Avoiding the Stomach Virus

Stomach bugs are...yucky. If this is going around your child’s classroom, let’s do what we can to keep it out of your household!

Gastroenteritis is the official name of the illness we all refer to as “stomach virus” or “stomach flu.” Most commonly, it’s caused by a virus.  We often pick it up from contaminated food or water and then, because it’s contagious, it spreads easily from person to person.
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How to avoid it

Stomach viruses are transferred to surfaces or food from unclean hands...after a trip to the restroom... (Can you hear me trying to share this info without grossing you out?) 

Since we can’t control how well others wash their hands, let’s control what we can:

• Wash. Your. Hands. Make this a constant habit for yourself and your kids. When we know an illness is going around the school, this becomes even more important. If (when) germs have been transferred to desks, good hand washing can prevent your child from letting those germs in to wreak havoc on their own gut.
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  (What is good hand washing? Soap + friction from rubbing our hands together is key. This lifts the germs off the hands so they get rinsed away with the water. The temperature of the water isn’t killing the germs so whatever temp your kid prefers is okay.)
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• Tell your kiddo to help the teacher out by disinfecting the classroom halfway through the day. Desks, computers, phones, doorknobs, the backs of chairs, etc. - if someone’s hand touches it, it needs to be cleaned thoroughly.
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• Don’t accept food from someone who has been ill. This can be awkward, especially for kids. We should probably coach them to simply say, “no, thank you, I’m full” instead of, “my mom said I can’t eat your food because you’re sick and it has germs on it.” You know how kids can be. Tread lightly.

How do you know if your child picked up the stomach virus?

Extra bathroom trips are a dead giveaway here. Signs and symptoms of gastroenteritis include:

• Diarrhea
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• Stomach pains, cramping
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• Nausea and/or vomiting
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• Headaches
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• Body aches
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• Fever
  

I hope everyone stays healthy over there!