Cold, flu, and RSV season is arriving a little earlier than usual this year. This guide covers how to tell a cold, the flu, and RSV apart, what to put in a flu-and-cold kit before anyone gets sick, the specific warning signs that mean it’s time to call the doctor (especially for RSV in babies and toddlers), and safe versions of three natural remedies. Includes a free printable version of the kit.
This post has been updated, October, 2026.
I rarely get sick. I have a killer immune system. Usually, the cold and flu season pass me by, but not so long ago, I wasn’t as fortunate. With no flu survival plan in place, the flu hit me hard, and I was knocked off my feet for more than two weeks.
At one point, my fever was high enough that I was delirious and giving my husband crazy instructions for plugging in a heating pad as my whole body was wracked with violent shivering. This bout with the flu actually inspired this article, but now, in early fall 2026, doctors are reporting flu and RSV cases weeks before they’re expected.
Cases that don’t usually show up until December are already filling ERs and pediatrician offices alike. RSV is rough on little kids and babies especially, and it acts fast. It can go from “just a cold” to “my kid is having a hard time breathing.”
So, I’ve updated this post and added a section about RSV, which my son had as a baby (scary!), and created a printable version of my Flu-Proof Family Kit, so you can assemble all the supplies and meds you’ll need before this hits you and your family.
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When Cold, Flu, and RSV Usually Hit
Technically, the Flu shows up year-round, but it ramps up in fall and usually peaks somewhere between December and February, per the CDC. RSV follows a similar calendar. Cases of RSV usually decline through the spring and then peak in winter.
This year, 2026, it’s running a bit early. CDC’s data (week ending October 10, 2026) shows flu cases ticking up a bit earlier than the typical calendar. ERs and pediatric offices aren’t overrun, yet, but flu and RSV have their own schedule, so all we can do is look at data and get ready if or when we’re hit.
The CDC keeps a weekly-updated flu map (FluView) if you want to check what’s circulating in your state right now. You can track the flu and/or RSV in your own state at that website. Below is an example of what you can expect to see depending on your location and time of year.
Cold, Flu, or RSV? How to Tell Them Apart
I knew I had a case of the flu when my symptoms became very extreme very quickly and was accompanied by a fever. However, for some people, symptoms of the cold can be confused with those of the flu.
A cold is usually the mildest of the three. You get a runny nose, sneezing, mild sore throat, a cough that might sticks around but isn’t violent. If you have a box of tissues handy and maybe some OTC meds to deal with the symptoms, you just have to wait it out. A cold lasts a week or so.
Flu hits a lot harder and faster. When I got a bad case of the flu in December of 2019, we were on vacation, and for two days I couldn’t move. A flu comes with high fever, body aches that can be intense, chills, a severe cough, and exhaustion that keeps you flat on the couch, not just slowed down.
RSV is the one most parents don’t think about until their kid is already sick with it. When my son had it years ago, it required an overnight stay in the hospital and a schedule of at-home oxygen treatments.
RSV starts out looking like a bad cold with similar symptoms. But with babies, toddlers, and older adults (65+), it can move quickly into the lower respiratory tract. That’s when significant breathing problems can start — wheezing, labored breathing, a non-stop cough.
Someone sneezes are just sneezes, and a sign of a minor cold, but everyone should know the difference between a minor case that’s mostly irritating and something requiring a visit to the doctor or ER.
The Foolproof Flu-Proof Family Kit
Don’t wait until someone’s already miserable to go hunting for a thermometer or learning that you ran out of tissues weeks ago. Put this together now, in a box or bin, so when flu season hits your house you’re reaching for a well-stocked kit with no midnight runs to CVS.
Comfort and Symptom Relief
- Lozenges (for kids old enough not to choke on them, generally ages 4+, check the package)
- Children’s and adult pain/fever reducers, ibuprofen and acetaminophen, with a dosing chart taped to the inside of the box. Make sure you have a way to measure and dispense the liquid versions for kids.
- A digital thermometer with extra batteries
- A heating pad or hot water bottle for when the chills set in
- Honey for coughs (never for babies under 1 year — infant botulism risk)
- Crystallized ginger and a stash of ginger ale, for nausea and a scratchy throat. I buy these ginger chews.
