Smart Ways to Ensure Hygiene for School-going Children

Having belonged to the education industry for more than one and a half decades now, I strongly advocate the fact that children should be imparted with knowledge of 'health and hygiene' above and beyond tutoring them for essential subjects in schools. And by way of that, not just enhance the scholastic curriculum, but empower the children with good habits of maintaining high degree of personal hygiene since young age.

Ideally, the school authorities and parents should team up for a collaborative effort that ensures forming a defence system against diseases that pose serious risk to children's health. The checklist that can help battle poor hygiene in smarter ways includes:

Scrub Those Germs Away:
Guide your child to wash his hands at critical times like before eating food, after using the toilet, after coughing or sneezing, and after handling the garbage bin. Instilling this habit significantly eliminates the probability of various bugs that might make your child fall sick. I personally recommend packing dermatologist tested, alcohol-free hand sanitizing wipes in your child's school bag that can be used for routine cleaning, in case of non-accessibility of water.

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Personal Hygiene:
Good hygiene habits should be introduced to children in primary schooling age even if they don't completely understand how staying clean can greatly impact the quality of life. Parents should help imbibe basic grooming habits in their children by behaving and acting in an ideal manner themselves. Simple everyday rituals like brushing your teeth, taking a shower, changing clothes, clipping fingernails etc. should be religiously practised. This will ensure that kids do not fall prey to communicable diseases or skip school/studies.

Besides, with so many diseases like dengue, chikungunya and malaria around, it is a must to use personal outdoor mosquito protection, as these diseases are spread by day biting mosquitoes. Make it a habit to apply mosquito repellents before stepping out.

While kids might not be comfortable with sticky creams, encourage them to use the Good knight Fabric Roll-On, an innovative mosquito repellent for all day long protection at school. Just need to apply 4 dots on their clothes and they are protected from mosquitoes for up to 8 hours.

It is 100% natural and paediatrician certified making it completely safe for use. The best part is that it needs to be applied on clothes, and not on your skin (it is non-staining).

Clean Toilets/Restrooms:

Children have a right to basic facilities such as clean school toilets. The school administration must ensure availability of water in the toilets on a regular basis. The areas like wash basins, soap dispensers, door knobs, handles etc. should be disinfected by the school crew members on a daily basis to avoid spread of germs. The issue of stinking odour within the vicinity of toilets/restrooms should be handled by spraying air fresheners after sweeping and mopping.

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Garbage Disposal:

Within the school campus, a lot of waste material gets collected in bins by the end of the day that becomes one of the main reason for various bacterial diseases and respiratory allergies. These dumping grounds can also become a hotspot for disease-causing mosquitoes. The school may conduct an eco-awareness activity among students to dig garbage pits away from the classroom area where they can dump this waste and allow it to decompose into manure. Not only will this add up to the learning aspect, but will also prevent outbreak of infectious ailments among children.

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Dealing with Illness:
Despite practising correct sanitation guidelines, if you suspect that your child might be exposed to unclean surroundings while off to school or if he/she has earlier demonstrated symptoms of weakened immune system, precautionary measures must be taken beforehand.

Parents should get their child vaccinated during the time of year when they tend to fall ill. Strictly avoid sending your child to school if he shows signs of being unwell because the shared spaces and supplies facilitate quick transmission of germs from one student to another.

Being major contributors of a child's well-being, parents and school authorities can greatly influence behavioural pattern of children and ensure that they exercise optimal hygiene habits to enhance the longevity of a healthy life.

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