How Often Should Your Kids Practice Hand Hygiene?

With the outburst of so many infections and viruses today, it is important to ensure that your child is as protected against germs as possible. This could mean that they have to stay away from potentially contaminated places and stay on top of their hygiene schedule.

A recent study revealed that 40% of children don’t end up washing their hands with soap after using the toilet, and almost 3/4 don’t do so before every meal. While it was also revealed that girls show better hand hygiene than boys, the situation is at its worst with 8-year-olds.

Clearly, hand hygiene is one of the most important factors in staying away from germs.   Whether it is after playing with their toys, or before they grab a bite, hand washing for kids is an important habit for the sake of their cleanliness and health.

How Often Should Kids Wash Their Hands?

Your child should wash their hands as many times as possible as well, but more importantly, post these activities,

• eating or handling food;
• using the toilet;
• playing outdoors;
• petting and touching animals;
• sneezing or coughing into their hands or touching a used tissue;
• spending time in public places

When it comes to the duration of washing your hands, a study showed that washing your hands for less than 20 seconds hardly got rid of any germs. An optimum hand washing session should be anywhere between 20 seconds to 40 seconds. It should cover all areas of the hand, including between the fingers, the back of the hand and between the nails. Lathering the soap is very important as the hydrophobic ends catch hold of the dirt, grime and germs and wash them away.

Things to Keep in Mind

• Use a mild but effective soap
• Do not excessively wash your child’s hands. This could lead to rashes and skin irritation
• Try using a soothing lotion or hand cream on your kid’s hands after every hand wash.
• Buy only naturally derived organic hand washes to cause minimal irritation.

Children often imitate their parents. Make sure that you always wash your hands after completing an activity. If you’re playing with your child, make sure he/she sees you while doing so.

But washing hands too often can lead to dry skin and in severe cases, cuts and rashes. Some soaps contain harmful chemicals such as triclosan, SLS, parabens, and alcohol, which cause more harm than good.

Keeping these things in mind is very important while choosing a good hand wash. You could give Baby Chakra’s natural hand wash for kids a try. This is a natural and pregnancy-safe hand cleanser free from alcohol, paraben, and SLS, which means that it is not harsh on your child’s skin. It is India’s first and only baby-safe hand wash that is FDA approved, cruelty-free, and 100% vegetarian.

Bottom Line

It is always advisable to follow the proper procedure of hand hygiene, and soon enough, your kids will follow the same. Stay especially cautious of this during the flu season with kids catching a common cold and cough pretty easily. With a natural hand wash that is baby-safe and toxin-free, you can keep your family safe from the spread of bacteria.

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