Back to school!
Although those words are a delight to most parents and a disappointment to most children, it can also cause some dread with the thought of the “Back to School Cold” that inevitably happens at the beginning of every school year. There are many things that contribute to the “Back to School Cold” and many things to help get over it.
Children are great carriers of viruses and sometimes they don’t even appear sick, even though they are infected. This is called an incubation period. Depending on the virus, the incubation period could be anywhere from two to five days. Of course, this doesn’t help control the spread of illness because you send your child to school in what you thought was perfect health. Forget winning the parent of the year award, right? Schools are great places for viruses and bacteria to be passed on. Think about all the surfaces each child touches each day: door handles, desks, pencils, counters, chairs, etc. The influenza virus can live on surfaces like these for up to 48 hours. It’s very easy to see how this cycle can be repeated with multiple children and cause problems in the classroom for weeks on end!
So how do you keep your child “safe” and help prevent the spread of illness? The first step is the simplest, but also the easiest to forget. It is thorough, frequent handwashing. You need to teach your children how to properly wash their hands and how often. They need to know that they should wash their hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. They can sing either the Happy Birthday song twice or the Alphabet song. Alcohol based hand sanitizers can be a good alternative but are not effective when hands are visibly soiled. Washing with soap and water is recommended for this situation. Handwashing should be done at least before and after eating; after using the restroom; after blowing your nose, coughing, or sneezing; after touching garbage; or after being near someone who is sick.
The next step in preventing illness in your school age child is to keep their immune system strong. There are several things you can do to help keep your child healthy. First is have them eat more fruits and vegetables. There are multiple nutrients in these that will help ward off illness. Second, make sure your child is getting adequate amounts of sleep. Sometimes it is hard to transition from a relaxed routine of summer to a more set schedule of school. And children may not be used to going to bed as early as they need to. But when your body doesn’t get enough sleep, your immune function will go down. Make sure that your children are getting enough sleep. Children ages 7-12 should be getting as much as 10-11 hours of sleep per day.
Sometimes, despite your best efforts, your child will come down with that “Back to School Cold”. So how do you know when it is okay to send them to school and when to keep them home? This can be a tricky decision to make. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends keeping your child home if they have: a persistent fever, a severe sore throat, a significant rash, large amounts of colored nasal drainage, severe ear pain, an uncontrolled cough, diarrhea, and severe headache. If your child has remained symptom free for 24 hours, they are generally safe to head back to school. The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia advises: “Simple stuffy noses or coughs don't stop many kids from enjoying and participating in school activities. If your child is congested or has a sore throat but is still active in the morning and able to get himself ready, it's a good sign that he can handle the school day. However, you should check in with your child's school. Many day care centers and preschools have certain rules about when to keep your child home.”
It can be hard to determine the severity of your child’s illness and whether they need to see the doctor or just need time to recover. Generally, if the child’s illness lasts longer than a week then you should take them in. It is also recommended to take your child to the doctor for any of the following: “coughing up a lot of mucus, shortness of breath, unusual lethargy/tiredness, inability to keep food or liquids down or poor fluid intake, increasing headache or facial or throat pain, severely painful sore throat that interferes with swallowing, fever of 103°F (39.3°C) or higher, or a fever of 101°F (38.0°C) or higher that lasts for more than a day, chest or stomach pain, swollen glands (lymph nodes) in the neck, earache.” Most pediatricians’ offices have late hours or nighttime clinics that you can take your child into. There are also an increasing number of tele-health clinics available. This is a great alternative to packing your sick child up, waiting for long periods to see the doctor, and then finally getting results. Almost all these services are open 24 hours a day as well. Depending on the service you use, you will download an app on a smart phone or connect to a website with a camera on your computer. The doctor will ask you questions and help diagnose your child. Most insurances will cover a portion of these tele-health clinics.
Sometimes it seems like picking up a the “Back to School Cold” is inevitable, especially at the beginning of the school year. Luckily, teaching your children good prevention techniques and strengthening their immune systems can help reduce the amount of colds they pick up. Treating these illnesses correctly is also very important to prevent the spread to other classmates.
Lyndee Leavitt is a Registered Nurse that lives in Washington City, UT. She loves being a nurse and when not taking care of patients at the hospital, you can find her chasing after her 3 kids, 2 dogs, and a husband. She enjoys home canning with various foods from her garden and loves to be outdoors- especially in the mountains or at the lake.
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