Diseases in kindergarten and school

How does your child stay healthy in school and kindergarten?

Of course, our tips do not guarantee that your kindergarten or school child will always stay healthy. But with a few easy-to-implement measures, you can significantly reduce the risk of illness.

• Healthy nutrition: whether your child goes to kindergarten or school: it needs a lot of energy for the exciting days and to be able to follow the lessons with concentration. Therefore, you should ensure a healthy and balanced diet , especially since your child’s immune system can use every support. If the body is supplied with sufficient nutrients, vitamins and liquid, the viruses have a harder time. You can read about everything you need to consider in our article “Staying healthy with the right diet” .
• Pay attention to hygiene: Poorly ventilated rooms, large crowds of people and poor hygiene increase the risk of infection. Of course you cannot isolate your child and keep it away from other children so that it stays healthy in kindergarten. You shouldn’t do that either, because illnesses are normal and train the immune system. But precisely because your child plays, rages and learns with other children, students and teachers every day, you should teach them to wash their hands regularly and thoroughly. You should also ventilate your living space and especially the children’s room well. You can find more simple tips on hygiene in our article “Hygiene reduces your risk” .
• The right clothing: In the kindergarten, your child moves a lot in the fresh air, in wind and weather. So it needs the right clothing for indoors and outdoors to stay healthy in the kindergarten. In winter, clothing must keep you warm but still be breathable, because your child will sweat when playing. However, you should then be able to put it down quickly indoors so that your child does not overheat. Clothing should be light in summer, otherwise your child could easily overheat while playing. This in turn weakens its immune system and makes it more vulnerable to viruses and bacteria. You can find more about the right clothing and other helpful tips for strengthening your immune system here. At school, your child is already so independent that they will decide for themselves what they want to wear. Nevertheless, you should always make sure that the clothing is appropriate for the weather.
• Flu vaccination: In kindergarten and school, your child often comes home with a cold or flu. The flu is much rarer than a cold, but unfortunately it can have other complications, such as an otitis media. You cannot prevent infection with a flu vaccination, but the symptoms such as a runny nose, cough and fever are usually much milder. Influenza vaccination can be particularly useful for children who are already suffering from chronic illnesses. You can find out more about flu vaccinations for children in our article “How the flu vaccination can help you” .
• Obtain important medical examinations: From the age of 5 to 14, there are some important examinations that your child should definitely attend. In these examinations, your child’s posture, weight, dexterity, language development and social behavior are checked, among other things. The doctor can use the examinations to see whether your child might need a little help in one area or another. If you go to the examinations regularly, a possible illness can be prevented. To give you an overview, we have put together all the examinations in our U-examination calendar.

Typical illnesses in kindergarten and school

Most parents whose children start kindergarten or go to school quickly get the impression that their child is simply always ill. That’s not true, of course, but the fact is that they often get infected. This is simply because many children play together in a relatively small space and spend the day together. It’s inevitable that a cold or gastrointestinal infection will spread like wildfire. Your child can cope with most illnesses without any problems and trains their immune system in the process. In the following, we would like to introduce you to the illnesses that you will encounter most frequently in kindergarten.

Special complaints in kindergarten and school

• Headaches and backaches in school children: everyday school life is exhausting. Schoolbags that are too heavy and an incorrect sitting posture at the desk and at the desk at home lead to postural disorders. These in turn make themselves felt, for example, by severe tension headaches or back pain. This not only means that your child is less able to concentrate in class, but can also result in serious health problems. That’s why you should always take your child’s complaints seriously. If they complain of headaches for a long time, you should work with your doctor to find out what the cause is. More on treating headachescan be found in our article in the children’s diseases dictionary. As a preventive measure, you can ensure that your child can learn at least at home without back pain. To do this, you need an ergonomic chair and a desk that grows with the child, so that your child always sits at the right angle and does not have to adopt a crooked posture.
• Lice: Nobody likes to talk about it, but lice are a problem in kindergartens or schools because they quickly hop from scalp to scalp. This isn’t a bad thing, and it doesn’t mean your child is neglected, unsanitary, or unclean. Nevertheless, you have to act quickly if you notice that your child has lice, otherwise they will spread at breakneck speed. You can get tips on how to get rid of lice quickly in our article “Lice treatment” .

