about Healthing, LYSOL and television personality Giuliana Rancic have partnered together to visit YMCAs in select markets across the country to demonstrate Healthing in action. At each YMCA location,LYSOL will provide attendees with hands-on education about the products and steps required to practice improved hygiene habits in their own home, while making the idea fun and relatable to kids. LYSOL will also provide educational information and disinfecting products to the local YMCAs, along with the donation of a one-year membership to a deserving family.

You can find out more about Lysol’s Healthing initiative by visiting Lysol, reading their Healthing Guidebook, and connecting with them on Facebook. How do YOU keep your family healthy during cold and flu season?