Don't let Old Man Winter sneak up on you. Prepare your family for the big freeze with healthy preventions and preparedness.

We know it’s coming every year, but when? And how fast?

Fall and winter weather can sneak up on even the most prepared families. If you live in a region with seasonal extremes and changes in weather, prepare your family early for cold temperatures and all that they entail.

Take Vitamin C for Colds

Studies show that vitamin C eases the intensity of cold symptoms by about 23 percent, and can shorten a cold’s duration by at least a few days, according to Dr. Marianne Legato in a Ladies Home Journal article. Dr. Legato recommends taking 200 milligrams of daily vitamin C supplement, particularly if you tend to catch colds. If you do catch a cold, you may recover faster and not be as bothered by symptoms such as muscle aches, runny nose and cough.

Drink More Water

Increase water intake even from summer levels. Drinking lots of water flushes toxins and impurities from the body and helps in quicker recovery from colds and flu.

If you haven’t already, replace your children’s habit of cans of soda and other sweetened drinks with bottles of water. It’s generally better for their health.

Be Seasonally Prepared with a Well-Stocked Car

Stock your car with some essentials for staying warm, especially early in the season, when temperatures can drop quickly during the day.

In the back or trunk of your car, keep:

• A jacket for each member of the family. Your “car jackets” don’t have to be the best and most fashionable. You’ll be glad to have anything warm in an emergency.
• A pair of gloves for each family member.
• A winter first-aid kit with hand warmers, children’s cold medicine, tissues, cough drops and a fever reducer.
• A blanket.

Get Fall and Winter Clothing Ready

Don’t let colder temperatures take you by surprise. The kids will be wearing shorts to school until the day it suddenly gets chilly. That first pair of long pants or jeans they pull from the closet is likely to be too small after a long summer hiatus.

When school clothes shopping, be sure to have some long pants and long-sleeved shirts on hand well before you need them.

Take Stock of Winter Gear

Before the snow flies, try on all the winter gear from last year - snow boots, winter coats, hats, gloves, snowsuits and snow pants. Figure out what can be handed down to the next child, what has moth holes and has to be tossed, what is too small and should be sold or donated, and what can be dusted off and used again.

Winter gear hits the store racks early and by the first really cold day is picked over and sparse. Buy your kids’ boots, coats and snowsuits early and in a size slightly larger than they’re currently wearing.

Either buy two pair of good gloves or mittens per child, or multiple pair of cheap gloves and keep them everywhere. Mix and match with different colors or buy all black, so if you lose one, you can just grab another.

Organize for the season by finding a spot in a coat closet, garage or mudroom for all the winter outdoor wear, so your children can easily find their gear.

Be Prepared for Snow Days

Be sure you have a plan for your children if there is a day of school because of severe weather. Have some games and activities set aside to keep them busy if they’re stuck indoors. Stock your kitchen with the staples needed for cookie making and locate those old cookie cutters. Cookie baking is a great way to spend an unexpected day off school.