It's that time of year again – the kids are going back to school and coming home with a collection of viruses, bacteria, and other germs. How can you protect your kids from getting sick so much during the school year? Here, you'll find a few tips that will hopefully help.
Work With the Pediatrician
Each year, your child should be seen for one well-visit. During this visit, you will be offered the vaccinations that are currently needed to stay up-to-date and ahead of the upcoming flu season.
Talk with the pediatrician about your concerns. If there are any sicknesses going around at the time, he or she will be able to tell you. For example, if your child is suffering from a sore throat, before you conclude that it's just a cold, call the doctor's office and see if there have been cases of strep throat treated in your area – chances are, if one kid at the school has it, it will quickly spread to many other students. Strep throat cannot be treated as a common cold – it is highly contagious and will continue to spread until the sick child has been taking antibiotics for 24 hours.
Hand Sanitizer for Everyone
Send in a classroom bottle of hand sanitizer, as well as a small personal bottle for your child. Make sure to choose the unscented products – some kids have fragrance allergies that can be triggered by the scents of scented hand sanitizers.
Wash Immediately
As soon as your kids walk in the door, they need to make it a habit to go directly to the sink and wash their hands and arms up to their elbows with antibacterial soap. Germs spread on contact – if the kids go straight to the couch, grab the remote, or go directly to the fridge and grab the handle – those germs are going to be passed on to the next person to touch the remote or fridge.
Shoes Off
Shoes are another great source of spreading germs. Think about where those shoes are worn all day – do you want all of that tracked through your house? Shoes should be removed at the door – if this isn't something you want to enforce, you can provide alcohol wipes to be used to wipe the shoes down before walking through the house, or Lysol disinfecting spray can be used.
You can't control what your kids are touching while they're at school, but you can help prevent the spread at home. Hopefully these tips will help keep you and your kids healthier through this school year.