Kids are heading back to school soon after another long and exciting summer vacation. Unfortunately, the first few weeks of the school year are when most kids pick up minor illnesses and respiratory infections. Improve your child’s chances of staying illness-free with these tips.
Most schools in Charlotte and North Carolina will reopen on August 27, signaling the end of another summer vacation. It’s common for kids to get sick when they return to school. In fact, CNN once dubbed the phenomenon the “back-to-school plague.” Preparing for a new school year should include more than just buying new school outfits, backpacks and school supplies. We’ve highlighted a few precautions that can help your child avoid getting sick this school year.
Multivitamins
Multivitamins can give your children a much-needed immune system boost and prevent them from getting sick. Multivitamins help provide the body with vitamins that may be lacking in the diet. Your immune system needs certain vitamins and in certain amounts to function optimally. Vitamin D is good for boosting immunity, while Vitamin C can help prevent and treat the common cold and other illnesses. There are many other vitamins out there that help support different healthy body functions. It’s important to remember that multivitamins aren’t a bandaid, and you still need a proper diet and healthy lifestyle to avoid getting sick. However, with the back-to-school germs, multivitamins might be a good option for keeping your child from falling under the back-to-school bug spell. Not sure which might be the right one? These are just some of the best multivitamins available for your kids.
Proper Nutrition
When kids are out of school, it’s easy to get into a cycle of eating junk food, candy and drinking soda and sugary juices all day. All of these things can have a cumulative effect on the body and can weaken its defenses. In preparing to send your kids back to school, pay close attention to their diet. Make sure they’re getting their fair share of fruits and vegetables and also that they are consuming enough water daily. We’ve all grown up hearing how important eating your veggies is, but that’s because it’s true. Vegetables provide nutrients that are vital for health and maintenance of your body, and fruits help reduce the risk of some chronic diseases.
Over-the-counter (OTC) immuno-boosters
While we can’t stress the importance of a healthy diet enough, taking immune boosters for a few weeks can help with the added stress on your child’s system when returning to school. Popular options include Emergen-C and Cipla’s ActivKids immuno-boosters. These products contain nutrients and minerals that have a proven role in immunity. Another option to consider is getting your child a flu shot. You should get a flu vaccine before flu begins spreading in your community. It takes about two weeks after vaccination for antibodies that protect against flu to develop in the body. The Center for Disease Control (CDC) recommends that people get a flu vaccine by the end of October. (CDC, 2018)
So if you have a child returning to school this year, keep these things in mind to prevent them getting common illnesses from their classmates. At Walker’s Drug Store, we offer flu shots as well as a wide range of OTC products and multivitamins. Make sure to stop at Walker’s Drug Store for all of your back-to-school health essentials and advice from some of the best pharmacists in the Ballantyne area.
So if you have a child returning to school this year, keep these things in mind to prevent them getting common illnesses from their classmates. At Walker’s Drug Store, we offer flu shots as well as a wide range of OTC products and multivitamins. Make sure to stop at Walker’s Drug Store for all of your back-to-school health essentials and advice from some of the best pharmacists in the Ballantyne area.