- Cough drops and extra tissues (buy the lotion kind if possible)
Hydration
- A case of an oral rehydration solution, like Pedialyte or the store-brand equivalent. It’s better than a homemade sugar-water recipe.
- A sippy cup or straw cup for a kid or adult who doesn’t want to sit up to drink, or can’t
Hygiene and Containment
- Hand sanitizer and extra hand soap, if you don’t already have a stash
- Disposable gloves, for cleaning up after a stomach bug
- Vomit (emesis) bags — so much easier to use and clean up afterwards than a bowl or the toilet!
- A box of disposable face masks
- A lined bucket or a few bags by the bed, just in case
One more thing: skip multi-symptom cold medicines for anyone under 4, and check the label before giving anything to kids under 6 because a lot of “adult” combo formulas were never meant for them. When in doubt, call your pharmacist. They’ll answer that question for free.
Want this whole list as a printable you can check off while you shop, instead of retyping it onto a notepad? Grab the free printable below, The Foolproof Flu-Proof Family Kit checklist.
Set Up a Sick Room
Pick one spot, a bedroom or even a corner of the couch, and and make it the sick station. If you end up with more than one sick family member, this will help by having all the supplies right there at hand and save a lot of steps between multiple sick people.
Stock the nightstand or nearby table with tissues, a cup with a lid (fewer spills to clean twice), a trash can with a liner, and the thermometer. Have your family flu kit there, too.
If nausea’s involved, put a bucket nearby (or a few emesis bags), a stack of old towels, and some disinfecting wipes within arm’s reach before you need them.
Keep healthy siblings out of the sick room as much as a house size allows. It won’t stop every germ, but it cuts down how many people end up getting sick with the same thing. That’s exhausting for whoever the caretaker is.
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Slow The Spread Before It Takes Down The Whole House
The Number One way to prevent more outbreaks in your home is the easiest — wash hands, a lot. Just plain soap and water for 20 seconds does the job and are better than hand sanitizer when hands are visibly dirty. For little kids, turn it into a routine with a sticker chart or a song they can sing through (“Happy Birthday” twice works fine).
Teach everyone to cough and sneeze into an elbow, not a hand, and anyone caring for the sick family member should wash up after leaving the room, every time, even when it feels like overkill.
As far as the flu vaccine goes, talk with your doctor.
When to Call the Doctor (Or Stop Waiting and Go In)
Here’s the information I needed years ago when I had that worst-ever case of the flu.
For babies and young kids, call the doctor or seek care if you see:
- Fast or labored breathing, or breathing that looks like real work (chest pulling in with each breath)
- Wheezing, or a cough that won’t let up
- Bluish color around the lips, face, or fingertips. This is a major emergency, not something you wait to see if it gets better.
- Refusing to eat or drink, or noticeably fewer wet diapers than normal
- Any fever in a baby under 3 months old
- Unusual lethargy — hard to wake, or not acting like themselves at all
For anyone in the family, get checked out for:
- Trouble breathing or shortness of breath. Most people know when their breathing becomes difficult enough to see a doctor.
- Chest pain or chest pressure that doesn’t let up
- Confusion or sudden dizziness
- Signs of dehydration, like a dry mouth, no urination for 8+ hours, dizziness when standing
- Symptoms that improve, then suddenly come back worse (this can signal a secondary infection)
If you’re worried, call a nurse line or your pediatrician’s after-hours phone line. Your insurance company might also have an on-call nurse for you to talk with. You don’t need to be sure something’s wrong to ask. It’s the job of the nurse or doctor to assess that based on your conversation.
And, if someone in your house is in a flu high-risk group (very young, 65+, pregnant, or has a chronic health condition), ask your doctor early on about steps to take for their specific case.
Three Natural Remedies for the Cold and Flu Season
I keep a well-stocked medicine cabinet but also just as many natural remedies, both homemade and store-bought. Unless something is severe, I always take a look at those remedies first because I know they’re effective.
When medicine (OTC or prescription) is needed, that’s what you want to reach for, as even the most useful natural remedies can’t replace medicine for more severe symptoms. However, they’re still useful for the in-between days, the ones where everyone feels lousy but nobody’s sick enough to need a doctor.
The following three recipes use natural ingredients that can be found in the healthy living section of grocery stores, in health food stores, and on Amazon. These can be made ahead of time and then stored at room temperature or in the refrigerator until needed.
