During this crazy flu season, you might be one of those moms (or dads) who, like me, is constantly debating about what to do to help our kids be as healthy as possible. Now that my kids are both in daycare, with my eldest attending kindergarten as well, I often worry that they are now at more of a risk of catching the flu and other ailments.

This year we opted out of giving our children the flu vaccine as well as the H1N1 flu vaccine. I think the main reason we chose to do so is simply because our kids now have to get so many more vaccines than we did as children. It's scary to think about what is actually inside these vaccines (such as thimerosal in the hepatitis B vaccine) but it can be even scarier to think about what can happen if our children were to fall ill to the disease itself. I know this can be a very touchy subject but it is one that should be explored, discussed and debated until we can find a definitive answer, which could take a very long time if it is at all possible. It is thus my opinion that parents should do their own research if they are unsure of what to do, cover all our bases, so to speak. I know it can be time consuming and frustrating when you find information that conflicts, so it is handy to know which sources are most reliable and contain the most up-to-date information.

I was asked by Mom Central to participate in their blog tour to help make moms (and dads) aware of the resources provided by the Ontario Ministry of Health. Here are some of their helpful links that may aide in your decision-making process:

Updated flu clinic information

General flu information provided by the Ministry of Health

Online influenza assessment tool

(Disclosure: I wrote this post while participating in a blog tour campaign by Mom Central, who will be sending out a "Fight the Flu" gift pack to the 20 bloggers who have to chosen to participate. Also, my name will be entered into a draw to win an Acer Notebook computer. So please keep your fingers crossed on my behalf!)