When your child attends child daycare centers during cold and flu season, there are some basic things that you can do to prevent the spread of germs. Your child care centers will enforce basic hand washing, and you can do your part at home, as well. With techniques that include a healthy diet and proper hand washing, your child will be happy and healthy at day care year round.
Health at Your Child Daycare Centers
Good health begins at home, where what you do can impact all of the kids at the child daycare centers that your child attends. First and foremost, you should always keep your child home if you suspect that he or she is getting sick. What looks like a mild cough can easily turn out to be the flu, making this the number one rule for child care networks around the nation. You will also want to teach your child some healthy habits, such as coughing and sneezing into the crook of their arm, rather than into their hands.
Healthy hand washing habits are also very important. If your child is old enough, you can have them sing the ABC song when they wash their hands. After the song is over, your child will have washed well enough to have clean hands. Other considerations are using an alcohol based hand sanitizer, but these should be used only when hand washing facilities are unavailable, especially in little ones with sensitive skin. You can pack a small bottle of sanitizer when the childcare centers have arranged a field trip or play date outside.
You will also want to ensure that your child has a healthy, balanced diet with plenty of fruits and veggies. If you have a picky eater on your hands, then use recipes that your toddler loves to sneak in fruits and vegetables. Grated carrots, zucchini and applesauce are unnoticeable in baked goods and sauces, for example. Along with plenty of rest, a good diet will give your child the tools he or she needs to stay healthy during cold and flu season.
Healthy Habits at Child Daycare Centers
Your childcare centers are where your infant or toddler will spend a good portion of the day, making it a place where good health should be encouraged. Your provider may pass out a healthy snack, but will also help your child learn healthy habits for a lifetime. Your home childcare or daycare center should have a clear policy on hand washing, and should wash all door knobs, toys and light fixtures regularly.
Childcare centers take special precautions at all times during the year to ensure that their infants and toddlers are happy and healthy, and will often request that sick children remain home, or are picked up, anytime they have a cold or fever. You may want to discuss your daycare s stay at home policy to see if they can attend when they have a minor illness, and when they need to stay with an alternate caregiver.
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