Teaching children hygiene is so easy! All you have to do is start early on, and they will form good habits when they are still small. When it comes to your kids’ health, hygiene is the first line of defense against sickness. Moms and dads who follow through with their kids’ hygiene can be sure they are setting their children on the right path.
1. Start young. Brush your baby’s gums at bath time, and later when they start to get their teeth add flossing to the list.
2. Make sure you help them wash their hands after going to the bathroom. You can do this even when they are in diapers, by washing theirs when you wash yours - wet wipes are an easy way to do this! When they learn to walk you can have them throw their own wrapped up diaper in the pail, and then wash their hands.
3. Toilet training can be messy. Again, wet wipes can make all the difference. Remember little girls have to wipe front to back to keep from getting infections, and little boys need to wash up too!
4. Boys should learn to clean up after themselves in the bathroom. A little boy who leaves a mess for mom to clean up grows into a man who lets his wife clean up!!! A container of Lysol wipes works just fine for ‘misses’, and then he can wash his hands.
5. Make sure you have a place for toothbrushes that keeps them clean and allows them to dry. Teach your kids to rinse ALL the toothpaste out after they brush! Boil the toothbrushes once a week to foil bacteria, and replace once every three months.
6. CLOSE the toilet lid. Smells are particulate, which means when you smell something nasty, you are breathing in tiny pieces of it, and getting it in your mouth, too. I’m sure I don’t have to go into detail!
7. Bath time doesn’t have to take an hour, but it does need to be every day in the summer just to get the sweat and grime off. Otherwise a nasty skin rash can ensue! A quickie shower will usually do if there is a line for the bathroom, and girls with long hair can wear a shower cap if their hair doesn‘t need washing. Liquid dispensers to hold soap, shampoo and conditioner can make sure there is no excuse to cut corners, and color coded loofahs and towels for each child can speed things up.
8. When they get old enough for gym and the locker room, it can get ugly. Make sure clean socks are available - twice a day if necessary - and try to have several pairs of shoes for each child so they can switch off. This will cut down on athletes’ foot! Also invest in shower shoes - you have no idea what is on those floors.
9. Puberty can be rough. As they get older, make sure you have mild deodorants, acne treatments and shaving accessories available. They may need some soothing stuff the first few times for shaving bumps! Girls of course need ‘female stuff’ - and make sure you teach them how to dispose of trash properly when the time comes. Lay in Midol, too!
10. Last but not least (and I know none of you want to think about this yet) part of good hygiene is safe sex. We all hope our kids will wait until they are thirty, but it is irresponsible not to have ‘the talk’ at some point - and to stress the importance of protecting their health!
If you teach your kids about hygiene starting when they are toddlers, they will be healthier and safer as they grow!
I printed this one out to keep. What a terrific post! Thanks so much for not being afraid to talk about the real stuff.
LOVED the part about smells. GAG! My kids will NEVER leave the lid up again after I tell them about that!
Very nice list — and you’re right on the money with #10. In this day and age, it could almost be considered abuse not to inform our children of the dangers and give them all the resources they need. At least with an 8-year-old and a 6-year-old, I still have a few innocent years left — thankfully! BTW, thanks for stopping by my site recently. I love your blog, and I’ve added it to my blog list.
I had never thought about boiling toothbrushes weekly to ward off bacteria. That’s an awesome idea and one I’ll be using for today’s Monday Mommy Tip at my site with a link back here to you!
This is a very comprehensive list and if everyone would follow at least half of these rules I am sure there will be less colds and flu among kids and even adults. Thanks for visiting my blog. I like your blog; I found lots of good advises for busy moms. Thanks for sharing.