It is officially the cold and flu season, and that means kids will get sick. Fortunately, there are some things you can do to help prevent your child from coming down with a virus.

It is important that your children keep their hands clean. Regular hand washing will dramatically reduce gastrointestinal and respiratory illnesses from passing on to your kids, so get the children in the habit of using a hand sanitizer, or scrubbing up.

Regular to moderate exercise can help reduce colds and flu by up to 50 percent as doctors believe it boosts the circulation when it comes to infection fighting cells.

Make sure that your kids hit the sack early as lack of sleep will nearly double the risk of flu or cold. Most babies require about 14 hours of sleep every day while preschoolers need about 12 to 13 hours.

This winter protect your kids and make sure that you schedule a checkup with Powell Pediatrics who can help with additional tips to keep your kids healthy.