How to Save Kids from Accidentally Sharing Bacteria at School #StickerKid

This school health post was created in partnership with StickerKid. I was not financially compensated for this post but did receive a sample for review purposes. As always, all opinions are entirely my own. Thank you for supporting the brands that support me!

We all know that kids get sick all the time due to their not yet fully mature immune systems. An average child can pick 6 to 10 colds a year and this causes many doctors’ appointments and a lot of school absences. So what can a parent do when your child always catches bacteria at the same place? Yes, that’s right, at school. 

You can’t build a fortress around your child and sooner or later your kid will get sick but on the other hand, there are ways of prevention that can surely help.

Immunization

Sometimes prevention is the best way for your child to stay healthy. The easiest way is to make sure that your child is up to date with immunizations.

This also means that your child and everyone in your family needs to get a seasonal flu vaccine. Flu vaccination is recommended for everyone over six months.

Proper handwashing

Children often rub their eyes and nose all the time and that’s the most common way they catch virus germs. This is because kids often don’t wash their hands properly or not enough while they are in school.

You should teach them to always scrub their hands for at least 20 seconds with soap or any kind of disinfectant designed for hand cleaning. They should do this routine a couple of times while they are in school.

Provide the classroom with germ supplies

Some schools just don’t have the budget to buy enough items to keep a clean and healthy classroom. If the classroom lacks soap, hand sanitizer, and tissues, you should donate some of these items and also encourage other parents to do the same. 

Teachers will also appreciate this because, more than anybody, they want to have a clean and healthy environment with healthy kids.

Limit sharing

Children share things all the time and that’s natural. But when the flu season arrives, you might want to advise your kid to be careful. Sharing food and drinks should be avoided and not to mention sharing lipstick and lip balm. 

Also, professional dental laboratory experts advise that food sharing can be dangerous for your teeth because germs can spread through saliva and will feed on food debris resulting in cavities and tooth decay. They should also keep make-up and lotions to themselves to avoid skin infections like MRSA and herpes.

With younger kids, this is really difficult because they share toys and books all the time. 

So it is best to constantly remind them always to wash their hands and to avoid touching their eyes and mouth. 

Top germ locations at school

Did you know that a toilet seat has fewer bacteria than water fountains and cafeteria trays? This is probably because toilet seats are cleaned on a regular daily basis, and things like water spigots and plastic trays are not.

It is important that the school authorities carry out proper sanitation of cafeteria furniture. Cleaning well will ensure that the spread of germs is limited and reduced to a minimum. According to experts, cleaning and sanitizing should be done before the kids sit down to eat and after they are done. Every weekend, proper deep cleaning of the cafeteria should be done by experts and professionals.

Advise your children never to put or touch the spigot with their mouths when they are drinking water. 

Another thing you can do is send your child to school with a water bottle if the school allows it. This way they don't have to bother with water fountains at all.

Also, tell them not to eat anything that falls onto their food tray at lunch!

Backpacks

Every parent knows what can happen to a school backpack that hasn’t been cleaned regularly. Old food and other things kids put in it can create a festival for bacteria.

Teach your child to empty his backpack daily. 

Use disinfecting wipes to clean up dirt, stains, and sticky food. 

Hand sanitizer

If the school policy permits it, your child should, without a doubt, bring alcohol-based gel or wipes to school and especially on-field trips. They should rub the wipe or gel for about 30 seconds all over their hands and fingers until they are dry. 

Label Everything

One of the best ways to keep your children from accidentally sharing bacteria at school is to have all personal belongings clearly labeled with their names.

So many parents buy the exact same items, so it's hard for children to tell what belongs to them and what belongs to their sick friend. And, if items are lost and then found without a name, there's no way to know if you are getting someone else's bacteria-covered items or your own.

Our favorite way to label all school items is with StickerKid.

StickerKid sells durable name labels in a variety of colors and sizes that are perfect for labeling school items.

We loved how they feel nice and thick in your hands. You can actually feel the quality as you remove them from the sticker sheet.

These labels are extremely high quality, and what's even better is that you can customize them to fit your particular child's interests.

From animal icons to emojis and more—you can choose the perfect icon to match the label and text color of your choice. Or, if your child is older like mine you can completely leave the icons off as well.

These amazing labels are weatherproof and safe for the dishwasher, microwave, freezer, and refrigerator. StickerKid also makes specific labels for clothing, shoes, allergies, and more.

Try StickerKid today!