Taking good care of ourselves is second nature to many of us, but for our children, healthy habits need to be taught. Young children are active, hands-on explorers who need to touch everything. Their immune systems are not well developed, and they have not yet mastered their cleanliness routines so they are more at risk for illness than adults. Sometimes, the threat of exposure goes beyond colds and minor ailments to the risk of serious illness.

La mejor manera de evitar que el niño se enferme es tratar de impedir la exposición y llevar una vida saludable. Desde la infancia podemos ayudar a nuestros niños a desarrollar hábitos saludables para toda la vida. Por supuesto, no es muy difícil saber qué hay que hacer; la parte difícil es hacer lo que sabemos y continuar con nuestros hijos. Si hacemos lo mejor que podemos, es posible que nosotros — y nuestros hijos — tengamos vidas saludables.

H1N1 (Swine Flu) Health Alert:
Currently everyone is concerned about the spread of H1N1. The best practices to stop the spread of infection are those that we use everyday. Continue to remind and assist your children to:

• Practice good handwashing often and thoroughly
• Cover their mouth or nose when coughing or sneezing – make sure tissues are available.

These may seem like simple responses to a complex problem, but the best actions are often easy to implement. They are also easy to forget and reminders to your family can be very useful.

To stay up-to-date on the Center for Disease Control response to H1N1 flu and for further guidance, please see http://www.cdc.gov/swineflu/general_info.htm.