Meta: Good and safe hygiene should be practised by every individual irrespective of age and gender. Especially children need to be taught the importance of good hygiene and how it affects their health. Parents play a key role in teaching their kids how to maintain cleanliness throughout their lives.
Due to COVID-19, the importance of good hygiene has also increased. People are more focused on maintaining healthy hygiene habits. Children have also learned to follow a safe and healthy routine to stay away from any kind of infection especially the COVID-19 virus. Yellow Class is one educational platform that helps kids in developing and maintaining healthy habits. Children who wish to take different free online hobby courses can visit the Online Free Hobby Classes for Kids at Yellow Class. There are also various fun activities for kids like Zumba for kids, Folk dance, yoga for kids, and more. Let us look at some of the important steps that can ensure good hygiene in kids:
- Regular hand wash- Kids are super active and are at higher risk of carrying different types of viruses and bacteria because of their dirty hands. Hence, parents must instil in them the habit of washing their hands regularly. It is a quick and smart habit that helps ids to stay away from all the germs. Parents can make their kids keep their hands clean by putting a poster on the bathroom door that says “Wash your hands” with an animated figure. Parents should also provide them hand wash liquid and not soaps. They can also be taught to wash their hands properly with the help of a poem. Handwash liquid is said to be a safer option than soap.
- Bath hygiene- Parents should urge their kids to take a shower regularly. Lots of pathogens and bacteria live on the skin without any harm. But it can lead to an infection if they anyhow find a way into the body such as through injury or open cut. Children are increasingly active and therefore more prone to wounding or scraping their skin while playing. Hence it becomes all the more important to maintain cleanliness. For kids who cannot communicate, a caretaker or parents must examine their skin to check for rashes, abrasions or blemishes. Morning showers are good but children must also shower before bedtime. Getting a shower before bed can help them prevent the spread of any germs or viruses onto their beds.
- Oral and dental hygiene- Parents must make sure that their kids brush their teeth and floss twice a day. They must also help the younger kids with flossing as they might require supervision. Children must be told to floss and brush their teeth twice a day until becomes a daily habit.
- Genital maintenance and care- Parents must make sure that their kids must keep their underarms and genitals clean and dry. People sweat differently at different ages but they usually become sweatier when they are 9-10 years old. Parents must ask their kids to wash their underarms thoroughly after their sports practice, after bathing, and before changing their clothes.
- Cuticle maintenance and nail care- Germs love to live under a kid’s fingernails. This way they can easily travel to their mouth, nose, and eyes. Parents must scrub their child’s nails and get all the dirt out before bedtime. To reduce the possible growth of painful ingrown nails and getting rid of dirt, a weekly clipping must be done. Parents also have to file their child’s nails to prevent skin scratches. Children who are habituated to biting their nails must be controlled and monitored.
- Hair hygiene- Poor hair hygiene can lead to lice, dandruff, and scalp infections. Children can also get these from their playmates. Parents must make wash their child’s hair twice a week and remove dirt and grease. They can also be assisted in washing their hair with shampoo for deep cleansing. Children should never share their combs, caps, hats, or pillow with others to maintain hygiene.