Homemade Aromatic Chest Rub
- 1/4 cup coconut oil
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil
- A few drops each of eucalyptus and lavender essential oils
Melt 1/4 cup coconut oil with a tablespoon of olive oil, then stir in a few drops each of eucalyptus and/or lavender essential oils. Rub on chest and back at bedtime. Skip this treatment for kids under 2 since the oils can cause breathing problems when used near the face. For older kids, keep the oils well-diluted and patch-test on a small area of skin first.
Herbal Congestion Rub
This recipe takes a couple of days to make and then another few days to allow the ingredients to settle in and “marry.”
- 1/2 c. dried lavender (antiseptic healing, topically healing, pain relieving)
- 1/4 c. dried mullein leaves (helps break up congestion)
- 1/4 c. dried peppermint (cooling and provides pain relief)
- 1/4 c. fresh grated ginger (breaks up congestion)
- 3/4 c. coconut oil
- 3/4 c. olive oil
- 3 T. beeswax pellets
Simmer dried lavender, mullein, and peppermint with fresh ginger in coconut and olive oil on low in a covered, slow cooker for two days, strain through cheesecloth. Melt in a bit of beeswax, and jar it.
Homemade Rehydration Drink
If you’re out of Pedialyte and can’t get to a store, dissolve 6 teaspoons of sugar and 1/2 teaspoon of salt in 1 liter (about 4 cups) of cool water. It’s not as precisely balanced as a commercial oral rehydration solution, so treat it as a stopgap, and skip it for infants under 1 without talking to a doctor first.
Learn about other home remedies used during the Great Depression here. These can complement a traditional approach.
Get the Printable: The Foolproof Flu-Proof Family Kit
Get the full list of supplies here, so you don’t have to remember the list when you get to the store!
Frequently Asked Questions
No, RSV has always been around, but public awareness of it is newer, and the past couple of years have brought actual vaccines and preventive treatments for high-risk groups that didn’t used to exist.
Most colds clear up in 7 to 10 days. A cold that’s getting worse after day 5, or a fever that spikes again after it had gone away, means it’s time to call a doctor or go to Urgent Care. See the warning signs section above for specifics.
They aren’t recommended for infants, and limited even for toddlers. See the safety notes in the remedies section. When in doubt, skip it and ask your pediatrician what’s safe at your child’s age.
The Final Word
The time to prepare for the cold and flu season is now. You’ll thank yourself later if your family members start to fall like dominoes as the virus makes its rounds through your house. Educate everyone on what to do, assemble your household flu kit, and make sure everyone knows where it’s stored and how to use the supplies, so if you’re out of commission, they can take care of themselves AND you.
Originally published December 8, 2017.
I love these recipes. I am always on the look out for natural products since my son has allergies and I just don’t trust many of the products with so much toxic chemicals bad. I am simply amazed at how many times I have used all natural remedies to combat sickness and have been very successful including strep throat without drugs. The various essential oils are very powerful used in the vapor rub. Just be careful about getting in to the eyes since that can be very painful and tricky to get relief. I will certainly repost on DisasterMOM your recipes. I read that if the therapeutic oils are pure and if they have no carrier oils they can last for years if stored properly.
Oh thank you-thank you Lisa!! Compounding was my favorite class in pharmacy school, and I made sure that one of externships was at a compounding pharmacy. It is just so fun to make medications, creams, perfume, etc from scratch.I only hope that one day I am lucky enough to have that huge work area featured in Practical Magic!! For now, I compound on my kitchen counter that I cover with old fashioned oil cloth in case something spills.
A few tips:
1-If you are mixing anything toxic; put the dogs in their crates, put babies in swings or playpens, and get older kids under control before the start up. It will make your stress level almost zero if you have an accident.
2-Your compounding utensils and your kitchen utensils need to be separate-always. You don’t want cross contamination either way. My kitchen stuff is in the usual spots in the kitchen: my compounding supplies are kept in beautiful boxes that you buy from Hancock Fabrics or Home Goods. That way, there is no question.
3-Keep an eye out for pestles & mortars, old but useable crockpots, etc. at the thrift stores. You would be surprised what people give away.
