It's back to flu season. I mean back to school season. I'm only sort of joking.
Every August and September, the national respiratory virus data shows the same thing: a wave that rises right when school starts and carries us straight into winter. It happens every single year, and it’s remarkably predictable.
So if it feels like your child is sick ALL the time once school is back — and generously bringing it home to you — that isn’t a parenting failure. That’s a normal part of childhood, courtesy of a naive immune system and zero personal hygiene.
\Here’s what helps, and what isn’t worth your money.
What works
Handwashing. It’s not a force-field, but it’s the cheapest and easiest thing you can do — and studies show a real drop in sick days. Soap and water, for 20 seconds. The two highest-value moments are the minute they walk in the door after school, and before they eat.
Sleep. More sleep, fewer illnesses — that’s what the research consistently shows in school-age kids. And the target is higher than most parents think: a fifth grader needs 9 hours or more. My own rule is that at the first sniffle, bedtime moves up 30 minutes.
Whole-food nutrition. In one study of young children with frequent respiratory infections, feeding them more whole foods cut their days of symptoms — and their antibiotic use — by roughly half. Whether that’s a salad, smoothie, cooked veggies – I don’t care the format, just that it’s there.
Closing the gaps. This is the one I get asked about most. Even in houses where we all feed our kids well, about 4 out of 5 children still don’t get enough vitamin D from food alone, plus there are usually gaps in other key vitamins and minerals. A daily multivitamin is the simplest insurance policy there.
Immunizations. A 2025 CDC study found that children who got a seasonal flu vaccine were 58% less likely to end up in an emergency department or urgent care for flu than kids who didn’t. Timing matters too: late September / early October are the sweet spot, since protection fades across the season and you want it to last through the end of the season in March. While you’re booking, ask your pediatrician which of the others make sense for your family this year, and check that the school-required list is current.
What *Might* work
Elderberry. The evidence here is real but modest: taken within the first 48 hours, it appears to shorten a cold by a couple of days.
Medicinal mushrooms. Most of the promising studies delivered the compounds by injection rather than by mouth, and a lot of the research is poorly designed. At medicinal doses they can also cause platelet problems, GI upset, rashes, and even liver issues. Talk to your doctor – I have adult patients who swear by these, but I don’t yet give them to children.
Probiotics. A Cochrane review found probiotics may reduce both the number of upper respiratory infections and how long they last. Food first — yogurt with live cultures, kefir, sauerkraut, miso — and a supplement if that’s more realistic for your family.
What's a waste
Vitamin C once they’re already sniffling. It’s a preventive, not a rescue. By the time symptoms start, you’ve missed the window.
Cough and cold medicines for children under 4. Not effective, and they come with real side effects — which is why the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends against them in the younger age groups. For kids over 1, honey works better: in one trial it cut nighttime coughing by about 80%, and in another it outperformed Benadryl.
Sterilizing your house. Handwashing works. Disinfecting every surface does not. Save the sanitizer for when there’s no sink, and skip antibacterial soaps except around raw meat. Kids need some germ exposure — that’s how an immune system learns its job.
You can’t stop the wave. But you CAN change how hard it hits your house. Here’s to a happy, healthy fall for you and your family.
All my best,
- Dr. Darria
