For many parents, what’s often touted as the most wonderful time of the year ““ back-to-school ““ can turn into the worst time of the year when visits to the pediatrician’s office start stacking up.
“It happens pretty much every year,” said Dr. John La Count, a pediatrician with St. Elizabeth Physicians’ Florence office. “Kids are in school for a week and then a week or so later, they’re coming in to see us for colds and coughs and infections.”
Protecting your kids from as many germs as possible while they’re off at school and out from under your watchful eye doesn’t have to be difficult, though.
There are three mantras you should start teaching your kids now to keep the pediatrician at bay:
- Wash your hands
If you want to protect your kids from strep throat and other common infections, this is the No. 1 rule to teach them, La Count said. Kids should wash their hands before eating and after using the bathroom.
Hand sanitizers and other gels also will do the trick in most cases, but they aren’t as effective as soap and water with certain bacterial or viral infections, particularly stomach bugs.
“You need to be really careful to make sure your kids are washing their hands with soap and water if a stomach bug is going around and not just with gel,” La Count said.
- Don’t touch your eyes, nose or mouth
Kids run the risk of infecting themselves when they touch open areas like the eyes, nose and mouth if their hands aren’t clean, La Count said, so it’s best to avoid it entirely if possible.
- Be prepared for class
This one isn’t as intuitive, but if kids have the proper supplies out and ready when in the classroom, they won’t have to borrow from other kids, which “decreases the likelihood of being on the receiving end of transferred germs,” La Count said.
Unfortunately, this one works both ways.
“As much as you don’t want to tell kids not to share, sharing drinks, utensils, pencils and paper can transfer their germs to other kids, as well,” La Count said.
Remember these three rules before sending your kids off to the bus stop and you should cut down on your trips to the doctor’s office, which is what your pediatrician wants, too.
