5 Ways to Avoid BTS : Back To Sickness #ONVaccine

We’re back from our epic world travels, and must now let the back to school prep begin. My social media feeds are peppered with #BTS stories, and while I wish I was worrying more about Catholic School Uniforms or capturing awesome BTS pictures, my main focus is on getting Baby Boy ready to attend school for the VERY first time…EVER (he has never even gone to daycare). Meanwhile, Little Monkey enters Grade 1, where I am told the real learning begins. Then, there is my biggest concern of all, the real #BTS…Back To Sickness.

While travelling, all four of us somehow avoided falling ill. While there were many contributing factors, one of the main reasons we avoided getting sick was our limited contact with other kids. Not a good thing, I know, but the reality of travel is that the kids didn’t really have many friends to hangout and exchange germs with (neither did we really!). However, heading back to school means that they will be reunited with friends and finding new ways to expose themselves to germs. In Junior Kindergarten, Little Monkey fell sick a couple times, but we survived SK with no sick days, thanks to a few tricks I have learned!

How We Avoid BTS – Back To Sickness

• Germ Education: My kids spend a lot of time on YouTube, so I figured I should start using the platform to scare educate them a little. I made them watch a couple videos that illustrate very clearly what germs are and how they impact kids. Even my 3-year-old was able to understand the perils of germs after watching a few videos. I’m all for the 5 second rule, but it’s best if they stay alert when at school.

• Clean Hands Before Meals: In our house, washing hands is MANDATORY before meals. I nag the kids often about this one and always make them wash their hands the second they walk through the front door. As I was buying new lunch containers, I picked up travel sized foam hand sanitizers to tag onto their backpacks. While their teachers in the past have been very diligent at forcing them to wash their hands, there have been times the sanitizer has come in handy. It helps to buy fun scents and colours but remember that not all are created equal. Foam is better than gel, but washing with soap is best of all, something we have to keep reminding young kids about.

• Immunization: Along with worrying if I should be redshirting Baby Boy as I try to ensure that the kid can go all day without soiling his diapers, keeping track of his immunization records before he starts school has been at the top of our list. As we head back into the school year, the first thing we did was pop by our family doctor to ensure that both kids were up-to-date with their vaccines. Using the Ontario vaccination schedule is a great way to keep track of which vaccines your kids need and when. Remember, vaccines in Ontario’s chilhood immunization schedule are provided free of charge. To attend a school in Ontario, children must be immunized against tetanus, diphtheria, polio, measles, mumps, rubella, chicken pox, meningococcal disease and whooping cough (unless they have a valid exemption). Choosing to vaccinate your child not only protects them from preventable diseases, it also protects the babies and grandparents they come in contact with as well as vulnerable children who can’t be vaccinated for medical reasons.

• Vitamins: My mom nags me about vitamins and the importance of taking the daily ones so we asked our family doctor which ones the kids need for a healthy school year. I highly recommend speaking to your child’s health care practitioner to see what they recommend. Now the challenge is getting into a routine so I remember to give them! We also focus on ensuring that our kids are receiving balanced meals. Sometimes, we have to disguise the vegetables, but we make sure that theyare part of every meal.

• Sharing Isn’t Always Caring: Sharing doesn’t come easily to my kids but they know they have to do so when it comes to toys. However, after a bout of lice last year (yes OF COURSE I got them too), we have told our kids to NEVER share hats or place anything that belongs to anyone else near their heads.

As your family gets ready for the new school year, I hope these tips will help you avoid BTS. There’s no need to be sick now that the new school year has started!

Disclosure: This post was developed in association with the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care. The opinions of the author are their own.