5 Ways to Keep Your Kids Healthy Going Back to School

There are many different ways to keep kids healthy going back to school. There are many different things that could work for your family that I have not mentioned, but these are things we try and stay on top of so our kids spend more time at school, and less time sick at home. I say this loosely because we're actually homeschooling one of our kids this year, but that is another tangent for another day.

Keep Kids Healthy Going Back to School:

Back-to-school season is a love hate relationship for me. I'm excited my kids are back in school, seeing their friends, and all the excitement that comes with a new school year. I also hate it because it's the beginning of sick season, and for my medically complex daughter, it means she will be six for 30+ school days between August through May. These are some of the things we try to do relentlessly to help her stay healthy, and for our son as well.

Daily Baths After School:

When our kids were younger baths were never a huge priority because we never went anywhere or did anything to get dirty so we would do them about twice a week. Since they started school a few years ago we've gotten into a much better routine of about every other day. The last year or two though, we've gotten a lot more strict about it and get the kids into the tub after dinner each night. We don't want them sleeping with whatever germs might be on them, and we especially don't want those germs going back into the school the next day. All the dirty laundry goes into one basket for the entire house, the kids clean off, and get into fresh clean pajamas. It's a little like a biohazard scene, but also necessary.

Clean Their Fingernails:

Not to brag, but if there is one thing I do well at, it's cleaning my kids nails. They touch things at school all day long, and come home with enough dirt in their nails to plant potatoes (something my grandma always said!) I like to take the fingernail clippers and get the dirt out of their nails right when they get home because my kids are constantly picking their noses and rubbing their hands all over their faces, and all those germs from the school are hibernating in those dirty nails. Whatever I don't get out does come out in the bathtub after dinner, but keeping those nails clean is a huge way to prevent illness.

An Essential Oil Routine:

While I'm not a Doterra sells rep, I can say I've used their oils pretty exclusively for the last eight years. The ones we use the most are OnGuard and Breathe. I have the little roller ball bottles of them and before my kids go to school I roll them on the backs of their necks to help boost up their bodies anyway I can. They're also amazing for fighting existing coughs or colds, and we keep these on hand 100% of the time. I also order them right on Amazon. A Doterra rep will tell you not to do this, but I've literally have had zero issues and have no intentions of changing my ways.

Clean Your Bedsheets Regularly:

Your kids spend so much time in their beds and especially on their pillows. Keeping these cleaned (I typically wash them once a week!) will be a great way to to make sure you're washing out any lingering bacteria from their mouths and sweat that they produce while sleeping.

No Shoes in the House:

I'm convinced that shoes are the filthiest things to enter our home. We have a hard rule that the kids take their shoes off right when they get in the door, and they stay in the shoe closet. That way the bacteria and germs aren't getting onto our floors that the kids are constantly playing and crawling on.

These are the things we're doing and working on to keep our kids healthy this year, I'd love to know what you do in your homes in the comments below!

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