Scared of cold and flu season

It is my family’s first time going in January, and i’m a bit nervous about cold and flu season. Disney seems like a great place for things to get passed around quickly. Not sure if this is even something I should be asking (since it could seem impossible), but do y’all have any tips for keeping kids healthy during a late January trip? Any experiences would be helpful!

We liberally use hand sanitizers - both liquid and wipes. On planes, in the resort room, especially around food. Doesn’t always work, but it’s got to help. We also made sure to get our flu shot this year. Made the mistake of skipping it for the first time I can remember and of course, we all got the flu (starting with me…ugh).

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We got our flu shots as well, and same story, the one year we didn’t we all ended up with it. Never again! I even tried to take the 7am flight to Orlando, in hopes that it would be less crowded - less germs.

hand washing, hand washing, hand washing. Before the trip, try to make sure everyone is getting enough sleep and take your vitamins. I also found that if my kids were in strollers, they were less likely to touch everything :joy:

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Eat well, drink lots of water, and get plenty of rest - keeping you body healthy is the best defense against a cold. Don’t bother any of the OTC “cold prevention” stuff - they are all pretty much snake oil (I’m looking at you Airborne).

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good tips, thank you all!

All great advice! We do the same as everyone else said: flu shot, hand wipes, hand sanitizer, sleep and stay hydrated. Also, there was a study out recently that it’s better to turn on your air vent on the plane because it actually creates a little barrier to the germs in the air. The air coming through air vents goes through a hepa filter and it filters out 99.97% of the junk in the air. It's officially flu season: How to avoid getting sick on a plane - The Points Guy

We just got back a week ago and only my 5 year old came back with a little cold. Of course, we all caught it from her after we got back and are sick now, but there were 8 of us and that’s not too bad for a trip surrounded by coughing and snotty people.

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I was nervous about this when we went the end of November (especially for my 13 month old). Somehow we all made it home from WDW without getting sick … though 2 weeks later my 3 y/o daughter picked something up at nursery school which she was kind enough to share with the rest of us.

We used a lot of hand wipes and hand sanitizer. I tried to wipe each of the kid’s hands off after each ride (and of course before every meal). Unfortunately I think making it through WDW without getting sick is more luck than anything else.

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After every ride is such a good idea! Our DS2 sucks on his fingers a lot, so this is a big concern of mine! (alcohol free sanitizer or wipes of course for him)

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I hope this doesn’t sound like I am trying to minimize your concern, but I really wouldn’t worry TOO much about it. In all honesty, if your children leave the house on a regular basis, they are still getting exposed to germs everywhere they go. Disney is not really that much more of a germ breeding ground than your local grocery store or playground or anyplace else. Definitely wash hands and use common sense rules for hygiene, but don’t let it keep creeping into your mind and ruining your trip. I have literally never given it any thought and no one in my family has ever caught anything on a vacation, Disney and Universal included.

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We went last February and I was worried about this. People on Disney boards were canceling trips due to it being such a bad flu season! We used hydrogen peroxide wipes on everything at the airport and on plane then in the hotel room. Also gave them multivitamins and probiotics leading up to trip. We got flu shots. Kids were 8, 7, 4, and 2. Might have been overkill but we did all stay healthy. Of course my 2 year old picked up and ate a goldfish off the floor (not hers) and licked the railing while waiting for a ride, sooooo you can’t prevent everything :slight_smile:

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This is the biggest reality check kids can give you lol :joy:

Thanks for the tips guys, i’m not too worried about it, but we all know how expensive Disney trips can get… just wanted to try my best to avoid anything that can waste day or two in bed.

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