How to Survive College Move-In Day Pain-Free
(NewsUSA) - College move-in day is full of aches and pains. There are, of course, the heartache and worries that accompany what for most parents is their children's first time away from home. On top of that, there are the back, neck and arm pains that are incurred as you haul TVs, shoe collections and clothes up five flights of stairs to your new student's college abode.
While nothing but time will calm fears about your child living alone for the first time, the maker of Absorbine Jr. products, W.F. Young Inc., gives the following advice to parents of new college students about making the big move as painless as possible:
* Expect to be separated from your child. It's true: at some point during move-in day, you actually will have to be separated from your child. Often, however, this will happen before you officially leave campus. Your child may have a special schedule to go to that has separate events from yours. Expect this to happen and, if need be, brace your new college student for it.
* Use a cart or dolly. Many universities provide carts to help students and parents move their belongings, but unless you're a real early bird, you'll have to wait to get one. Use your college smarts, and buy a cheap dolly from a home improvement store instead.
* Lift with care. Before you lift something heavy, stand with your feet apart and planted on the ground. Use your legs, not your back, to lift the object, unless you want to spend the first night away from your child in a health clinic or hospital.
* Take breaks. If constant trips up a dorm's narrow stairs make you tired, stop and rest with a bottle of water. Small breaks through the day will keep you awake and alert.
* Don't move alone. If you need help moving something heavy, have your son or daughter ask another student. Now's the time for your child to make new friends!
* Plan for pain relief. Pack over-the-counter products like aspirin and Absorbine Jr., a liquid whose botanical extracts can help relieve minor moving-related aches and pains.
Parents and college students should keep Absorbine Jr. around, anyways. Sports and exercise can cause sprains, bruises and muscle aches. Also, Absorbine Jr. helps relieve the itch of athlete's foot -- a common infection to dorms and dorm showers.
For more information, visit www.absorbinejr.com.