Nursing Your Sick Child

As a parent, having to deal with days when our kids have to stay home from school, sick, is inevitable. Of course, we gladly rearrange our schedules for our kids' needs, but we can't help but wonder where our kids could have caught that bug.

Initially, we're most likely to blame our kids' school. But if you think about it, how many times do we send our kids to school, even if it's just a slight cold or cough? It's really a double-edged sword.

To help you decide whether it would be a good idea to keep your kids home or send them to school in such a situation, here are a few tips:

First of all, assess how they're feeling. If they feel tired and feverish, definitely have them stay home. Fevers are a sign that your child can be contagious to others.

It always helps to be courteous to the other children at school. Your kid will thank you, and so will the other mom's of the children at school.

However, if your child is not feeling that bad, and is just suffering from a simple cold or cough, giving them some cold medicine will suffice. It would also help to teach them basic hygiene tips such as properly discarding used tissues and washing their hands regularly. It would also help to put in a small bottle of hand sanitizer in their back pack for such instances.

Train them to cover their mouths or use their upper arm to block their sneeze. This will help them avoid spreading germs.

A lot of people may not realize this, but proper hygiene can help prevent your child from getting sick or contracting diseases. Always have them wash their hands after using the restroom and before meals. We can't always protect our kids from every germ in existence, but we can teach them to do what they can for simple preventative measures.