How to fight germs at school

It’s a common story: Kids go to school feeling well, and come home with a sniffle that blossoms into a cold or the flu.

But what can a parent do?

All those germy kids gathered in one place seem an impossible fortress to crack.

It’s daunting, certainly, but not impossible, and the solution (in part) lies in arming kids with knowledge and good practices before leaving the house each morning.

Obvious and cliché it may be, but washing hands is the top of the germ-killing, sickness-preventing good practices list (and an obvious answer is of no use if nobody heeds it).

Running water over dirty hands just doesn’t cut it, and it’s not just about using soap: it’s about knowing how to properly scrub. That means in between fingers, front and back of the hand, fingernails, etc. This certainly isn’t just a kid problem. Go in any public restroom and you’ll the quick, cursory wash that soaps up the palms a bit and takes 3 seconds … when it should take 20 seconds.

According to a study of middle and high school students, “about half washed their hands after using the bathroom — and only 33 percent of the girls and 8 percent of the boys used soap.”

Since washing many times a day may not be possible, kids should at the very least get in the habit of washing after going to the restroom, and before eating. Actually, the key is that germy hands should be washed before touching the mouth, eyes or nose. So if washing isn’t available, at least teach kids to not touch their mouth, eyes, or nose until they can wash their hands.

Then comes hand sanitizer, a nice option because it forces kids to rub it in sufficiently (they will generally want to rub until it’s dry). If it’s allowed, send kids to school with a bottle in their backpack. Just be sure it has at least 60 percent alcohol so that no germs can survive. If the school has sanitizer dispensers in the halls, as many do, then it’s a simple matter of teaching kids to grab some whenever they walk past.

If kids don’t have access to sanitizer at school, though, there’s still a lot parents can do. For example, Athena P. Kourtis, a pediatrician, says “I would also recommend that parents carry hand sanitizer and sanitize children’s hands when they pick them up from school or parties.”

Another way to keep those hands clean? Stop being so nice. Seriously, in the nicest way possible, teach your kids not to share anything at school.

As a whole, though, it’s about general cleanliness. Keep backpacks clean, keep lockers at school clean, keep faces washed and clothes laundered, bring dirty gym clothes home for washing frequently, and find the joy of overly-energetic children running germ-free all over the house.