- (This post contains affilia
2. Freshen up those backpacks- In our school the kids have a cloak room that everyone’s backpack hangs in. All snuggled up together just ready to share every germ possible. Who even knows where those packs have been. The bus, floor of the car, kitchen table? We have no idea. So every so often give them a good washing and in between a nice little spray down or wipe down with Lysol or other disinfectant. Especially if anyone in your family has been sick or kids at school or church have been sick.
3. The dreaded lunch box- Most parents don’t even think of the gross places their kids lunch boxes have been. Our school has each of the home lunch kids put there lunch boxes into a basket or bin at the beginning of the school day. Those bags sit together all cozy in the bin until its time for lunch. Plenty of time to share a germ or two. And then my daughter picks up her bag and skips to lunch only to mal the outside of it trying to get the zipper open. By the time she gets to her food her freshly washed hand are know covered in all the germs from the lunch bin. Just what you want on the lunch menu, right? Give that box a good washing, inside and out. And if your at the school offer to wash out the lunch bin. Your teacher will appreciate it and so will every other mom. I have also been know to give the bin a little Lysol spray now and then. Here are a few more ideas to keep those back packs and lunch boxes clean and germ free-ish! Check out this great post from WEBMD for some great tips on keeping school gear clean.
4. Staying warm- There really is no correlation with illness and staying warm. But the coats and jackets your kids take to school get hung on a hook for the day with everyone else. Be sure you are washing your kids outer wear frequently. When they get home from school give them a good spritz of Lysol to clean them off. Sometimes I even spritz them before they walk in the door so the germs don’t come into the house.
5. Add sanitizing hand towels to your kids lunch bag or your purse. I love having them handy. And what better time than lunch time to pull them our and clean your hands. Remember #3 in my list? I get mine on amazon. A box usually lasts me a month or two. Purell wipes or Baby Organics. This one is an investment in our health and is much cheaper than a doctor visit.
6. Get diffused! I bought this inexpensive diffuser on amazon and have loved it! I want to buy a few more for other rooms in my house. You can set it on a timer or have it run at intervals. The great thing is after cold and flu season I can put any essential oils in it to help me through the day. Currently we are using DoTerra OnGuard. I even noticed my daughters teacher had a larger diffuser going in her classroom to ward of the germs. This would make an awesome teacher gift!
7. Boost Your Fresh veggies! Have you ever noticed the correlation between holidays and your kids being sick? For us, Halloween is the worst. The kids are excited, full of sugar and don’t want to go to bed. They sit and indulge on sweets all the while that virus that was just passed to them at the school party is just waiting for the right moment to swoop in and start attacking there immune system when it’s low. Now this is just a theory but it just seems to be what happens. So what do I do? High fruit and veggie meals. Making sure our kids ( and us) stay healthy is what we want, right? Well then we need to be putting the right stuff in our bodies. That means pump up the veggies and fruits. I had the opportunity to go to Movarra Fitness Resort (formerly known as Fitness Ridge) for a week and learn about food, exercise and how they go hand in hand. You can see my experience Here and here. I tried to bring home all of my knowledge, and my results were right on. We started eating more fruit and veggies and my kids were healthier! So bring on the Broccoli. Here is a fun way I have incorporated more veggies and salads in our menu. Healthy kids equals a Happy home!
8. Filler up! Drink more water! If your kid takes lunch to school, chances are they have a juice box of some sort in that lunch. Juice boxes are filled with sugar. As an alternative I buy 8 oz water bottles and add them to our lunch boxes. Sometimes I let my kids add a flavor to their water. I usually get mine at my local grocer but here are a few on amazon that sound delicious!
True Lemon H2w0w Water enhancer
Another great item to enjoy is Emergen-C. We love all of the flavors especially Raspberry. They taste great and give your kids and added boost of Vitamin C.
9. Counting sheep- Kids need much more sleep than an adult. Especially during holidays when your family has a lot going on. I am sure you have all seen the viral post about kids and sleep. Whether you agree with it or not your kids need sleep! They need down time. More time reading a book and less time in front of the tv or video games. Here are a few tips from the National Sleep Institute.
10. After an illness– If your kids do get sick, be sure to clean and sanitize. I love this post for my friend Ceemebe. She shares 10 things to clean after an illness. Her list is awesome. I usually clean most of the things on her list but their are a few I didn’t even think of. Check out her post.
Do you have any tricks to keeping your kids healthy? Please share in the comments below or on my Facebook page.