Your child just wrapped up an undoubtedly busy, fun summer at home. But now, it’s time to head back to school, and we all know they bring home more than just their homework! They bring home germs and viruses. One child comes in with a cold, and that slowly makes its way around the class in the coming weeks – and often makes rounds in your home, too! So while G.S. Jones’ disinfection services can help Pittsburgh schools get ahead of the germs, here are some tips from a recent article from the Swedish Medical Center to help your child and family avoid germs too.
- If your kiddo is really sick, keep them home.
It can be difficult to know when to send your child to school, and when to keep them home when they aren’t running a fever. Obviously, if there is a fever, it’s best for them to be home. But often with the common cold, there is no fever, and young children can’t always express to you how they really feel. So here are some signs that could indicate staying home is the best choice:
- They’re too tired or sick to participate in normal activities.
- They will need a lot of extra TLC from school staff.
- Wash your hands.
Yep, it’s the oldest and simplest trick in the book to stay healthy. When cold and flu bugs are going around, it’s time to wash, wash, wash. Keep hand sanitizer handy, too! According to the Swedish Medical Center, one elementary school study found the use of hand sanitizer reduced student “sick days” by almost 20 percent.
- Adopt a “hands-off” stance.
We aren’t talking about hands off the toys and desks, we are talking about keeping hands away from eyes, noses, and mouths … and coughing or sneezing into a tissue or elbow. Doing everything possible to keep hands germ-free translates into cleaner reactions with classmates and toys, and fewer germs spread across surfaces at home and in the classroom.
- Wipe it down.
Keep wipes handy … and wipe surfaces down often. Perhaps even consider donating some wipes to your child’s teacher to help! (Not because you’re blaming them for your child being sick – ha). Consistently wiping down surfaces helps support a cleaner, more germ-free environment for everyone!
- Take care.
Things as seemingly simple as a good night’s sleep, a balanced diet, and some physical activity worked into our days go a long way toward helping us stay healthy, no matter how young or old we are. These things can actually help power your immune system to fight off the “bad guys”. School-aged children should get at least 10 hours of sleep at night.
Lastly, don’t freak out too much over germs! While G.S. Jones is here to disinfect everything when there is a big occurrence of illness, such as a percentage of the school out with the flu, it’s perfectly normal – under normal circumstances – for us to come into contact with germs! And that also helps keep our immune system in check! Professional cleaners are available to help disinfect your home from harmful bacteria that COULD cause a health issue.