Parents Can Help Their Children Fight Germs & Sickness

The dog days of summer mean children returning back to school. For the kids, going back to class often means new clothes, a chance to see friends, and getting back into the groove of school life. For parents, however, it’s often cause for a new level of concern about germs and sickness – especially once the cold weather seasons start to set in.

But parents aren’t powerless against the germs and infections their children will confront while away at school. There are strategies and practices that can help keep their children safe and healthy even during the cold and flu months.

Accept Sickness As A Part of Growing Up
Your children are going to get sick – it’s an irretrievable fact of life. In many ways, routine illnesses help children grow by fortifying their immune systems. As the body learns to fight infections, the immune system grows stronger, like a muscle trained with weights.

Resisting periodic and minor illnesses is so important to the immune system’s development that some medical researchers fear over-sanitation is actually causing more sickness than necessary in children. Some child health experts now pose a "hygiene hypothesis" in which diseases such as asthma are caused by sterile home and school environments that retard immune system growth.Of course, no one wants their child to be sick. But reconciling yourself to the inevitably of common colds and hay fever spares you (and your child) tremendous anxiety. Think of small illnesses as a learning experience for your child’s body.

Be Prepared To Take Precautions
Nevertheless, you’ll want to arm your child with prudent and realistic means to fight germs both at school and at home. The best course of action is to communicate with the child’s school or day care center and coordinate medical information. The school should know about any allergies you child suffers from, any medications they regularly take, and all ongoing health concerns. You may wish to provide the school with a list to go in your child’s permanent record.Before a baby enters day care, parents should make sure the child’s immunization record is up to date for all inoculations. This includes shots for measles, mumps, German measles, polio, diphtheria, tetanus, whooping cough, Haemophilus Influenza Type B (Hib) and Hepatitis B. You may also wish to furnish the school with proof of these immunizations.

Good Health Begins With Good Habits
Good sanitary habits go beyond antibacterial soap and hand cleanser. Teaching children good hygiene will allow them to foster good manners and habits that result in a lifetime of healthy living.

Children learn many of their lifetime habits during early childhood, and it’s the parents’ perogative to help them learn how to protect themselves. Some habits that children can use throughout their lives include washing their hands:
- Before meals
- After using the bathroom
- Before preparing or handling food
- After handling pets
- At bedtime

Parents can also teach their children to eat vegetables as part of their daily diet, in
order to absorb immunity-building vitamins and minerals.An old habit that had fallen out of widespread favor but is making a comeback involves covering your mouth when you cough. Simply containing the spray of germs is not only polite, it helps prevent a sick atmosphere for others. Finally, parents should keep their child home from school or day care if the child is sick, out of respect for the other children and their families. Parents are also strongly discouraged from the practice of "drop and run" at day care centers. This involves dropping a sick child off without announcing the child’s illness to day care employees. It’s often a tempting course of action for parents in a time crunch due to work or other responsibilities, but can pose serious risk of illness for your child and for other children, too.

Michael Kabel is Senior Creative Writer at Smart Marketing, Inc. He is the author of hundreds of articles for www.cornerstorkbabygifts.com and other websites.