Believe it or not, here in Indiana we are less than a month away from the start of a new school year. Students in my district go back to school August 6th, but I know some kids that are headed back to school on August 2nd. It seems to get a little earlier every year, especially as more schools moved to a “balanced calendar.”
Unfortunately, back to school can mean going back to germs. Your child is suddenly thrown in the mix with hundreds of other kids and their germs. All those kids, touching the same doorknobs, climbing on the same playground equipment, drinking from the same water fountains…it’s a regular germ-a-palooza. Before you know it, your child is bringing home his first cold of the school year.
The good news is there are several ways you can prevent colds and possibly even shorten the duration of a cold. I’ve been working in schools and with young children for 8 years, and I’ve developed a list of tips and tricks that have helped me and my kids endure the sniffles and more. Here are some of the ways my family fights colds and how we work to stay out of the pediatrician’s office. Please keep in mind, I’m a teacher and not a doctor. This is what I do to stay healthy, and it may not be right for you.
At the First Sign of a Cold:
- Hydrate. Cut out all caffeinated beverages, and up your water intake. If you can’t live without caffeine (like me), limit yourself to just one coffee or soda a day. For your kids, push water over juice and cut back on dairy as much as you can.
- Take Your Vitamins. My kids and I all take a multi-vitamin and a Vitamin D supplement. I have seen an improvement in our immune systems since adding Vitamin D to the mix. We do gummy vitamins for the boys, so they think they’re getting a special morning treat! When I am worried about getting sick, I add Zinc and extra Vitamin C to the mix.
- Wash Your Hands. It’s simple but so important. Wash your hands all the time! And always carry hand sanitizer for the times that you can’t wash. Hand washing is the easiest way to stop the spread of germs. I tell my students to wash twice as often as you think you need!
- Moisturize…Your Nose. Germs love to hang out in dry nasal passages.Kids also love to dig around in dry nasal passages. Keeping nostrils moisturized will help flush out germs and keep little fingers out. Nozin Nasal Sanitizer antiseptic is a great product for moisturizing and cleaning out the nose. It kills 99.99% of germs and lasts up to 8 hours. It can be used daily and is orange scented, so your kids will use it without a fight. Best of all, Nozin is all-natural, zinc-free, and gluten-free.