7 tips to stay healthy when back to school germs hit!

Sound the party alarms of FREEDOM!!!! It is back to school time!!! Grab that book you've been trying to read all summer long, break out all the craft projects, and plan yourself a girls trip to Target and get some Tacos afterwards! Then when you get back home watch favorite your trashy tv shows and take a nap!

Alas freedom is never free. Back to school doesn't just bring you freedom, it also brings back something not so fun. Welcome back all the GERMS!!! It's no wonder that school season falls right before flu and every other illness outbreak. Kids are kinda gross, and the one thing that you can always be sure they will share is germs. I can't tell you how many times I've told my kids not to lick/put something in their mouths. *insert clip of me on a play date with all the moms yelling at the kids "get that out of your mouth" every 5 seconds*

Once school season starts we try to take extra precautions to help ensure our immune systems are at their strongest and healthiest to keep those kids in school and keep me free to read a book in peace and eat a taco without having to share. 

1. Make a habit of washing your hands! 

This one seems simply but is often neglected. It's important to teach your younger ones to get into the habit of washing their hands after they do anything that spreads germs (sneezing, coughing, etc), and before eating or helping prepare snacks. Using hand sanitize is great when there is no warm water and soap but if soap and water are available, it is best to use it.   

2. Staying nutritionally healthy

 Try not to let your kids fill up on snacks and miss out on those more nutritionally health meals. Keep after school snacks light and healthy. Well nourished bodies are much better at fighting off all those germs that can get us sick. 

3. Pack water bottles 

Another super simple way to help kids healthy is to pack a water bottle. It keeps your kids hydrated throughout the day and keeps them from putting their mouths on water fountains, which is just super gross regardless of all the germs. Plus its a great way to help teach them about the three R's. Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle. We are big on using reusable water bottles in our house and like to get ones that breakdown easily to wash all parts to reduce the risk of carrying and growing mold and other bacteria.

4. Sharing is not always caring 

We spend so long training our kids to share with others that we sometimes forget to tell them that not everything should be shared. Make sure to to teach them about limits on what not to share. Anything that goes in your mouth should not be shared, unless its a special snack that has been brought and approved to share with the class. No sharing head ware and make sure to check your child's head for lice if you notice lots of scratching. For the love of everything if you find head lice in your child's hair in addition normal lice treatment, please contact the school to allow them to notify other parents that a case has been found and to check everyone's hair to help reduce to spread. 

5. Get a full nights sleep

Sleep is so important to keep our bodies health, especially for growing children! When we sleep our bodies work extra hard to repair themselves and fight off all those bad germs that we might have come in contact with that day. Making sure to get a full nights sleep is one of the biggest ways to help our bodies immune systems and keep your mind healthy and happy. Children 3-5 years require 11-13 hours, 5-10 years require 10-11 hours, and children 10-17 require 8.5-9.5 hours. Moms require 4 hours a week but would really love to get more!  

6. Keep sick kids home

Okay so this one is less about keeping your kid healthy and more about keeping everyone else healthy, which in turn can help keep your kid healthy. Don't be the person that sends a sick kid to school. Trust me I know how hard it can be when you're a working parent and have to stay home with a sick kid but when you have to do it, try and use it as some nice bonding time to get some extra love. 

7. Using Sambucol Black Elderberry

Elderberries have been used for centuries to help with countless ailments from the flu and fever to colds and colic. They are scientifically tested, have high antioxidant levels, and help support immunity. Sambucol has a line of black elderberry gummies with Vitamin C and Zinc. Providing the equivalent of 1.7 g of Elderberry! It was first developed in 1991 and has since gone on to become a supplement that is relied on and trusted by loyal users all over the world as a great way to get a daily dose of antioxidants and help their bodies stay healthy throughout the year. 

A healthy kid equals a happy kid, a happy kid equals a happy mom, and everyone knows a happy wife is a happy life. Keep your life happy and healthy. Let me know what you do to stay healthy throughout the year.