Flu season is early this year. Here’s how to actually protect your family, according to experts
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For real advice, we talked to two physicians who've spent this fall fielding questions from worried parents.
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It’s almost that time of year when a small cornucopia of medicine takes up residence on the kitchen counter and the house becomes a chorus of coughs and sneezes. As a parent, you know the particular dread of seeing the school nurse’s number flashing on your phone, because you know it’s only a matter of hours until the whole family is flat out.
Unfortunately that call may be right around the corner: Flu season is also arriving months earlier than usual this year.
Experts say it’s a good idea to prepare now before the first fever strikes. Most of what actually protects a family is simple, though, and you don’t need a cabinet full of products or a nursing degree to do it well.
For real advice, we talked to two physicians who’ve spent this fall fielding questions from worried parents. Tracy Tyson, MD and Brittany Odom, MD, are both board-certified pediatricians and moms themselves. Here’s what they want you to know about how to protect your family from the flu this season.
Is flu season really starting early this year?
Yes, in parts of the country. “We have started seeing influenza earlier this year, and nationwide reports are also showing an earlier flu season,” Dr. Tyson says. The picture is uneven, though. “Nationally, the latest CDC report shows flu activity is still relatively low but increasing, with the highest activity on the West Coast,” Dr. Odom says, and she’s already seeing plenty of cases in her area. Regions surge at slightly different times, she says, reason enough to get ahead of it now. “You don’t need to wait for flu to fill your child’s classroom before getting them protected.”
When should kids get the flu shot, and is it too late?
Get it as soon as it’s available, both doctors say. “I recommend getting it in September or October, ideally by Halloween, for everyone 6 months and older,” Dr. Odom says. November isn’t too late, she adds, but she wouldn’t wait on purpose, since protection takes about 2 weeks to build and some kids ages 6 months through 8 years need 2 doses at least 4 weeks apart.
“It isn’t ever too late, but the earlier, the better,” Dr. Tyson says. The flu and COVID shots can be given at the same visit, with no required spacing. “As a mom, I know how quickly something on the calendar can get pushed back,” Dr. Odom adds. “So if you have the opportunity now, take it.”
Is the nasal spray or the flu shot better for kids?
Either one works, if your child is eligible, both doctors say. The shot is approved for children 6 months and up. The nasal spray, or flu mist, is an option from age 2, with limits. “Children ages 2 through 4 with asthma or wheezing in the past year shouldn’t receive the nasal spray, and older children with asthma or other medical conditions need an eligibility review,” Dr. Odom says. Dr. Tyson draws the same line for the mist. Past that, it comes down to your kid. “My priority is an appropriate vaccine that your child actually receives,” Dr. Odom says.
Does the flu shot actually work if my kid gets sick anyway?
The shot lowers the odds of catching the flu and softens its severity when it breaks through. Dr. Tyson likes an old health-department line. “Taking flu from wild to mild is exactly the right way of thinking,” she says, estimating it prevents flu in up to 60% of cases. It targets influenza specifically, not the parade of other bugs your kid hauls home from daycare. “A sick day after vaccination doesn’t mean the vaccine had no value,” Dr. Odom says, since even a vaccinated child who gets the flu is less likely to end up seriously ill.
How do you keep the flu from spreading through the house?
If one kid goes down, the rest of the house doesn’t necessarily have to fall like dominos. You absolutely can limit the spread, Dr. Tyson says. The moves that help are unglamorous. Wash hands, stop sharing cups and utensils, cough into an elbow, and separate sleeping spaces where you can. Vaccination cuts household spread too.
You don’t need to disinfect every surface. “Don’t put all your energy into wiping down the house while overlooking the air everyone is sharing,” Dr. Odom says. Crack a window, run a HEPA air purifier, or run the HVAC fan while someone is sick. Masks help during close contact, though never on a child under 2.
And it’s not a failure if another family member gets sick.. “Viruses are sneaky, it happens,” Dr. Odom says.
What flu symptoms in kids mean it’s time to call the doctor?
Most healthy, older kids can ride out the flu at home, but call your doctor if:
- Your child is under 5 or has a condition like asthma or a weak immune system. Call early, Dr. Odom says, since antiviral treatment works best when started fast.
- A fever lasts more than 3 days in an older child, or more than 24 hours in a child under 2.
- Symptoms get better and then come back, or your child is getting worse or barely drinking.
- Their breathing, hydration or energy worries you.
- Trouble breathing, ribs pulling in, blue lips, difficulty waking, a seizure, no urine for 8 or more hours, or a fever of 100.4°F or higher in a baby under 3 months require urgent medical attention, not just a call to your pediatrician.
How do you treat the flu at home, and how high is too high for a fever?
Keep a few basics on hand, Dr. Odom says: a thermometer, an oral rehydration solution like Pedialyte, saline drops or spray, and an age-appropriate fever medicine with a dosing syringe. An at-home combination test (which generally covers flu A and B, COVID and RSV in one swab) can also help you tell the flu from the other bugs going around. Care itself is mostly rest, small frequent sips of fluid and saline for congestion. For babies, keep offering breast milk or formula. Honey can soothe a cough for kids 1 and older, but never for a baby under 1.
For fever and aches, acetaminophen helps, and ibuprofen is fine from 6 months, though skip it if your child is dehydrated or vomiting a lot, Dr. Odom says. Dose by weight and use the syringe, not a kitchen spoon, she adds, and never give aspirin to a child with flu.
On how high is too high, the number matters less than you’d think. “There isn’t a level of fever that is unsafe per se,” Dr. Tyson says. “It’s more about the length of time and the symptoms with the fever.” Call the doctor for a baby under 3 months at 100.4°F or higher, and for an older child whose fever repeatedly tops 104°F or won’t come down with medicine. The goal, Dr. Odom says, is a child comfortable enough to drink and rest.
How do I protect a newborn or pregnant family member during flu season?
The most vulnerable people in a house can’t protect themselves, so the job falls on everyone else. Babies under 6 months are too young for the flu vaccine, which makes vaccinating the adults and older kids at home especially important, Dr. Odom says. Keep sick visitors away, improve airflow, and for newborns, the advice is obvious but still worth stating since the desire is strong: “No kissing the babies!” The flu shot is safe in any trimester of pregnancy and protects the baby after birth too. For anyone pregnant, immunocompromised or caring for a newborn, don’t wait out a symptom or a known exposure. Call your provider promptly about treatment or prevention.
When should I reach out if I’m worried?
Asked what they most wish parents knew, both doctors have the same advice: reach out sooner. “You don’t have to wait until your child looks terribly sick to call us,” Dr. Odom says. “Flu has treatments, and timing matters. Asking for help early is part of taking good care of your child, not overreacting.”
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