The kids have only been back at school for five to six weeks and we have been attacked by a petulant of school germs. From the sniffling cold, to chesty coughs to influenza the uninvited germs have made the rounds attacking each family member insight.
With a family of six to care for, I have my hands full looking after sick children at night and still trying to manage the sick free ones during the day. And if I were to be struck down by any one of these pesky diseases, disasters strikes, and the smooth running of the household comes to a stand still.
Thus with a newborn at home and my lack of time to be sick I am in a deadly battle to keep these school germs at bay and prevent them from entering my household.
Update the troops
If your children are old enough to understand, update them on behaviors that they should adopt at school to prevent carrying germs back home. Here are some useful strategies:
Educate your children that it is not a matter of being selfish or unkind by not sharing their water bottles. This is the quickest and easiest way of that germs are spread through. If they 
have to share maybe pour water into another cup or put half their food into the other person’s lunchbox instead of sharing one utensil.
Try and avoid rubbing their hands on school stair rails, doorknobs etc for these are the places that the most amount of germs inhabit.
Avoid constantly putting their hands to their face and mouth, these areas are germs spreaders and this is the easiest way to ingest germs and thus become sick.
Make sure your child has his or her own pencil case and supplies, if sharing is at a minimum, then the spreading of germs will also be nullified.
Operation Decontamination
Once your child arrives home, control the urge to fumigate them at the door. This might be a bit on the extreme side, instead follow the more user friendly tips to rid your household of the deadly school germs.
However finniky it is, get your kids to have washes as straight as they get home and change out of the germ invested uniforms into clean home clothes. I know this is a chore, my kids hate doing this as well, and sometimes I feel it is easier to get water to flow upwards, rather than deal with the lazy tired child. But this is the best way to stop the germs from spreading through the house.
Make sure your kids have a balanced diet coupled with active sports. Getting kids active is also a good way of keeping them energized and fit.
Use a hand sanitizer if you are out and about and unable to get to wash your hand before you eat etc. Having these antibacterial wipes at your disposal will always save the day.
When getting kids to wash their hands, make sure they do it for at least 20 seconds to emerge germ free. Get them to sing the ‘Happy Birthday’ song twice.
If one child does have a cold, make sure tissues rather than hankies are used. Tissues cane be immediately thrown away while hankies just wallow the germs around.
Make sure the kids have a vitamin c rich diet and add a tonic if desired.
Some of these tips might seem common knowledge and if you practice them in your household, then hopefully you have survived germ and infection free. But considering the mayhem that ensues from picking kids up from school and bringing them home, it is always good to update yourself occasionally.
So mommy troopers get your battle suits on and take care of your little warriors, keep them safe, keep them GERM FREE!
By Mayuri Jayasinghe
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