Hand-washing is the easiest and most effective way to stop the spread of germs to keep our kids healthy. In these times, you might have seen an increase in demand for hand-sanitizers. Although hand sanitizers can be effective at stopping the spread of germs, there is no substitution for good old fashion soap and water. Any soap formulation will do and is more readily available than hand-sanitizers these days. Nurturing good hand-washing habits early on will lead to a lifetime of health.
Develop Good Hand-washing Skills with the Kiddos
Parents, teachers, and caretakers play a pretty big part in showing children how to properly wash their hands. It’s a life long habit that needs to be taught at an early age to keep as healthy as possible! Teach the little ones to lather up, scrub, rinse, and dry. Make it fun and wash your hands together and show them the proper way to wash your hands, perhaps lathering up while singing the ABC song!
Frequent Reminders
It’ll take some time before children will remember to wash their hands when they’re supposed to. This is why it’s important to give frequent reminders to wash their hand after eating, playing with pets, and after coughing or sneezing just to name a few. Once hand-washing becomes a habit, it’ll be like breathing to them and chances are, they will practice it throughout their lives. Talk about setting them up for the future!
Set a Good Example
Young children love to imitate what adults do! Make sure you are leading by example by practicing good hand-washing and the little ones will follow suit. The goal is to make it everyone’s routine.
So You Don’t Have Soap and Water Available…
We get it, you’re out and about and just got back in the car after shopping at the grocery store and there is no way to wash your hands! If you’ve ever been in this situation, you know that hand sanitizers come in handy to get you out of that germy-jam. Make sure you have some alcohol-based hand sanitizer in your purse or car that consists of at least 60 percent alcohol. Please remember though, that hand-sanitizers should not be a replacement for good old fashion soap and water.
Grabbing Baby Wipes? Think Again.
Baby wipes will make your hands look clean, but they are not designed to remove all the germs, simply from the lack of alcohol or soapy suds needed to eradicate germs and viruses. Stick with plain soap and water like the CDC recommends!