It’s that time of year again! All the kids are back in school and parents know exactly what that means – they’re going to start getting sick. Don’t fret parents, here are 6 savvy sanitizing ideas to keep your family healthy during this back-to-school transition.

1. Healthy Diet and Lots of Sleep: One of the best ways to prevent illnesses this back-to-school season is to make sure your kids’ immune systems are in fighting shape. You can do this two ways. First, monitor their diet and make sure they are getting enough nutrients and healthy foods. Second, make sure they are getting not just enough sleep, but quality, uninterrupted sleep as well.

2. Clean/Sanitize Backpacks and Lunch Boxes: Germs tend to stick around for a few hours on surfaces like backpacks and soft lunch boxes. Sanitize your kids backpack once a week to get rid of any lingering germs. Consider doing the same daily for lunch boxes since they’re potentially exposed to other children on a daily basis.

3. Change into Play Clothes: Especially in homes where there are multiple children or infants, it can be very important to change out of school clothes and into play clothes once your kids get home. Germs can linger on clothing for up to 8 hours and by putting school clothes in the wash bin as soon as possible when they get home, you can limit their exposure to others in the household.

4. Wash Hands: As often as it is said, the absolute best way to prevent the spread of germs and illnesses is through thorough and continual hand washing. Teach your kids the importance of washing their hands and educate them on proper technique. Good hand washing at school begins with good hand washing at home.

5. Trim Nails: Keeping fingernails trimmed and short also helps with preventing the spread of germs. Bacteria love to hide underneath fingernails and kids spread them whenever they touch something, like their eyes or face. Routinely trimming fingernails cuts down on the number of germs your kids are transporting during their daily activities.

6. Give the Gift of Lysol: Why not go straight to the source? By gifting Lysol wipes or other disinfectant sprays to your child’s teacher, they can help prevent germs from spreading in the classroom. Teachers often buy classroom supplies out of their own pocket so help them keep your child safe and healthy by donating some disinfectant wipes or sprays.