by Lindsay Weiss posted in Parenting

I've had two kids go down, back-to-back, with influenza A, so I feel a bit like a general who has just emerged from battle. (Still tbd on kid #3...will she remain unscathed" Will I")
None of our kiddos has ever had influenza and it had been a solid 15 years since my husband or I had it, so this was new territory to say the least. I read all the typical tips for dealing with it -- hydration, hydration, hydration, rest, ibuprofen and/or decongestant when needed, etc. but discovered a few of my own while in the trenches:
1. Head to the doc at the FIRST SIGN of fever and/or sore throat, cough and body aches. This is counterintuitive to what I usually do -- wait it out to see if it subsides on its own. If it's the flu, which is proving to be severe and widespread this year, you want to know right away what you're dealing with. If you'd consider giving your kid Tamiflu, this is especially important because it's really only effective if taken in the first 48 hours. Even if you don't want Tamiflu, you want to know what you're dealing with right away so you can watch closely for worsening symptoms. Basically, this is the one time you don't want to mess around with waiting. Get the flu test. 2. If your kiddo has a sore throat, get a strep test too. In my neck of the woods, there are a whole bunch of influenza and strep combinations happening, and the untreated strep is causing increased hospitalizations. Basically, left untreated, stre...