Good health for our children in school

Good health for our children in

 school

 

    

     As a parent, we have all had the days when our child was too sick to go to school.  And as we re-arranged our schedule to accommodate staying home with them, we probably thought about where they could have caught the bug.  Most likely, we will place the blame on the school.  But at the same time, how often do we send our children to school with a little cough or runny nose?  It’s a double-edges sword.  Here are some basic guidelines to follow when deciding whether to keep your child home or not.

     Assess how they are feeling.  If they are tired and lethargic, or running a fever - they need to stay home.  Fevers are a good sign that your child is contagious and can make other children sick.  Be courteous to the other children and their families and keep your child home.  Your kid will thank you and so will the other moms.

     If your child is feeling okay but has some common symptoms such as a runny nose, give them a cold medicine to help with the symptoms and teach them some basic hygiene tips.  When they blow their nose, have them throw away the tissue and wash their hands.  Or place a small bottle of hand sanitizer in their backpack and have them rub some on.  If they are sneezing, teach them to use their upper arm to block the sneeze.  This will help keep the germs from spreading and keep them off their hands.

     Proper hygiene can help prevent your child from getting a cold or sick bug from someone else at school.  Have them always wash their hands after using the bathroom and before eating.  We can’t prevent all the germs from getting to our children but we can do our part.

Finally Prevention is better than cure.