Once a year at my house, we’re guaranteed to pick up a little bug that will knock the whole family out for a good week. It almost always comes when we go back to school. It’s a busy time of year where we interact at preschool, recreational activities and hang out in public more which just translates to more potential germs to pick up. We take precautions to keep germs at bay, eat well, and stock up our medicine cabinets to fight the bugs that get by us.

Last year, we did succumb; however, we were able to bounce back quickly and I managed to stay functional during the bug-infested week. This was a huge step up from the previous year where we all laid out like pancakes flatly on our couch, watched Netflix and drank from our respective sippy cups. (Don’t judge, you’ve been there).

How To Fight Back to School Germs

Eat well. Reduce sugar consumption, dolly back on the processed food and add in those leafy green things. If you need a little inspiration, check out your very own Canada Food Guide. You can customize it with your favourites. Don’t forget to cut back on the sugary drinks too and grab a funky new water bottle.

Wash your hands. A little simplistic maybe? Hand washing is still the #1 way to reduce infections and keeps colds and flus at bay. We added a Lysol® No-Touch™ Hand Soap System for free (my favourite price) and started washing our hands more frequently. Mr J loves his robot soap. Since then we’ve added a few more to our collection and have one at each of our potential hand-washing locations.

Eat your vitamins. Keeping a supply of Vitafusion™ MultiVites gummy vitamins on hand is an easy way to get the nutrients you may be missing. Gummies have been a really easy way for everyone in our family to get the vitamins in since they are so quick and delicious to eat. 

Clean up. Try to keep your bathroom and kitchen wiped down and ready for it’s next use. This simple act of cleaning them so they are not a breeding ground for bacteria helps. I also try to change the towels and sheets once a week. I have also been known to get a little nutty about wiping down door handles and every toy I can get my hands on when a bug is passing through. Although I’m not 100% sure this does much more than relieve my mind…

Solutions for When You Succumb

Before all the bugs come to roost at our house, we go through our medicine cupboard and make sure we have the essentials on hand. Nothing is worse than not being able to treat your family when they come down with an illness. Since we now live 5 minutes from a town who rolls up their sidewalks at 9pm, we need to be prepared. The nearest store open late is over 30 minutes away by car and still isn’t guaranteed to have what you need.

Our solutions for cough & cold are from Boiron Canada. For over 80 years, Boiron group (a French pharmaceutical company) has been reaching out to healthcare practitioners, inviting them to discover homeopathy and incorporate it into their daily practice. 

Cold
Coryzalia relieves cold symptoms such as nasal congestion, runny nose and acute rhinitis in children ages 1 month and up. Available in easy-to-administer drinkable unit-doses or tabs, Coryzalia is sugar-, dye-, and preservative-free. I use the sterile, drinkable units for my kids – you just squirt one in their mouth and they are good to go. The tabs are a great option for adults that are simple to take without water for anyone over 5 years. 

Cough
Children’s Stodal cough syrup relieves both dry and wet coughs in children 1 to 11 years of age. Stodal is a syrup with nine homeopathic ingredients. It does not cause drowsiness. My kids love drinking out of the pre-measured cup which makes it easier to measure even if you are super tired. There is also a version for ages 5 right on up to adults.

Giveaway!
 

Show us how your family gets prepared for the Back to School germs!
Post a photo of your family’s preparations for a chance to win a Healthy Family Prize Package from Boiron Canada!
Use the hashtag #BoironBackToSchool
Follow & tag @boironcanada
Contest will run until September 14, 2015. Winner will be chosen at random from the selected entries.