Fighting Germs At Home and At School
School is back in season! For some families it has already been over month, and for others it has only been a few weeks. At our house it means more schedule, more laundry, more time, more focus, and for everyone’s home it means one thing… more germs.
I received samples and compensation for this post. All opinions are my own.
When you take a classroom of kids from different homes and backgrounds, there are going to be new germs introduced. I know I always plan for a few colds or coughs to come shortly after school starts and they always do. As parents, the best thing we can do is educate our children to be healthy both at home and at school. Here are a few ways to do that:
Teach Proper Hand Washing: Most parents teach their kids to wash their hands, but to is important to enforce proper hand washing techniques. Proper hand washing technique says you should wet your hands with running water, add soap, scrub for at least 20 seconds, then rinse and dry. 20 seconds is a lot longer that it seems. If you need a timer try humming “Happy Birthday” 2x through or the “ABC Song”. This is my biggest struggle with my kids! I am constantly reminding them to wash longer. I cringe to think what they do, or don’t do, when I am not around!
One thing we love to make hand washing easier is using Lysol’s No-Touch Hand Soap Dispenser. A soap bottle can be a breeding place for germs, by eliminating the need to touch it, you bypass some of those germs. Plus, my young kids think it is magic! Win win!
Keep Surfaces Clean: I always keep a tub of Lysol wipes handy at our house. There is one in the kitchen, one in each of the bathrooms, and even one on the top shelves of my kids closets. Old habits die hard, and I developed this habit as a teacher! I promise you will be best friends with your kid’s teachers if you send a few packages with them to school every couple of months. There is no quicker way to wipe down a surface and know it is germ free.
Teach Your Kids How to Cover When They Cough or Sneeze: Coughing and sneezing can’t be avoided. It is best to cough or sneeze into a tissue and then throw the tissue away. If you don’t have a tissue coughing or sneezing into your upper arm, not your hands. Either way you should follow up by washing your hands.
Lysol has partnered with the National PTA and NEA to develop the Healthy Habits Program, which helps educate kids and families on the importance of practicing healthy habits inside and outside of the classroom. Take a minute to read over these resources and share them with your child’s classroom teacher and school. By working as a team to keep or homes and classrooms safe, we can reduce the amount of germs our kids are being exposed to.
What do you use to stop germs?
I try to tell my kids to not touch surfaces that they don’t really need to touch when we are out in public, and of course, washing!
We have one of those and I love it! I am always getting on the kid’s case for not washing their hands.
Hand hygiene is super important everywhere you go. Great product to keep those hands clean.
They need bubbles. Just big plastic bubbles that don’t let the germs in. Seriously.
I use Lysol wipes all the time to make sure the surfaces are clean. This soap looks like it would be a great addition to our home, I will have to pick this up when I go shopping.
It’s great that you’re teaching the kids at a young age proper health habits. That touchless soap looks so convenient.
We are definitely fighting a war over here! So many germs!
In our house we always wash our hands and sing happy birthday twice. That way we know we have washed our hands for a effective amount of time. I also like using Lysol products to disinfect our surfaces.
I use the Lysol wipes regularly too. I like them for counters, sink handles, doorknobs, light switches….everything!
Hand washing for 20 seconds is no worry when you think of the 2 minutes we’re supposed to brush our teeth- now that ones tough for me! These are all great tips to get through cold season though!
We use the touch less hand soap pumps in our house and love them. We also use Lysol wipes to help keep surfaces clean.
I’m fighting a terrible cold right now, but thanks to handwashing, the kids haven’t gotten it yet!
Wow, I really like Lysol’s No Touch Hand Soap Dispenser. I had heard of it till now. Your right an important factor is to teach our children how to wash their properly.
That is from Lysol?!?! I love that and HAVE to have it for my bathrooms and kitchen!
YES! Especially with the new illness that has just entered the USA, scares me. I like how hands free this is.
That is my favorite soap dispenser. I have them at every sink.
I love those. We have one in the bathroom and one in the kitchen.
These dispensers are my absolute favorite because you don’t have to touch them. They give the perfect amount of soap every time too!
We use soap and handwashing too and are teaching our kids to cover their mouths too!
I’m always on my kids about washing their hands. Need to get one of those touchless soap dispensers!
We wash constantly in our house. I figure their hands can never be too clean, right?