Getting Ready For School When Kids Are Sniffly: GP Shares Tips

As I write this I can feel another illness taking hold: the headache, the stuffy nose, the scratchy throat. It can only mean one thing: the kids are back at school!

While plenty of people will be relieved to get back to normality after two weeks of juggling work and childcare, a survey of 1,000 parents by Olbas found over half (55%) dread their kids going back to school due to the increased chance of getting ill.

There’s no getting around it, they will (probably) get sick in the coming fortnight.

Dr Roger Henderson, an NHS GP and spokesperson for Olbas, says: “When children return to school after Easter holidays or extended breaks, it’s normal to see a sudden rise in sniffles, coughs, and stomach upsets.

“This isn’t because schools are unhealthy places, but rather because children are suddenly exposed to lots of germs they haven’t encountered in a while – almost like a refresher course for their immune systems!”

Younger children, especially those in primary school, may be hit hardest because their bodies are still learning how to handle common viruses.

“Parents should expect a wave of minor illnesses and be prepared with tissues, comfort foods, and perhaps a flexible routine to allow for extra rest,” says the doctor.

“The good news is that these minor illnesses help children build up stronger immune systems over time. While it can feel overwhelming at first, most of the common viral illnesses pass quickly, and children normally bounce back with their usual energy.”

Here, Dr Henderson shares some tips and tricks to overhaul your morning routine to at least give everyone a fighting chance amid the post-holiday bug surge.

The GP is a firm believer in creating a 10-15 minute ‘buffer zone’ on those mornings when the kids are waking up sniffly.

“The key here is preparation – putting out clothes, packing bags, and prepping lunches the night before gives you a head start, leaving more time for slower wake-ups when children aren’t feeling 100%,” he says.

“Building in a ‘buffer zone’ of 10-15 extra minutes can ease stress and reduce the chance of forgotten items or unexpected delays affecting you.”

If your kids are particularly congested first thing, a warm shower or saline nasal spray can help clear clogged sinuses and “make them feel fresher” for the day ahead.

When kids are feeling below par, something simple and nourishing to set them up for the day can work wonders. Dr Henderson suggests porridge, scrambled eggs, or smoothies are “easy options that don’t require much fuss”.

Easier said than done when you’ve got to be at work for 9am, but if kids aren’t feeling great, they’re going to require a bit more patience in the mornings. The GP says a “calm reassuring tone sets the pace here”.

While kids can go to school with coughs and colds, there are instances where you shouldn’t send your child to school. Here’s what NHS Choices advises:

• If they have a fever, keep them off until the fever goes away.
• If they have a high temperature, keep them off school until it goes away.
• If they have diarrhoea or vomiting they should stay away from school until they have not been sick or had diarrhoea for at least 48 hours.
• If they have chickenpox, keep them off school until all the spots have crusted over – usually about five days after the spots first appeared.
• If they have symptoms of Covid-19 including a high temperature, and they don’t feel well enough to go to school or do normal activities, keep them off.
• If your child has an ear infection and a high temperature or severe earache, keep them off school until they’re feeling better or the high temperature goes away.
• If your child has impetigo, they’ll need treatment from a GP – usually antibiotics. Keep them off school until all the sores have crusted over and healed, or for 48 hours after they start antibiotic treatment.
• If your child has scarlet fever, they’ll need treatment with antibiotics from a GP. Otherwise they’ll be infectious for two to three weeks. Children can go back to school 24 hours after starting antibiotics, providing they feel well enough.