Going to School With Acid Reflux

Getting your child or teen with reflux ready for school?  It turns out; HealthCentral is getting ready for school too. Back to School with HealthCentral is a wonderful resource with links to information for parents.

Over the years, I have helped my girls with acid reflux get ready for school. Each year is different and there have been new issues from preschool to high school. I think it is a bit overwhelming for parents and children to start a new school or day care program anyway, especially for a very young child. A preschooler isn’t always able to share important information with mommy, much less a teacher or day care provider. You have been there I am sure. You just have a sense that your child is hungry, in pain or tired. It seems unlikely that someone else will have the same keen sense of observation and experience to detect changes in your child’s health. A while ago, I wrote a Sharepost about educating the teacher about acid reflux and another Sharepost about meeting with the teacher before school starts. It is really important to meet with the teacher, school nurse and anyone else who will need to know about your child’s acid reflux care at school. You can relay important information and open the lines of communication.

One of the biggest struggles over the years has been to get my refluxers to eat and drink at school. Sometimes the school rules get in the way-you can only eat in the cafeteria or the nurse’s office or at a specific time of day. Or, my picky eater could not find one thing to nibble on all day out of her overflowing lunch bag. It is not a good feeling to open the lunch bag at the end of the day and realize your child didn’t eat  more than a bite of this and a nibble of that. No wonder she is tired and grumpy from fatigue and low blood sugar! So try my ideas for school lunches. Have some new ideas to add to my school lunch list? Let me know! I am always on the lookout for new ideas.

So enjoy the last moments of summer vacation but make plans now to ensure a smooth transition to school for your child with reflux.