Your littlie may have a blast at daycare or preschool, but he’s not just meeting friends, teachers and toys there – he’s also meeting plenty of germs.
Dr Michael Fasher of the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners estimates that once kids start mixing with others, they’ll get a virus every six to eight weeks. All it takes is one sneeze and droplets are spread around the room for others to inhale, or, if a child is sent in with a tummy upset, for him to use the toilet without washing his hands to spread the bugs around.
But – thank goodness! – there’s lots you can to do help minimise your tot’s chances of picking up nasties and taking ill…
Get him to… Eat upProviding a balanced diet complete with all the essential vitamins and minerals is a good start, as eating healthily can help keep young bodies from getting run down.
Maria Packard, spokesperson for the Dietitians’ Association of Australia, says that good nutrition is vital in maintaining a strong immune system. “Kids should have maximum exposure to a wide variety of foods to meet their nutritional requirements. Don’t just feed them the things they like,” she advises.
There are also other dietary measures you can take, such as offering probiotic drinks, which are rich in good bacteria and said to be good for intestinal health. Even though the research isn’t conclusive, Maria says these may be useful. “I wouldn’t say you must give them, since they’re just one of a number of factors that can influence a child’s nutrition, but they aren’t harmful and may be worth a go. I give them to my children.” But she cautions they should be given once a day like a medicine, not as a regular drink.
Get him to… Sleep on itPreschoolers need 10 to 12 hours of sleep each night. You want to send your child off well-rested, since when he’s tired his immune system is more likely to become run down – and daycare or preschool burns up a lot of energy and can leave littlies feeling drained!
“Kids will come home tired. There’s a lot going on during their day, lots of movement and social integration. They may need quiet time once they get home. They might even need go to bed half an hour earlier,” says Megan Allen, from early childhood education provider KU Children’s Services.
If your child already has an early bedtime, that’s great. But if your munchkin goes to bed late, it’s time to reassess. A bedtime of 7 or 7:30pm is a popular choice – see if you can get your littlie into this routine by moving his bedtime forward slowly over a couple of weeks to ease him into things.
Get him to… The doctorDr Fasher says immunisation against disease is vital. “Of all the preventive things parents can do to make an impact on infection, the most important is to make sure their child is adequately immunised.”
Many centres require baby health cards and immunisation certificates. Those parents who object to immunising may be required to formally register this. Staff will usually notify those families of any vaccine-preventable diseases in the centre and ask they keep their children at home. Find out if your centre has a selective immunisation policy and if it insists on children who aren’t vaccinated being kept away from daycare when necessary.
Get him to… Be noseyTeach your littlie to sneeze or cough into the crook of his elbow, rather than into his hands. Depositing germs onto his hands is an easy way for bugs to be transferred to others and can help keep the sniffles circulating. The crook of the elbow, meanwhile, is a much better place for anything infectious because it’s unlikely that this area will come into contact with anyone else. Sydney-based GP Dr Penny Adams concurs. “Certainly the relatively new recommendation of coughing into the elbow is important to stress because we know that most children just don’t wash their hands after coughing or sneezing into them, which spreads germs.”
Also teach your child to avoid touching his eyes or nose. Depositing dirt or germs onto the mucus membranes of either creates a path for nasties to make their way into the bloodstream. When he’s old enough, teach him how to wipe and blow his own nose, and to ask the daycare staff for a tissue when he needs one.
Get him to… Wash those hands!Hand-washing is one of the most simple and important routines your child can use to fend off germs. Teach your tot to wash his hands after going to the toilet, coughing, sneezing, touching pets or playing somewhere dirty, as well as when he comes home after daycare or preschool, and to lather up before eating.
Part of the problem with teaching a small child to wash his hands, though, is making sure he does a thorough job. Running his hands under water isn’t enough! Hands need to be washed for at least 20 seconds to kill off germs. That’s a long time for your sweetie! One easy way to help measure the time and have fun as it passes is to teach him to wash to a nursery rhyme. Most young children know Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star, and it’s the ideal length for getting hands clean. Happy Birthday, sung twice, is another good ditty to use. While he’s singing, tell him to wash all over his hands, including between his fingers and around his nails.
Thorough drying is important, as well. In fact, Megan says to focus on it just as much as, if not more than, the washing. “Wet hands pick absolutely everything up!” she cautions.
For little ones still in nappies, centre staff should have an established nappy-changing procedure in place at their changing stations. This may include the use of gloves but should always include hand-washing and thorough hand-drying for the childcare worker.
Get him to… Share smartly!While sharing is caring, this doesn’t really extend to food or drink bottles! Here’s an easy rule to teach your little angel: if it goes in his mouth, he should keep it to himself.
In many childcare centres where meals are provided, the staff eat with the children and don’t allow food to be passed around. But if your child brings lunch or snacks from home, he may want to share with friends or taste the yummy things his pals have brought in with them.
Explain that while it’s good to share in many situations, once someone has bitten into their food it might have germs on it that could make other people sick. Most children will respond to this – they understand that they don’t want to make their friends sick or to become sick themselves, and so eventually learn not to share food that’s already been munched on with others.
If your little one has a friend he’d like to share a special food or drink from home with, try packing something separately for his buddy and wrapping it up as a present.
0 Comments