It’s no secret that kids get sick often, and in the process, they can spread their illness to other members of the family. However, you might be shocked to learn just how large of an impact common colds and flus can have. According to the CDC, an estimated 60 million days of school and 50 million days of work are lost annually because of the common cold. Keeping your kids safe from the common cold can be tricky, but there are a few tips and tricks you can use to keep them (and you!) as healthy as possible.

Be careful with childcare

Whether it’s from school, extra-curricular activities, daycare, or any of the many other places kids spend a lot of their time, children are very good at picking up germs. Be mindful of how clean the places your kids spend their time are; exposing your kids to unhealthy environments can increase their likelihood of catching something from a peer.

Similarly, if your kid is showing symptoms of a cold or flu, keep them at home. A whopping 23.4% of children under the age of five are in some form of organized child care arrangement, which includes day care centers, nurseries, and preschools. Sending a sick kid to any one of these places puts tons of other children at risk of developing a cold. Besides, it’s best for your kid to stay home to have time to recover from being sick.

Keep it clean

Good hygiene is always important for young children to learn, but especially so when it comes to preventing common illnesses. Washing your hands often and using proper hand washing techniques helps keep you safe from germs and disease. It can also help model good behavior for your kids; children who see you washing your hands frequently will remember and model your behavior as a result.

No access to a sink to wash your hands? For times in between hand washes, keep some hand-sanitizer with you. While this won’t fully replace washing your hands, it can act as a good germ-fighting tactic in the meantime. There are plenty of keychain or pocket-sized hand-sanitizers out there so you can bring this disease-fighting method on the go with you.

Sweat it out

If your kid does get sick and develops a fever, try to stay calm. Most fevers aren’t actually that dangerous and are a natural part of the body’s defense mechanism against illnesses. Most of the time, fevers will run their course, and the body has a series of systems to prevent fevers from getting too serious.

The average person has two to four million sweat glands working as the body’s coolant system to protect it from overheating. However, if a child’s fever rises too high, it could still be dangerous, so know when it’s time to contact a doctor about their symptoms. If your child has a high fever and is under three years old, get in touch with a doctor to help keep them safe.

Encourage exercise

One of the easiest ways to keep you and your kids safe from the common cold and flu is to encourage a healthy lifestyle to begin with. Integrating a healthy diet and exercise into your family’s normal routine can help prepare their immune systems to tackle disease. Not all exercise has to feel like a chore; a 2017 study found that biking for commutes burns as much fat as spending 40 minutes at the gym five days a week. Making simple switches to lead a healthier lifestyle can guard you and your family against many common illnesses and also help you recover faster when you do get sick.

Every parent wants to keep their child as safe and as healthy as possible, so learning how to prevent the spread of the common cold is important. These tips can help you lead a healthier lifestyle and give your immune system the support it needs to tackle most common illnesses.