Health care professionals and researches are still uncertain as to why the number of cases of autism
The flu virus. The common cold. Chicken pox. There are lots of nasty viruses and bacteria out there threatening the health of your child. So be proactive and teach your kids the importance of keeping their hands clean. First of all, remember the basics of hand washing.
*Always use hot, soapy water.
*Scrub your wrists, fronts and backs of hand, and in between fingers.
*Scrub for 15 to 20 seconds.
*Rinse well and dry with a clean towel.
As a parent may have wondered on how to get your kids to wash their hands, and possibly could benefit of using some new, creative ways to get your kids to wash their hands of germs. Try some of these ideas to get your kids interested in clean hands.
*Explain to your kids about germs being bugs. Make up stories about the invisible bugs and how they will make you sick if you do not send them home to their bug village.
*Always keep hand sanitizer or baby wipes in your car or purse to keep on hand if you or your kids’ hands are yucky.
*Let your kids help pick out the hand soap (maybe even a kid-friendly soap!) next time you are doing grocery shopping. Giving them a little bit of ownership in the process will engage them and make them more interested in washing their hands.
*Set up a reward chart near the bathroom. If they wash their hands, they get a gold star, and at the end of five stars, they get a small reward.
*Sing while you clean! Make up a song about washing your hands and sing it with your kids each time they are at the sink.
And always, have fun with it!! These creative ways to keep your kids clean will help keep away the germ monsters, making them strong and healthy for the rest of this cold and flu season.
[1] Make Hand Washing Fun. Tyenol.com. Accessed on the Web November 15, 2009.
http://www.tylenol.com/page.jhtml?id=tylenol/children/subfhandwash.inc
