Back to school means back to sharing things like pencils, desks, books and germs. Chances students catch a bug at some point during the year are always high, but there are things you can do as parents to help keep them healthy.
Make sure they wash their hands, pack some anti-bacterial gel in their backpacks and take them to their proper checkups. If you vaccinate your kids, make sure they are up to date.
“If they are not vaccinated, just know that they will be more prone to getting infections that may be going around the school that other children are not getting,” says Dr. Lou Romig wth After Hours Pediatrics.
If your child does fall ill, keep them home!
“They need the rest, they need the time to recover. They don’t need to take back to the school what they probably picked up there,” says Dr. Romig.
Dr. Romig also says it’s just as important to stay mentally healthy especially because many students face some kind of anxiety during the school year. She says one of the best things you can do is to listen to your child’s fears.
“Validate the fact that they are having these feelings and that it’s not just all in their head. Their symptoms are real,” she says.
It’s also important to know what kinds of bugs and illnesses are going around your child’s school. You can tune in every Tuesday here on News Channel 8 Today for that.
