This post is sponsored by The Relief Products. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I Learned the Hard Way.

Back in November when I was about 8 weeks pregnant, Benji started throwing up.

It was 4am on a Saturday and lasted until he went to bed at 7pm.

After each unexpected spew, I’d give him a sip of cold water from my water bottle.

MOM FAIL 101.

I didn’t even think about the germs or the fact that he might have something much worse than food poisoning.

Two days later on Monday night, Matt and I began vomiting within minutes of each other.

And I continued to vomit 8 times over the next 10 hours.

We had the stomach flu.

And I got the worst of it.

I’ve been sick plenty in my life, but nothing has been as severe as this.

Add to the mix my pregnancy and the onset of morning (er, all day) nausea the same week and I found myself in the doctor’s office with an IV to replenish my fluids.

I couldn’t keep even a tiny sip of water down.

Five days later, when I finally started feeling back to normal, I swore I would do everything I could to never get that sick again.

And it all started with the water bottle.

Here are 5 simple tips I learned for keeping your kids (and yourself) healthy during winter, when the flu and other viruses seem to be knocking at every door.

1. Limit Sharing

Whether it’s a water bottle, spoon or the rest of your dessert, limit sharing things that easily spread germs.

Even if you’re not aware of any viruses yet; but especially if you are.

2. Keep Relief Products Handy

Pink Eye, like the common cold, is one of those easily overlooked viruses that can sneak up on you.

Benji cries at least once a day (what toddler doesn’t?).

And his most common request when crying is, “Fix eyes!” Which means he wants Mommy or Daddy to wipe his tears… so we do.

But now there are three pairs of hands making regular contact with Benji’s eyes.

And I can promise you, we aren’t all washing our hands before every tear-wiping episode.

So I like to keep things like The Relief Products (avail at your local grocery store) on hand in case we need to act quickly to remedy a virus such as Pink Eye.

The thing I like most about The Relief Products, specifically, is their mission to help as many people as possible stay healthy, naturally.

That means 100% natural, homeopathic ingredients that don’t bring additional side effects with them.

They work safely and gently with your body to get you feeling better.

3. Clean, Bathe, Sanitize

Benji is a boy through and through and loves to get his hands, feet, pretty much everything dirty.

I often sit him down for lunch and forget to wash his hands first.

But it’s not because of my “forgetful mom brain.” It’s because I believe there can be negative effects if we overprotect from germs.

So I just use my common sense with a dash of intuition.

We use hand sanitizer if he’s been playing with other kids and other kids’ toys.

He washes hands when he’s been playing with anything extra dirty, including his/my food.

And he takes a bath every single night.

I think these good hygiene habits are what have kept us both healthy for the majority of our 3 years together. 😉

4. Wear a Coat, Dang it!

If there’s one toddler thing that drives me crazier than any other, it’s Benji’s total defiance for wearing his coat (combined with his extreme passion for being outside).

He’ll wear a hooded jacket.

But a coat is a whole different story.

It’s a good thing he likes to wear the same outfits every day because I’ve spent most of his clothing budget on finding a coat that he will actually wear.

This one has been our winner so far (and likely because it’s red, “like Coco’s”).

Whatever it takes, we do our best to ensure he’s dressed appropriately for the season.

And a coat in our 20-degree Utah winters is non-negotiable.

5. Adequate SLEEP

I’ve been fighting the good fight for the sake of Benji’s sleep since the first day we sleep trained him.

He still takes naps every day.

And while my motive to keep him napping has been largely for my own necessity (hashtag working mom life), I know his growing, busy body and mind needs the sleep, too.

So we deal with it when people laugh at our “first time parenting” habits that have us leaving social events early to get Benji to bed on time.

We’ll keep it going as long as we can.

But I swear it plays a huge part in his (and our) overall health in our home.

And everyone’s happier around here when they feel healthier.

So there you have it.

I’m no parenting expert, but like every parent I know, some things you just learn from experience.

And I feel confident my above “lessons learned” will keep your kids healthier than if you don’t incorporate them.

I’d love to know if you have some tips, too! Please share in the comments.

Here’s to a healthy and happy (and stomach-flu-free) rest of the winter!