How many times you heard your mom asking you to wash your hands before eating? How many times we ask our children to wash their hands after playing outdoors or coming from school or before touching any food? Washing hands is the best way to eliminate germs. We cannot keep germs from clinging to us but we can stop their entrance in our system. It is very essential to teach your child how to wash his hands and make it easy and fun for him.
When should my child wash his hands?
After using the bathroom
After playing outside
After playing with a pet
After sneezing and blowing his nose
Before touching any food
If his hands look dirty or smelly.
After coming home from school, playgroup, park or a shopping mall.
What is the best technique to wash hands?
Teach your child to use warm water. Not cold or hot.
Let him use soap. Any kind of soap is good.
Make him rub his hands, between his fingers, his wrist and his nails.
Convince him to take time while rubbing his hands, about 15 seconds. Make him sing a song like “Incy Wincy Spider” or any other nursery rhyme.
Rinse well and dry well especially between fingers. Germs like humidity and can live between fingers.
You can use hand sanitizer when you are away from a tub but make sure that your child doesn’t rub his eye before the alcohol evaporates.
Washing hands is a very important process to keep germs away. Research shows that kids who do not wash their hands frequently are more susceptible to catch flu and get sick. Now with back to school time, insist and encourage your child to wash his hands as much as he can, to keep them away from his mouth in order to stay healthy.