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.