Reduce Your Child’s Risk of Getting Colds at School

Students are in close contact with others while at school, where germs can be easily transmitted. Children may not be as conscientious as adults in regard to the spread of germs. Children who catch colds or the flu from their classmates can quickly spread those viruses to their family members.

Lost school days due to the flu can affect students who miss lesson plans, but also affect parents, who often must take days off from work to tend to their sick children. While there’s no way for parents to guarantee their children won’t catch a cold or the flu this school year, they can take various preventive measures to increase kids’ chances of staying healthy and achieving perfect attendance!

These tips can help students stay healthy and help prevent germs from being transported home:

#1 Tip is to make sure children regularly wash their hands.

Kids often catch colds by rubbing their hands that have been exposed to cold virus germs on their noses or eyes. To prevent that, parents can teach kids to wash to their hands thoroughly, including scrubbing the backs of their hands, between their fingers and around their fingernails. Kids should know to wash their hands regularly, but especially after they use the bathroom, after playing outdoors, before they eat, drink or touch their mouths, noses or eyes.

Consider immunizing your child.

Vaccinations bolster kids immune systems. That’s important, as kids’ immune systems are naturally less mature than adults’, making them more vulnerable to germs and viruses.

Keep children home when they are sick, especially if they have a fever.

Parents don’t want their children to miss school, but kids who are suffering from colds or flu should be kept home. This prevents the spread of colds and flu to classmates and teachers, and time to rest at home may help youngsters recover more quickly. students should not return to school until they are fever- or symptom-free.

Teach children to avoid common germ spots.

Germs can be lurking anywhere, but some spots seem to make more welcome homes for germs than others. Studies have shown that kids were most likely to encounter germs in schools on water fountain spigots, desks and tables. Teach kids to never put their mouths on fountains and to avoid eating any food that might fall onto their desks and tables.