Flu Season Preparation Checklist

22 items · Health · Easy difficulty · 1 hour

Prepare your household for flu season: book flu shots, stock the medicine cabinet, plan sick days and childcare, and know when to call a doctor.

• Book a flu shot for everyone in the household who can get one

  Ask your doctor or pharmacist if you are unsure whether it is right for someone.

• Check the pharmacy's minimum age before bringing children

  The age a pharmacist can vaccinate a child varies by state. Younger children may need to go to the pediatrician.

• Ask the pediatrician whether a young child needs two doses this season
• Check whether your insurance covers the shot at a pharmacy or only at the doctor's office
• Ask any higher-risk family member's doctor about antivirals

  Find out whether they will prescribe by phone or video once symptoms start.

• Put your doctor's evening and weekend line and a local urgent care in your contacts

  Note the urgent care's opening hours and whether it sees children.

• Check your insurer's telehealth option and set up the account now

  Logging in for the first time with a fever is harder than it sounds.

• Test the thermometer and replace its battery if needed
• Check expiry dates on fever and pain relievers
• Keep children's versions on hand, and dose by the child's weight

  The dosing chart is on the package. If it does not cover your child's age or weight, ask a pharmacist or doctor before giving a dose.

• Never give aspirin to children or teenagers with flu symptoms

  It is linked to Reye's syndrome, a rare but serious illness.

• Read multi-symptom cold medicine labels for acetaminophen

  Taking one of these on top of plain acetaminophen can add up to too much.

• Stock tissues, soap and hand sanitizer
• Stock drinks and easy food for sick days

  Broth, crackers, electrolyte drinks and ice pops keep for weeks in the pantry or freezer.

• Write down each person's medicines, allergies and conditions

  Keep the list on your phone for urgent care visits and telehealth calls.

• Pick a room or a bed where a sick person can rest apart from the others

  Give them their own towel and a cup that nobody else uses.

• Read your school's or daycare's rule on keeping a sick child home

  Many set a fever-free period before a child can come back, so know it before the first sick morning.

• Line up backup childcare for days a child has to stay home
• Check your employer's sick leave and work-from-home rules
• Plan who checks on any older relative who lives alone

  Agree on a daily call or text during a bad week.

• Make handwashing on arrival home a family habit
• Learn the flu warning signs that need medical care right away

  They include trouble breathing, chest pain, confusion, a child who will not drink or is hard to wake, and a fever that comes back after improving.

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