After months of summer vacation, your child is returning to school, new friends, homework, after-school activities, and everything that comes with it all – germs, stress, packed lunches…being away.
Here are five helpful tips to make the back-to-school season in 2022 healthy and safe for your child:
1. Keep to the schedule
As the back-to-school season approaches, both parents and children will need to adjust their schedules and activities, so setting up a solid school routine can make the day-to-day smoother.
Early to bed, early to rise. Set an earlier bedtime for your children and make it a habit. Taking a shower, reading, tucking in, and saying good-night to them can all be part of a relaxing pre-bedtime routine.
Aside from sleep, it’s also important to stick to a schedule when doing homework or having play-time. While inadequate sleep can cause your child to lose concentration and become drowsy in class, excessive screen time can put them at risk of eye strain and vision problems.
2. Make breakfast required eating
Children who eat a hearty, healthy breakfast are more effective, active, and focused throughout the day, according to studies. Start your child’s day with nutritious foods like fruits, yogurt, eggs, and sandwiches, which can also be packed for lunch.
Switch some of the processed food in the grocery cart for lean proteins, cheeses, nuts, fruits, vegetables, and whole grain bread.
3. Hygiene, hygiene, hygiene
One thing the COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted is the importance of hygiene. Germs are literally everywhere, including the classroom surfaces, gym class, school bathrooms…everywhere. So, although it’s not possible to make school days 100% germ-free, it is possible to teach your child to wash their hands after using the restroom, before lunch, and after recess. And it’s also possible to encourage the school, through the PTA etc, to teach and encourage students good hygiene skills.
Additionally, you can remind your child not to share combs, hats, and hair accessories to prevent lice and to be careful about sharing germs in general.
4. Be supportive through the rough patches
Going to school can be emotional, particularly during the first days, new environments, social situations, teachers…expectations. Keeping the channels of communication open is key.
Some days will be difficult. There may be struggles in classes, friends, social expectations, or, unfortunately, bullying. Don’t forget to ask how the day went, and what happened on all fronts. And then, listen.
5. Be ready for symptoms
At some point, it’s likely your child will get sick. Then, will you be ready to take it in stride or will having a sick child derail the daily schedule and everything else you’ll have worked so hard to establish?
One way to step up your reaction to sick symptoms is through innovations in virtual care.
Nonagon makes it possible to share 9 physical exams with clinic-grade accuracy with a physician, without needing to go to the doctor’s office, and then interact with the physician through a HIPAA-compliant and secure interface.
Suitable for kids, parents, and the entire household during any season, the N9+ is a remote health device that allows users to conveniently conduct 9 basic physical exams of the ears, skin, throat, lungs, heart, stomach, oxygen saturation, and temperature.
Whether at school, the office, or on the road, the N9+ can collect examination data and virtually connect you to the nearest physician for closer monitoring and treatment, making the patient-doctor process convenient.
Imagine not having to take off work to get medical care for your child.
Visit our website to learn more about the N9+ device and how it can make back-to-school and other seasons simpler and safe for the entire family.
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