It’s September, and you know what that means! For most of us, it means cooler weather, the leaves changing colour, apple picking season, and getting ready for pumpkin pie season! Okay, it also means kids are back in school and that means back-to-school sickness!
Since Little One was a preemie and had a compromised immune system right from the start, I dread back-to-school sickness. She doesn’t get sick often, but when she does, it’s pretty brutal. I’m talking visits to the hospital, getting her on inhalers, etc. It’s not fun at all.
Here are some ways to prevent back-to-school sickness
Keep those hands clean! Proper hand washing is so important in keeping kids healthy and avoiding the spread of back-to-school germs! I make sure that Little One always washes her hands after using the washroom, playing outside, playing with her animals, and returning home after school.
Feed your body healthy foods. It’s important to make sure to eat healthy foods that will help your body. If you’re eating your fruits and veggies, you’re doing your body a huge favour! Reach for foods that are high in antioxidants. Foods rich in Beta-carotene and other carotenoids, vitamin C and E add variety to your children’s lunches and are easy to pack! Little One regularly takes broccoli, carrots, cauliflower, cantaloupe, grapes, apples, and oranges to school for lunch. She also gets in her serving of meat/poultry and other proteins, as well as grains. These all promote healthy eating and help keep kids’ immune systems strong.
Get enough rest! Bet most kids wouldn’t have thought of that one! Getting enough sleep is paramount in keeping healthy! Lack of sleep can affect your immune system! Infection-fighting antibodies and cells are reduced during periods when you don’t get enough sleep. It’s important for children to get enough rest. School-aged children may need ten or more hours of sleep.
Keep hydrated! I’m pretty sure many of us don’t always get in our daily recommended glasses of water a day. I love drinking water with a little splash of lemon oil or orange oil (for vitamin C and to detoxify). I also make sure to pack a Thermos full of water for Little One to drink every day. Little One happily drinks her water plain or with a splash of lemon. Sometimes I infuse our water with cucumber and lemon and mint or sometimes with fruit. The important thing is to get your water into you.
Get those boogies! Say bye-bye boogies! Nothing grosses me out more than seeing little kids with boogies running down from their noses and *gasp* into their mouths! GROSS. I know, I know. I’m a mom and that shouldn’t gross me out, but it really, really, REALLY does. Snorting boogies, horking, “bringing up phlegm” and expelling of phlegm gives me the yucky feeling. If you’ve been in a kindergarten class in September, you’ve most likely seen your fair share of little kids with runny noses, wiping their boogies on their sleeve or back of their hand. We really don’t want to encourage the spread of back-to-school sickness, so it’s important to remind our kids to PLEASE wipe their noses if they’re runny or congested. Oh, and wash hands after!
Okay, okay. Maybe we can’t always prevent back-to-school sickness. Should your child succumb to whatever the dreaded back-to-school bug/s this season, at least there’s Boogie Wipes! I don’t know about your child, but mine HATES having her nose wiped. She avoids me like the plague when she sees me approaching her with a tissue. Thank goodness for Boogie Wipes. No, really. Little One actually likes getting her nose wiped with the gentle saline wipes! I was even shocked to discover that Little One requests the Boogie Mist gentle saline mist when she needs some help with those boogies!
I think all classrooms should have a Teacher’s Kit to help teach kids the importance of good hygiene and how to prevent the spread of germs in the classroom.
Head over to Yummy Mummy Club and check out Erin Chawla’s 6 Ways To Keep Your Child Germ-Free This School Year: How teachers and parents can help keep kids’ fingers out of their noses and their germs to themselves.
Boogie wipes are so convenient!
Sorry to hear Little One picks up the germs going around. It is very hard in a kinder room to stay healthy or any other class room really. I work part time in a kinder room and I get to witness first hand (and finger!) the nasal exploration. It is gross!
It started already anything we can do to cut down on colds is great
I have a pack of Boogie Wipes at home but didn’t open them yet
My little guys managed to catch colds the first week of school even though I am so careful with handwashing and all the other tips mentioned. Sigh. We have already pulled out the Boogie Wipes.
The germs that emerge in the fall is one thing that I don’t look forward to, it always seems that once they start one of us is always sick.
Getting sick in my house gets scary too. I know exactly how you feel.
Not only at school, it is so early to get sick at the work office now. Great article to keep in mind … and I think I am going to give those wipes a try!
The kids here in BC finally went back to school today; sicknesses to follow! lol
Not even a month into school for my son and already he has the runny nose and cold blues. Ill have to make a run and grab a pack of boogie wipes for him.