4-Buy throw away plastic gloves, or latex if you can use latex. You always use gloves in a compounding pharmacy to keep out skin cells, bacteria, etc. Also, if you have a cold, allergies, or just sneeze a lot, use a face mask. That is also mandatory in compounding.
5-Have fun! There is a little wise woman in all of us. In the old days, a pharmacist first had to be a botanist before he/she could be a medical doctor. The pioneers made their own medicines out of need.
Thanks so much for sharing. I am allergic to cold medicines so this will help a lot…
Thanks, Lisa! I really think that we need to keep the old ways that worked alive. I have found a great website that teaches how to make all the herb preparations on line. I am busy trying to add that to my skill sets, but there is much to learn. I have been trying to find someone local to teach me, but they are pretty scarce around here. I have noticed that my local health food store has added two large rows of all things herbal in the last month, but, when I asked them who would be a person with whom to talk about learning to use the herbs, they said that they didn’t know of anyone. I found that odd given all the new product lines.
Alexis would you share the website for making herbal preparations? I’d love to see that.
Thanks Lisa for these lovely recipes!
The website is http://www.learningherbs.com. It doesn’t look like there’s a lot on there, but if you click on a page, there are other things to click on for each of those pages. There are also lots of really good youtube videos with the site, and the man that does the demos is really good and gives detailed clear instructions. I just found it by chance, and I’ve really learned tons.
Lisa, I have made the Homemade Liquid Vapor Rub and added soy wax to it, so it would solidify to be more like a vapor rub. About 2 to 3 tbsp. Like a vicks rub.
My favorite recipe for colds is a tisane composed of approximately equal parts of dried mullein leaf, licorice root, crushed dried rose hips and half a part of crushed red peppers.
I’m a huge fan of DoTerra’s ON Guard. A few drops mixed with a teaspoon of honey works well at the onset of a sore throat, as does a few drops in hot tea. The flavor takes getting used to, but I enjoy it in tea. Also use it on the kids feet when we know we’ll be exposed, such as the first week back to school. DoTerra’s Family Physician kit has been a great purchase for us. BTW, I don’t sell it, just a really happy customer 🙂
Garlic, Honey and Lemon Cold Remedy
When combined with honey and garlic, lemon juice makes a soothing cold remedy for sore throat and bronchial disorders.
Directions
1. Finely chop two cloves fresh garlic,
2. Add 1/4 cup raw honey and 2 to 4 tbsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice.
3. Mix well to combine, and allow the mixture to steep for two to eight hours.
4. Take up to 1 tsp of the mixture every hour to alleviate cold symptoms. Store any excess in the refrigerator when not in use.
This will boost your immune system at first sign of cold or flu, warning it tastes nasty.
I’m a smoker which reduces immune system & I used to catch 2 colds a year average.
I found this 5 years ago and take at first sign of illness along with C and haven’t been sick
since.
SIMPLE ELDERBERRY TINCTURE RECIPE
1) Clean Quart Jar add 1/4 pound dried elderberries (Must be Sambucus nigra)
2) Now fill to top with vodka. Put lid on tight.
3) Store in a dark cupboard and shake once every few days.
4) Label and date your jar. Let it sit for at least 30 days before you strain it. You can use it without straining it too and it will just continue to get stronger
. Dosage: 1 teaspoon four to five times daily during infections. Otherwise once daily.
Learn more: http://www.naturalnews.com/026354_flu_Tamiflu_elderberry.html#ixzz26mKzVuQr
My Grandma made this cough syrup and last February when a nasty and lingering cough hit us I remembered it and made it – you know what – it works.
1. Take equal quantities of raw onion and white sugar. You can use honey if you don’t like the idea of white sugar.
2. Peel the onion and then grate/mash together with the sugar, I use an electric chopping gadget and put sugar and onion in together.
3. Put it into a screw top jar overnight.
4. Drain through a seive and put the syrup into the rinsed jar.
5. Keep in a fridge, it lasts about a week.
You can start drinking the syrup from the time you see it start to form, don’t have to wait until it is strained, just a teaspoon every hour.
It is very effective.
Just avoid essential oils that aren’t safe or wise during pregnancy and nursing. Peppermint oil reduces breastmilk production. Lots of people have allergic reactions to lavender on their skin… There is info online about which oils are pregnancy and nursing safe.