Hand Hygiene Tips for Parents (National Handwashing Awareness Week)

Every first week of December is National Handwashing Awareness Week. Teaching your children to wash their hands can be difficult at first but it can be taught with patience and a calming voice. Select liquid hand soaps, bar soaps, and foaming soaps for washing your hands in the kitchen and in the bathrooms. Then hang colored frames in the children's bathroom for handwashing. Speak to your children about washing their hands after petting their pet, before eating, after eating, after going to the bathroom, and after coming home from public places. 

Explain to them the importance of handwashing and have a printed list on a frame to remind them to do handwashing. Set an example by washing your hands frequently so they can learn hand hygiene. Wet your hands with cold or warm water. Get your bar soap, liquid hand soap, or foaming hand soap to teach your child lathering and scrubbing. Rinse and dry your hands. 

Have enough hand towels in the bathroom and separate extra clean hand towels in case someone is sick. Wash hand towels every two or three days. Use cartoons for the hand soap dispenser and bathroom accessories. If your child has skin allergies, eczema, dermatitis, or other skin conditions, use unscented soaps and hand lotions. Last hang posters or framed cartoon pictures of the cartoons washing their hands. 

Handwashing can reduce the risk of getting sick and might reduce sick days from school. It is necessary to bring awareness of handwashing and to teach the seven steps to handwashing. As well as teaching children the five steps of handwashing which has to do with wetting their hands, applying soap to cover their entire hands, lathering, scrubbing, and then rinsing. The sixth step is to dry your hands and wrists or let them air dry. And the last step is to use a hand towel to turn off the faucet. 

Always check the expiration dates of the foaming gel soaps, liquid hand soaps, and the bar soaps. It is best to avoid expired soaps to prevent rashes caused by allergies from the soap ingredients, dryness, and skin irritations. Encourage your child to wash their hands and motivate them by watching cartoons that teach kids about handwashing and personal hygiene. Additionally, use a reminder for handwashing using your cell phone or have a chart for handwashing. The handwashing chart can be made using a white magnetic dry erase board that can be displayed in the bedroom or near the bathroom.

Play a handwashing song or a song for twenty seconds using an online application for handwashing. Another tip is to count for twenty seconds while you are washing your hands with your children. Remind them to wash their hands after they play outside and with their toys in their home. It is estimated that one in four people do not wash their hands and only five percent of people wash their hands for twenty seconds or more after using the bathroom. Last, you can practice mindfulness while washing your hands. 

Children can wash their hands and use their senses to feel the cold or warm water wetting their hands. They can also focus on the bubbles that the soap makes when they wash their hands. Additionally, they can hear the water and count while they wash their hands. Depending on their understanding about mindfulness, you can teach them a breathing technique to help them relax while they are washing their hands. Nonetheless, teaching your child about having clean hands can help them to reduce getting sickness, to eat their food with clean hands, and can help them practice personal hygiene. 

Courtesy Image for Key Times to Wash Hands at School By CDC

Explain to them about washing their hands and not making it look like a chore. Although handwashing might feel like it is a chore, it is best to think about handwashing as a component to stay healthy. Do help them to wash their hands, especially if they cannot reach the bathroom sink. If you or your child have no access to a bathroom when you are outside in a public place, carry hand sanitizers or wet wipes to clean your hands. As soon as you get home, wash your hands immediately before getting the remote control from the television set, the computer mouse, or other everyday items. 

It is recommended to practice a handwashing routine so your child can get in the habit of washing their hands. Use a stepping stool or a faucet extender in your children’s bathroom so it can be easier for them to wash their hands. As well as adding baby lotion or hand lotion made for children so they can apply the lotion after they wash their hands. Share handwashing infographics and other handwashing tips on your social media to bring consciousness of National Handwashing Awareness Week. Here are websites with more tips for handwashing.

How to Teach Your Kids Handwashing:

How to teach your kids handwashing | UNICEF Parenting

Wash Your Hands for Health:

Wash Your Hands for Health | FoodSafety.gov

* Font, background, and artwork created in Photo Collage Editor Maker.

* Key Times to Wash Hands By US Centers For Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).