Common childhood illnesses and ailments

• Cold: A cold is not nice, but mostly harmless. However, colds and coughs can disrupt your child’s sleep, which they need to recover and focus. A sore throat can also be very painful and rob your child of their appetite. However, you can get relief with various home remedies. We have put together a few helpful treatment tips for the most common cold symptoms . If the symptoms do not improve after a few days, you should talk to your doctor about the right treatment, because not all medications are suitable for small children.
• Flu: If your child’s cold isn’t treated properly, it can quickly progress to the flu . In most cases, the other symptoms of a cold are accompanied by a high fever. Basically, fever is a good thing because it shows that your child’s body is defending itself against bacteria and viruses. However, if the fever remains very high, it can become dangerous and weaken your child. If this is the case, it is best to discuss further treatment options with your doctor. He can best assess what your child needs now. Here you can find out more about the treatment of fever , possible febrile seizures and get tips on how todistinguish the flu from a cold .
• Middle ear infection: Sometimes a cold or flu that is not treated properly can also lead to other illnesses, such as a middle ear infection. Your child will complain of severe ear pain and may have a high fever. It is best to always go to the doctor as soon as you notice that your child has an earache. In most cases, the doctor will then prescribe a tolerable antibiotic. Please do not give your child any medication without first discussing it with your doctor. In our article on otitis media in the children’s disease encyclopedia you can find out more about the course and the correct treatment of the disease.
• Gastrointestinal infection: With a large number of children in school and kindergarten, the next gastrointestinal infection will certainly not be long in coming. Abdominal pain, vomiting and diarrhea are the characteristic symptoms. Since your child cannot keep food down and also loses a lot of fluids through vomiting and diarrhea, you should ensure that it does not become dehydrated. Always offer him something to drink. The pediatrician will likely prescribe an electrolyte solution for your child to replenish fluid levels. You can get more treatment tips in our articles on gastrointestinal infections or diarrhea .
• Croup: This is a childhood-only respiratory disease that is every parent’s nightmare. Do not panic, pseudo-croup symptoms may be frightening, but the disease is not dangerous. Children between the ages of two and five are particularly susceptible to pseudocroup. It usually arises from another harmless infection, for example a cold. Pseudocroup tends to make itself felt at night, in the form of a barking cough that sounds so bad that it can frighten parents and children. Now it is particularly important that you remain calm and soothe your child, because it will certainly be very afraid of its own cough. In our video about pseudocroupthe expert Janko von Ribbeck tells you how you should behave.
• Measles, rubella, mumps, chickenpox:You have certainly heard of these well-known childhood diseases or even experienced one or the other in your child. You can recognize measles, for example, by the red, blotchy rash and conjunctivitis. At the first signs, you should definitely take your child to the doctor. Rubella, on the other hand, is rarely noticed because it is usually not accompanied by severe symptoms. In some cases, however, it can lead to bright red spots on the face and a slight headache. The symptoms of mumps, on the other hand, are more severe. Fever, fatigue, loss of appetite, one-sided earache and a swollen ear are typical side effects. Chickenpox is by far the most contagious childhood disease. You can easily attach them to the small, round or oval, red spots and the severe itching that your child feels. If you recognize some of the symptoms, it is best to always take your child to the pediatrician directly. You can also get tips for treatment in our articlesMeasles , rubella , mumps and chickenpox in the children’s disease dictionary.
• Neurodermatitis: Many children suffer from these itchy skin rashes, which often appear in infancy. You can recognize eczema by the rash in the crook of your arm or knee, which is often deep red and weeping. The rash is a reaction to actually harmless substances. Moisturizing ointments and creams containing urea, i.e. urea, are used for treatment. Everyday life with a child suffering from neurodermatitis is not easy, which is why we have put together tips to help you in our article on neurodermatitis .

With all these diseases, your child had better stay at home to rest, but above all not to infect other children.
You can find more information on diseases, preventive measures and treatment options in the children’s disease encyclopedia , the special “Healthy through the year” and our naturopathy guide .