Although the summer holidays haven’t even arrived yet, many parents will already be planning for their children’s return back to school after the summer break. One thing that may be on your mind with the return back to school is looking after your child’s health. 

 

Protect your child’s health when returning back to school

 

But apart from new uniforms, hair cuts and sharpened pencils, parents can also do a great deal to help prepare and protect their children’s health for the back to school period. After a summer holiday spent bare feet out in the open air - a return to a stuffy classroom, heavy, scratchy new school uniforms and the onset of colder damper weather can make ‘back to school’ quite an unhealthy period for children.

 

Common ‘back to school’ aliments to protect your child’s health:

 

Here is a useful guide to the most common ‘back to school’ ailments and how to try and avoid them, to protect your child’s health. 

 

Head Lice

 

Once children are back at school there is much greater risk of them picking up head lice. Being in a classroom with lots of other children and in close contact with others in sport, means your child is likely to pick up head lice during the back to school period.

 

Prevention of head lice: 

 

Protect your child’s health by checking your child’s hair regularly, if you find they do have head lice you will need to check your whole family so they don’t re-infect each other. At school always keep long hair tied back to avoid contact. The best treatments are over the counter lotions, which can be picked up at your local pharmacy. Once you have treated the hair regularly rub conditioner into wet hair and carefully comb through, making sure you wipe the comb with a paper towel in between each stroke so as not to put any lice back in the hair. Alternative treatments which some people find effective, included Rosemary, Lavender and Tea Tree oil however, little research has been done on their effectiveness or whether these can be toxic if used repeatedly or in the incorrect amount. Some oils can also irritate the skin or may not be suitable for children.

 

Eczema

 

15% of children have eczema and going back to school is prime time for a flare up. New school uniforms tend to irritate skin. Sweating in heavy autumn clothes and in stuffy classrooms can also trigger an eczema flare up as can the stress of starting school again, especially if it’s a new school.

 

Prevention of eczema to protect your child’s health: 

 

Steroids are often prescribed for eczema but they should not be used too often and certainly not as a preventative measure in managing your child’s eczema. Try and buy natural rather than synthetic fabrics for your children’s school uniform which help let the skin breath.

Cardiospermum gel such as Skin Shops Hydrosil dry skin gel with Cardiospermum has been found to be particularly effective for use on childhood eczema because it is easy and soothing to apply to sore young skin and can be applied as often as required as a daily maintenance cream, which many parents using the gel have found actually helps prevent the eczema from reoccurring. 

 

Cold sores

 

The cold sore virus is so prevalent that virtually all children come in contact with at least one strain of the virus before their fifth birthday. Cold sores are most likely to occur during times of change or stress which many children will be experiencing when they have to return to school in a new class after their long summer break. The matter is made worse by dirty hands and the spread of the contagious virus from child to child and close knit conditions inside classrooms and shared lunch areas etc.

 

Prevention of cold sores:

 

It is important to protect your child’s health by ensuring that your child keeps their hands clean and always wash their hands after the bathroom as dirty hands will transmit infection.

In addition, Skin Shops Liquorice Lip Balm could help reduce the frequency and intensity of cold sore outbreaks as it is suitable for daily use on children. Unlike conventional treatments due to its naturally derived ingredients the balm can be used at all times, meaning that the intensity of the cold sore outbreaks could be diminished before they really have a chance to take hold.

 

Verrucas

 

Some activities children participate in at school involve being barefoot, sports, swimming and communal showers - these all increase the risk of spreading and catching verrucas.

 

Prevention of verrucas:

 

Try to keep feet as dry as possible as the virus can spread through wet skin, and where possible encourage children to keep their shoes on. If their verruca becomes so painful they are having difficulty walking, you can buy round pads that you can stick around the verruca to take the pressure off.

  

Tummy bugs

 

The average under five suffers from 3-4 tummy bugs a year and most of them are caught at school.

 

Prevention of stomach bugs to protect your child’s health:

 

For older toddlers and children, the best defence is frequent hand-washing. Teach kids to soap up regularly -- especially after potty. Tell them not to share food, drinks, or utensils. If a family member is ill, wash his soiled clothing and linens at once, and disinfect contaminated surfaces with chlorine bleach. In addition a recent study suggests that cranberry juice may work against gastrointestinal viruses because substances in the juice help prevent the adhesion of certain bacteria to the stomach wall.

 

Colds

 

The autumn back to school months are the start of the winter cold season. Children average 3 to 8 colds per year and most of them occur during the autumn term.

 

Prevention of colds to protect your child’s health: 

 

Here are proven ways to reduce exposure to germs.


1. Wash hands

 

Children and adults should wash hands at key moments -- after nose-wiping, after diapering or toileting, before eating, and before food preparation.

 

2. Use instant hand sanitisers

 

A little dab will kill 99.99% of germs without any water or towels. It uses alcohol to destroy germs. It is an antiseptic, not an antibiotic, so resistance can't develop.



3. Get enough sleep

 

Late bedtimes and poor sleep leave people vulnerable.

 

4. Drink water

 

Little bodies need lots of fluids for the immune system to function properly.