7 Back-to-School Health Habits For Kids

Instilling good health habits in my kids is high on my list of priorities. I always know when my kids are ready to go back to school. Like dessert, too much of anything, even a summer filled with adventure and ice cream for dinner and night swimming can be overwhelming. Despite the many tears shed at the end of our latest vacation, the weekend leading up to our first day of school was filled with excitement and anticipation for this next season in my kids’ lives. But with the new school year also comes cold and flu season. In addition to stocking up on school supplies and healthy snacks (because the after-school hunger is real!), I’ve been sending my kids to school with Desert Essence’s new Probiotic Hand Sanitizer.

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Last year’s cold and flu season was brutal on our family, so I’m working to be more proactive this season by modeling and instilling good health habits in my kids.

One of the many ways we stay healthy is to take a daily probiotic. Desert Essence understands the role of probiotics in health, and developed a line of Probiotic Hand Sanitizers designed to kill 99.99% of the most common harmful germs. Like conventional probiotics, these hand sanitizers are also filled with good bacteria…probiotic-packed Kefir.

If you are wondering how the probiotic manages to stay intact, Desert Essence uses a technology that creates a membrane around the probiotic so that it is shielded from the antibacterial formula. The result is that you’ll receive all of the healthy benefits of the probiotic while the “germs” are eliminated.

Desert Essence’s Probiotic Hand Sanitizers contain Tea Tree Oil, Thyme, Elderberry, and Echinacea, to help eliminate germs without drying out your skin. If you’ve used hand sanitizers for any length of time, you can relate to their drying effect. I actually cannot use conventional hand sanitizers for any extended length of time because my skin dries out to the point of cracking. I have been using Desert Essence’s Probiotic Hand Sanitizer for a few weeks now without any significant drying. The Probiotic Hand Sanitizers are available in three varieties (Tea Tree Oil & Lemongrass, Tea Tree Oil, and Tea Tree Oil & Lavender) and retail for $9.99 (8 ounce bottle) or $4.49 (1.7 ounce bottle). You can find them at your local Whole Foods or Sprouts Farmers Market.

Best Tips Staying Healthy During the School Year

I’m going to miss everything about summer including our lazy mornings and impromptu Disneyland trips. But there is something about the routine of the school year that evokes structure and organization. As we head into this new school year, I’ve already started reminding my kids of my unofficial list of back-to-school health habits.

Set and maintain a regular bedtime schedule. According to the National Sleep Foundation, school-aged children require 9-11 hours of sleep each night to support mental and physical development. Admittedly, I became very lax with my kids’ sleep schedules during the summer, so I spent the weeks leading up to the new school year reinforcing bedtime and getting back into this good health habit.

Model and support a healthy diet. Nutrition is vital to a child’s growing body. Breakfast, in particular, is essential and helps children begin the school day with the fuel they need to succeed. It’s the back bone of good health habits.
Limit the amount of time children spend on devices. Setting limits during the school year is essential to ensure kids complete homework and school projects and participate in any extracurricular activities. We have a no-device rule during the school week. Over the weekend, I set aside some time for my kids to use their devices for education and entertainment. You might also consider setting a timer to help keep track of how much time a child is spending on his/her device.

Stay active. Being active is one of the key health habits, no matter your age. When the weather changes and we’re in the midst of homework and extracurricular activities, it is easy to forego exercise and time spent outdoors. I encourage my kids to be involved with sports in order to stay active during the school year.
Don’t forget the importance of hand-washing and personal hygiene. Without fail, my kids typically get sick at least once during the first half of the school year. While circumstances like weather, which forces kids to be in close proximity to each other, cannot be mitigated, personal hygiene habits like hand-washing or using hand sanitizers can help reduce the risk of illness. This is also a good time to reinforce other personal hygiene habits like proper oral care and schedule well-child check-ups.
Commit to staying organized. The stress of a busy schedule can affect kids. Try to avoid over-scheduling extracurricular activities and allow time for homework. I like to use Google Calendar to organize my kids’ soccer practices, scout meetings, and gymnastics lessons.

Keep a supply of multivitamins on-hand. As much as I try to support good health habits and healthy nutrition, it can be difficult to get my kids to eat a rainbow of foods, particularly when it comes to leafy green vegetables. Multivitamins and probiotics can supplement where my kids are lacking in nutrients. My go-to brands are those that are free from synthetic dyes and preservatives and contain all-natural fruit flavors with colors derived from natural sources.

Desert Essence Instagram Contest + Discount

I’ve been using Desert Essence’s products for some time now, and I appreciate their commitment to offering effectiveness without compromise. Their approach is that beauty is natural and their product line contains nutrient-rich desert botanicals like tea tree oil, jojoba, and Argan Oil without unnecessary additives. You can read about the ingredients used in Desert Essence product line here.

Right now, if you post a photo a photo using Desert Essence Probiotic Hand Sanitizer on Instagram/Facebook using the hashtags #desertessence and #DEprobioticpower, you’ll be entered to win one of two gift baskets worth $100. Be sure to tag @desert_essence for your chance to win.

Right now, you can use the promo code DEprobioticpower to save 30% off Desert Essence Probiotic Hand Sanitizers by clicking here or visiting desertessence.com.

How do you prepare for the new school year? I’d love to hear your best back-to-school health habits.

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Caryn Bailey

Caryn is a NICU nurse by day, blogger by night and mom 24/7. She savors the warm Southern California sun and loves to travel, shopping, baking, reading and frequenting her local tea room. Caryn created the column Lavishly Green for Peekaboo Picks Magazine to share her best tips for going green in style, she is the Former editor for Family Review Network, former OC Family Magazine online contributor, former Orange County Moms Blog contributor, former Evenflo Savvy Parent contributor, former member of the Totsy Advisory Board and former freelance writer for CBS Los Angeles.