It wouldn’t be the first week/s of school if your child doesn’t come home with a tell-tale cough, sneeze, and runny nose! Or that’s definitely our experience, and this year has provided plenty of us with a chance to test that theory as announcements from the county and calls from the school nurses abound.
So, what do we do to avoid the worst of the sniffles as they spread like wildfire throughout the school? Here are a few handy tips! I’m not a doctor or professional, but as a mom, these are the things I try! Be sure to share what you do to keep the colds at bay!
Handwashing Lessons
I start each year by having a quick handwashing refresher! This may seem overkill, but it never hurts to let the kids stand at the sink and prove their handwashing prowess. I find that the foamier the soap, the longer they are willing to work with it.
Travel-sized Sanitizer
This only works for the older children who can be trusted with such chemicals. Still, a small hand sanitizer attached to the backpack is a great way to keep your young one’s hands clean, especially when they are rushing to and fro in their busy school schedule, and not able to wash their hands as often as they might prefer.
Vitamins
I’ve been researching the most helpful vitamin sets, but so far, I haven’t found any definitive favorites. Please let me know if you have any particular recommendations! I think it’s helpful to give a spoonful of honey or elderberry syrup whenever we think about it to help with allergies and strengthen our immune system’s resistance to the barrage of germs!
Best Sleep Practices
I know this one is difficult with afterschool activities, dinner, homework, and all the other routines, but a good night’s sleep is the number one helpful hack for avoiding colds and flu bugs. To the best of our ability, helping our little ones sleep on time can boost their immune systems, enabling them to fight off existing illnesses and/or provide extra energy to fend off germs at school the next day. So, I try my best and mostly succeed in getting us to bed on time-ish.
This is what we do to try to avoid the worst of it, but we still manage to catch enough that there are likely a few tips and tricks we haven’t learned. Please share below what you do to keep your kids on a healthy track for the school year!
