The Fatherly Guide To Flu Season & Kids
The flu is nasty, seemingly everywhere, and a genuine health threat for infants. What it is not, however, is inevitable or unbeatable. Flu is a sickness and, like most sicknesses, it can be prevented and treated. Many of the precautions your family has been taking against COVID, namely wearing a mask indoors in public, can also protect against the flu this winter. Doing so will be crucial. Experts are predicting a nasty upcoming flu season, which means you need to prepare. The questions you need to know the answers to: When does flu season start? When does flu season end? What do seasonal flu symptoms look like? How many boxes of tissues should I buy? How can you keep a baby from getting sick? These are all answerable.
To that end, Fatherly has built this guide to surviving (and thriving) during flu season. Here you’ll find all the information you need about flu season dates, flu symptoms, and getting the flu shot. Once you know, you can prepare. Once you prepare, you can stop stressing — or stress a bit less anyway.
How Does the Flu Vaccine Work?
Every year, scientists around the world do their best to get one step ahead of the flu by developing that year’s iteration of the flu shot. Vaccines work by giving your body a chance to fight off an altered version of a virus or bacteria, so that if it encounters the live virus in the wild, it already knows how to react. This can prevent you from becoming ill. If you do get sick, it’s often milder than it would have been had you not gotten vaccinated.
How Long Does the Flu Shot Last?
The flu shot is your golden ticket to staying safe during flu season. Experts recommend that you get vaccinated earlier rather than later. Kids can get vaccinated as soon as the flu vaccine becomes available, even if that’s in July or August. September and October are good times for adults, and everyone should be vaccinated by the end of October. The flu shot is expected to provide protection for about six months, and you need to get one every year.
Preventing The Flu
Does Elderberry Syrup Really Work as an Immune Booster?
These Are the Items You Need to Prepare for the 2021 Flu Season
How to Keep Babies Safe From Getting Sick During Flu Season
3 Ways to Help Prevent the Flu from Spreading in Your House
Infants Are Catching The Flu Because Of Unvaccinated Older Siblings
What Experts Say
What Is Flurona and Do You Need to Worry About It?
The Flu Season Is About to Get Really, Really Bad, Experts Say
The 2022-2023 Flu Shot: What’s In It And Why?
Where to Get the Flu Shot? There Is No Best Place to Get a Flu Vaccine
What Happens If You Get the Flu and COVID at the Same Time?
Read More
The 2022-2023 Flu Shot: What’s In It And Why?
Everything you need to know about flu shot ingredients, varieties, and dosages.
This Map Shows the States Seeing Weirdly High Levels of the Flu Right Now
Cases are going up when they usually go down, in some states far more than others. Why?
It’s May, So Why Are Flu Levels Rising?
Flu season does technically run until the end of May, but it's unusual for cases to be rising this late like they are right now.
Does Vitamin C Actually Help When You’re Sick?
Does a cup of OJ help when you feel a cold coming on? This is what the science says.
What Is Flurona and Do You Need to Worry About It?
Flurona occurs when you get COVID and the flu at the same time, and it can make treatment more difficult.
Does Elderberry Syrup Really Work as an Immune Booster?
You feel a cold coming and, naturally, you reach for the elderberry syrup. But does that make any scientific sense? Here's what the studies say.
Don’t Blame Your Kid for Getting You Sick
You shouldn't expect a second grader to protect your home from any kind of intruder. It's not realistic.
Meet Larry Cook, the Villain Behind the Facebook Anti-Vaxx Scandal
Larry Cook, the man behind "Stop Mandatory Vaccination," a massive Facebook group that promotes disinformation, has a lot to gain from pushing his conspiracies on others.
Men Really Do Have Worse Cold and Flu Symptoms Than Women
You're not necessarily weak — but your immune system might be.
When My Son Started to Wheeze
This winter, my toddler was repeatedly struck by a mystery respiratory illness. It sent him to the PICU — and forced my wife and I to seek answers no one had.
COVID-19 Is About to Become A Disease That’s Mostly for Kids
Most of the kids will be okay — and it's a sign vaccinations are on the right path.
The Flu Season Is About to Get Really, Really Bad, Experts Say
There’s no way to know how the upcoming flu season will turn out. But if we had to take a guess? It’s not going to be easy.
Flu Season Is Not Baby Kissing Season
Keep your baby and your partner close and consider holding your kid back from Kindergarten if you can.
How to Keep Babies Safe From Getting Sick During Flu Season
Influenza is a serious threat to infants. Parents need to take precautions.
How To Ease Your Toddler’s Symptoms With Natural Flu Remedies
How to help a toddler's nose, chest, and throat when flu season hits close to home.
When Should You and Your Kids Get the Flu Shot?
It turns out there is an ideal time to get your flu shot. Unfortunately, it usually doesn't line up with what your local drugstore is pushing.
