Myth and facts: Keeping you kids healthy this flu season

(FOX 2) - The wintertime brings the cold and flu season. What's the best advice for keeping the kids healthy this time of year? 

We'll get to that answer in a moment. In the meantime, research shows 70 percent of parents are still relying on strategies that have no scientific backing. 

According to a new poll conducted by C.S. Mott Children's Hospital at the University of Michigan, more than 70 percent of parents rely on strategies that have little basis in science. 

They asked a thousand parents and here are some of their common beliefs:

1. Going outside with wet hair will make you sick. That's not true; sure, it will make you cold but not ill. 

2. Being exposed to cold air will cause a cold. That's not true either. Cold season does peak in the cold weather, but it has nothing to do with the temperatures. 

3. Using multivitamins and supplements will prevent a cold. A pediatric infectious disease specialist says save your money because those have never been proven to prevent illness. 
 
The best bet to keep kids from catching something is teaching and encouraging frequent hand washing, avoiding other people who are sick and a regular cleaning of shared spaces. 

School-age children have an average of three to six colds a year.