4 Tips to Beat the Back to School Plague

It’s almost that time of year again when you send your child back to the petri dish known as school. Yes, the back to school sickness has long plagued parents. Fever, stomach pain, and even vomiting have no problem punctuating the start of a new school term and adding stress to an already difficult time of year.

Fortunately, there are steps parents can take to avoid the late night trip to a 24 hour walk in clinic that they are likely familiar with, as are many Americans, with after dark visits leaping 22% in the past decade.

In this post, we outline some important steps you can take to help prevent your child from coming down with the malicious malady of the back to school sickness.

1. Get Enough Sleep
   The CDC advises that school aged children get between 10 and 11 hours of sleep each night. But if your children’s hours have shifted over the summer, this can pose a challenge. Begin pushing up their bedtime in anticipation of the school year. That way, when the school year begins, your bundle of joy (and germs) will be accustomed to getting to bed early.
2. Stay Active
   It is important that children are active. It helps them burn energy, encourages them to sleep better, and it keeps them healthy. Approximately 40 minutes of active playtime — video games and television need not apply — can help keep your child’s immune system engaged in the fight for a healthy beginning to the school year.
3. Wash Hands Properly
   There can be no understatement of how gross children can be. Things that would revolt an adult are simple, every day matters in the minds of children. Case in point: gross. That is why it is important to engender your child with proper hand washing practices to keep them clean and sickness-free.
4. Eat Healthy
   Kids are notorious healthy eaters, open to cuisines from a wide range of cultures — small substitutions permitting. For instance, if you are serving high-end cuisine, the might ask to substitute it with something more palatable like butter noodles or slather it in ketchup. Despite the pickiness of your little eater, it is important that they eat a balanced diet, as it plays an important in their back to school health and keeping your little one out of the pediatric urgent care center.

If you want to avoid a visit to the 24 hour walk in clinic at the start of the school year, consider incorporating the tips above in the remaining time before the school year.