We’re so grateful to Amber, of Mommy Gone Healthy, for partnering with us to share her family’s story! Read her full blog post here.
With the school year coming to an end, summer is right around the corner. After a tumultuous year, I think it’s safe to say that we’re all hopeful for a fun, light-hearted and adventurous summer. This past year has been full of ups and downs with our routines constantly changing due to restrictions and shutdowns so I’m looking forward to the slow and light-heartedness that summer brings with it.
Whether your family is spending the summer at home, road tripping, at the beach or pool, keep these tips in mind to keep your family safe and healthy all summer long:
Maintain Well Visits and Immunizations
In the midst of summertime sun and splashes, don’t forget to keep up with your well-visits and immunizations! With the emergence of COVID, we had temporarily put our children’s well visits on hold and just recently realized that we forgot to reschedule and have fallen behind on their childhood immunizations. We’ve always been careful to make sure that our children have their vaccines on schedule in order to protect them from preventable diseases (vaccines protect our kiddos from 16 diseases —including HPV, which can cause six types of cancer). When immunization rates in the community drop, it makes it easier for serious vaccine-preventable diseases to spread.
I know vaccines have been a hot topic, especially this year. As parents it’s our job to constantly question and ensure the safety of our kiddos, but part of that means making sure to get our information from credible and evidence-based resources. Research has shown that vaccines are safe, effective and help protect everyone around you. Vaccines go through lengthy and intense safety testing prior to being approved and currently the U.S. has the safest and most effective vaccines supply in its history. Your child’s pediatrician or doctor is a wonderful source of knowledge for any questions you may have and ivaccinate.org has a plethora of science-based information and studies to answer all your vaccine questions. When searching online sources, look for reputable sites like I Vaccinate, for evidence-based resources. I Vaccinate provides information & tools based on real medical science and research to help Michigan parents protect their kids.
If you’re concerned about visiting your doctor during the pandemic, please know that providers are taking many precautions to maintain safety and cleanliness during this time. Staff wear masks, social distance, wash hands and repeatedly sanitize rooms for patient use, while also only allowing a few patients in at a time in order to reduce exposure. Our visits have been seamless, and I’m constantly impressed with the steps that are being taken to ensure that everyone is staying healthy during this time.