The kids have been back to school for a couple weeks now. Mom is now back in “Mom Taxi” mode shuffling kids back and forth to school and I have already caught a summer cold. I think it is almost gone, thank goodness. One thing I dislike about my kids going to public school is all the germs they bring back home. One of my children usually will catch a cold or bug from another kid and pass it to the rest of the family. For me, taking care of sick kids is no fun and I really don’t like when they have to miss school. Did you know that nearly 22 million school days are lost each year due to the common cold and flu? Did you also know that there is 2.7 million bacterial found per square inch on common school surfaces? I say EWWW…..
This school year, Seventh Generation is sharing tips from best-selling author and pediatrician, Dr. Alan Greene, to help parents protect their child’s health during back-to-school season. Dr. Greene suggests taking the following precautions:
Optimize the immune system
- Reap the benefits of probiotics like those found in yogurt. A recent study showed that children who received enough probiotics daily throughout the cold and flu season had a significant reduction in the number of illnesses they had and, when they did get sick, the symptoms were both milder and didn’t last as long.
- Be sure your child is getting plenty of vitamin D from the sun, from food, or from a supplement.
- Build a strong foundation. Good food, good sleep, and good physical activity all help the immune system to flourish.
- Be wise about reducing unnecessary exposure to harmful germs
- Teach children the key times to clean their hands in the classroom. The most important times include after sneezing, coughing or using the restroom, upon leaving “high-risk” places (recess, naptime, play stations) and before meals or snacks.
- Sixty percent of teachers surveyed said that they request that parents donate disinfecting wipes to the classroom. Seventh Generation’s disinfecting wipes kill 99.99% of germs* naturally using the active ingredient thyme, a component of thyme oil which is derived from the herb thyme. (*Refer to disinfecting product labels for full details)
- Stress the importance of not touching their eyes, nose or mouth. Germs are often spread when a person touches something that is contaminated with germs and then touches his or her eyes, nose, or mouth.
- Demonstrate to your children how to cover their mouth and nose for every cough and sneeze. This simple maneuver has spectacular results in decreasing the spread of viruses and bacteria floating about the room, waiting to be inhaled.
Check out this video on the history of germs………..
Thanks to Seventh Generation, I have some supplies to help keep out the germs + be a little green too! I received their Back-To-School Kit that included a Seventh Generation backpack, two canisters of Seventh Generation disinfecting wipes (one for home and one to donate to my child’s classroom), disinfecting multi-surface spray cleaner, facial tissue and paper towels. Way too cool! I have been using the wipes this weekend cleaning my kitchen countertops. I love all the products, but the only thing I don’t care for is the smell of the wipes and cleaning spray. It has a Lemongrass + Thyme scent which to me, is a smell you have to get used to if you don’t like the “green” scent. As I am using the products more and more, I am getting used to the smell and before and it no longer smells as bad as I first thought.
Guess What Readers? The very nice people over at MyBlogSpark are offering one of my LUCKY readers a Back-To-School Prize Pack of their own too!
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This giveaway will end on September 19, 2010 at 11:59 PM PST. The winner will be chosen using Random.org from all valid entries and submitted. The winner will be notified via email and will have 48 hours to contact me with their mailing information before another winner is chosen. This giveaway is open to U.S. residents only ages 18 years or older.
I received the Back To School Kit from Seventh Generation through MyBlogSpark to provide you with this review. I was not paid any monetary compensation to publish this review. This review is my personal opinion only and receiving the sample has no impact on my opinion of the product.
