In the midst of their busy play schedule, children can hardly be stopped to wash the mud off their hands. However, parents are responsible for ensuring that their children are not only clean and kempt, but as healthy as possible. Moreover, good body hygiene in children reduces the risk of transmitting germs to others.
Bathing
Setting a bathing routine will give your children a sense of consistency. For example, you may want to give your children a bath or shower in the morning before school or perhaps a bath before bedtime soothes them for sleep and allows you to rest a little more in the morning. During bath time, encourage them to wash all over and pay special attention to their hair, face, outer ears, armpits, genitals, bottom and feet, says Parents.com.
Hand Washing
Teaching your children to wash their hands while singing a single verse of “Happy Birthday” should encourage them to lather, rub and rinse their hands for at least 15 seconds, says Parents.com. Also wash your hands with your children and instruct them to wash their hands on their own as much as possible. Parents.com recommends telling them to wash: before eating, preparing or handling food; before caring for a baby or toddler, after playing outside, after using the toilet, after playing with or cleaning up after pets, after sneezing or blowing their noses and after handling garbage.
Teeth Brushing
When children are infants, you should wipe down their gums with a soft, damp cloth after feedings in order to prevent bacteria from building up, then transition to using a soft child-sized toothbrush and water twice a day when their teeth come in, according to the American Academy of Family Pediatrics. When your children have reached their preschool years, you may begin to use only a pea-sized amount of children’s toothpaste in order to prevent them from swallowing dangerous amounts of fluoride. As they get older, teach your children to brush all regions of their mouths, including the inner sides of their teeth, their tongues, and the insides of their cheeks, at least twice per day. Also instruct them to floss at least once per day.
Smell
Although children don’t typically develop strong body odors until puberty, some habits can eventually cause them to have a noticeable unpleasant smell. To stave off foot smells, keep your children’s feet clean and dry by supplying them with fresh cotton socks when they wear closed shoes, says Parents.com. Also be sure their shoes are aired out and consider using foot powder if a smell persists. Clothing can also be a trap as bacteria grow in soil, according to Parents.com. Your daily insistence that they wear clean clothes, especially clean underwear, will help reduce smells.
Other Germ Reduction Tips
Coughing, sneezing and nose blowing are easy ways to transmit germs, so children should be taught early on to cough and sneeze into tissues or the crooks of their elbows and always dispose of their tissues, says Education.com. Also consider having tissues available at all times to discourage them from picking their noses. Nails are also excellent places for dirt and germs to linger, so keeping their nails clipped and cleaned reduces chances of spreading germs.
