The Most Effective Ways to Keep Your (School-Aged) Kids Healthy

*This post contains affiliate links, but all thoughts and opinions are 100% my own.

Keeping kids healthy through the back to school season can pose a challenge. They are exposed to germs in the classroom, on the bus and just about anywhere. In all the years I’ve ever worked in a school, or around children, I’ve noticed that it’s a struggle to keep myself and my own children healthy through different seasons. Just last week, my five-year-old missed two days of school because she’d caught a back to school bug. This year, I vow to get an early start on keeping my home as germ-free as possible. Here are some effective ways to keeping your (school-aged) kids healthy:

Keep tissues on hand

I love that tissue companies are investing in making tissue softer and thicker. It seems as if someone always has the sniffles, so I try to keep a large supply on hand. If you have school-aged children, then head over to Walmart to purchase tissues because they include triple box tops!

Invest in Polyvisol drops or some kind of vitamin

This advice came from my mom and pediatrician. Last year, my youngest attended a half day preschool for the first time. She picked up every virus, stomach bug and head cold known to man. It was a definite battle to keep her healthy. I bought a few different kinds of vitamins thinking she would eat them like candy. Wrong! My five-year-old is even pickier than she is, so it saddened me that neither would take vitamins. They forced me to go the sneaky route. I just squirted polyvisol into their juice and they were none the wiser.

Purchase all natural cough syrup

There are so many unnatural ingredients in our food and medicines. Companies like Hyland and Zarbees thrive on incorporating all natural ingredients in their medications. If your kids like honey, then this will be a win for you-hopefully getting them to take it won’t be so much of a fight! Also, most pediatricians don’t recommend giving toddlers cough medicine, so realistically this is your only medication option. You can find these brands at Walmart, CVS, Target & your local grocery store.

Encourage your kids to drink lots of H2O (water)

There’s no substitute for water. Our body is 80% water, and our bodies seem to crave it even more when we are sick. If your child has a stomach bug, then water is one of the few liquids that’s always safe for them to ingest. When your kids are sick, they can become dehydrated. Drinks that are packed with electrolytes do the job, but like I said, there’s no substitute for water.

Wash hands in lieu of using hand sanitizer

In a world of quick and easy, we have gotten away from washing our hands. As an educator, I’ve noticed that some teachers don’t encourage their elementary kids to wash their hands anymore, but to just use a squirt of hand sanitizer. Although hand sanitizer is fabulous to have on hand, it is definitely not a substitute for consistent hand washing. This is something you can reinforce with your children at home. Teach them the benefits of washing their hands (staying healthy).

Take care of you

I love my kids, but they are awfully needy when they are sick. Most kids call on mom, and this can eventually wear on you (especially if you have more than 1 child). Getting out of the house allows you to get some fresh air and recharge for another long day/night of sickness. While the kids are resting, sneak out for extra medicine or popsicles.  Take an extra dose of vitamins to ward off their germs. You can’t nurse the kids if you aren’t healthy!

 What sure fire methods do you use to keep your kids healthy? Tell me about them, then give this post a share!

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