Back to School, Back to Sickness: How to Keep Your Kids Healthy This Fall

School is a time for learning and for socializing — and it’s also a time when germ exposure can be at its peak, too. It’s not surprising that plenty of kids get sick with colds, flus, and other illnesses during the school year, and often more than once. 

Fortunately, there are things you can do to keep your child healthy and prevent them from spreading illnesses to the rest of the family. As a leading pediatric care provider with locations throughout Hawaii, Minit Medical Urgent Care and Physical Therapy is here to offer a few simple tips that can help.

1. Encourage frequent handwashing

Handwashing might seem like a small action, but it has a huge impact on preventing illness and reducing the spread of germs. Encourage your child to wash with soap and water for at least 20 seconds before meals, after they use the bathroom, and when they’re done playing. 

Keep hand sanitizer on hand or in their backpack to keep hands clean when soap and water aren’t an option.

2. Keep up with vaccinations

Vaccines protect against the flu and other common illnesses that spread quickly in schools, like measles and whooping cough. Keeping your child current on recommended vaccines reduces their own risk of illness while decreasing the spread of infections throughout their school and community.

3. Help your kids eat healthy

You are what you eat isn’t just a common saying — your child’s health and wellness depends a lot on what they eat. Make sure their diet includes lots of colorful fruits and vegetables, along with lean proteins and whole grains, to give their immune system the fuel it needs to reliably stop infections before they start. 

Avoid processed snacks and sugary drinks, including energy drinks and sweetened juices, and offer healthy alternatives, instead.

4. Make sleep a priority

Your child’s immune system depends on plenty of high-quality sleep to stay active and robust. Sleep is also when your child’s body repairs and recharges. Establish a consistent bedtime routine to ensure your child gets plenty of rest, and limit screen time in the hour before bed so it’s easier to fall asleep.

5. Boost physical activity

Regular exercise doesn’t just build physical strength — it keeps your child’s immune system strong, too. Regular physical activity helps kids manage their weight, improve sleep habits, and ward off depression and anxiety, too, all of which can benefit immune activity.

6. Keep personal items clean

Backpacks, lunchboxes, and school supplies offer great “homes” for germs. Wash fabric items on a regular basis and disinfect hard surfaces daily — including your child’s laptop and phone. Teach kids not to share water bottles and utensils, too.

7. Keep your child home when they’re sick

If  your child shows signs of illness, keeping them home is one of the best ways to keep them from getting sicker and to prevent spreading illness to others, too. Sick kids need lots of rest in order to give their bodies a chance to recover. Make sure they stay hydrated and keep activity to a minimum. 

8. Seek medical treatment

While some illnesses get better with a little TLC (and time), others need medical intervention to prevent the illness from getting worse. If your child has a fever, a sore throat, a hoarse voice, a persistent cough, or worsening symptoms, it’s time to call our office. 

We offer both same-day in-person sick visits and telehealth visits, so your child can get the care they need when they need it.

Keep your child healthy all year long

Having an annual physical is a great way to make sure your child stays healthy all year round, and it’s also a good opportunity for you and your child to discuss concerns and learn more ways to prevent illness. 

To schedule an annual exam or same-day sick visit for your child, request an appointment online or over the phone with our team at your nearest Minit Medical Urgent Care and Physical Therapy office in Kihei, Kahului, or Lahaina, Hawaii, today.