You've probably been busy shopping for school supplies...one thing you won't find on that list are immunizations.
We spoke to the excellent team of pediatricians at UBMD at Women and Children's hospital and they gave us some back to school health tips:
- Kids entering kindergarten and sixth grade should be immunized for TDAP (tetanus, diphtheria and pertussis), MMR (mumps, measles, rubella), varicella (chicken pox), meningitis and polio
- Not required, but recommended by our doctors are the flu vaccine and the HPV vaccine for both boys and girls (starting as young as 9 years old)
- Make sure your children get 8-10 hours of sleep every night
- Fill them up with nutritious, filling breakfasts like whole grain toast with peanut butter or avocado, fruit and eggs
- Provide portable, healthy snacks like carrots and celery for daytime snacks
If your kids are sick, don't send them to school. If they're vomiting or have a fever persisting more than a couple days, call your child's doctor. If you have any questions contact your doctor directly instead of consulting the internet for advice.
