Having good personal hygiene is just a basic necessity for both adults and kids. All the viruses and germs we come in contact with daily will thrive in our bodies if we don’t clean them off. Teaching your kids to have good personal hygiene will help everyone not get sick often. You must be teaching them about personal hygiene as you will also be teaching them how to be self-aware and confident. Therefore, teaching your kids just the importance of having good hygiene will teach them how to maintain a healthy lifestyle. You must teach them from an early age before they hit puberty, so they don’t have to experience many awkward situations. Here are some of the most important personal hygiene things that you have to teach your kids.
Take A Bath Every Day
It is no secret that some kids don’t want to take showers, while some will just beg to have their baths. But the key is that you don’t let them skip showering. If you do so, they will get used to it, and they won’t make a habit of showering every day. Once they turn about five years old, they will be able to take showers on their own with some supervision. That way, they will get into the habit of showering, and they won’t have embarrassing accidents once they are a teenager.
Trimming Nails
Another crucial thing that you have to teach your kids when it comes to having good hygiene is keeping their nails neat. As we all know, kids love to be outside and get dirty, so having short clean nails is vital as there won’t be a place where the dirt and bacteria can harbour. Of course, when they are younger you will trim their nails, but once they are seven or older, it is time that they do it themselves regularly. Teach them to trim their nails once a week, depending on how fast their nails are growing. A great thing is to do it right after showering because their nails will be softer and easier to cut.
Hand Washing
Handwashing habits are one of the most important things you should teach your child, especially now that we are in the middle of a pandemic. Kids are costly touching things and putting their hands into their mouth, that is why you need to teach them to keep their hands clean all the time. Make sure that you are teaching them to wash their hands immediately when they are done with going to a bathroom, having food, or even coming home from their activities. But the thing that will make it easier is making the soap dispenser easily accessible, so they don’t have the excuse that it is hard to reach or press. Choose smells that they will like to help them get into the habit.
Teeth Brushing
There is nothing harder to teach your kids than to brush their teeth twice a day. Sometimes it will even seem like an impossible task, but you should never give up. All kids will try to lie about brushing their teeth at one point when they haven’t. That is why you need to start teaching them from a young age. Kids brushing their teeth twice a day is crucial because if they don’t do so, it will lead to tooth decay. In that case, they will most likely have their teeth pulled. Tooth removal is something no child is excited about, although it is a simple surgical procedure. That is why you need to ensure that you are teaching them to do it at least twice a day.
Parents Should Help Them Identify Germ-Prone Objects
Other than teaching those items such as garbage or used tissues that are full of germs, you should also let them know about other things that they should avoid touching and always wash their hands after that. Inform them about things like coins, phones and buttons. All the things that are outside and people touch are very germ-prone. Make sure that you are letting them know that they shouldn’t touch things if they don’t have to. And if they do so, they should always clean their hands.
Use Hand Sanitizer At School
Since we are still battling the pandemic, teaching your kids to keep using hand sanitiser, when in school is a crucial part of their hygiene. When they are at school, they can’t get up and leave to wash their hands, so having the habit of cleaning their hands when touching things that other kids touch is very important. That is why they should always have hand sanitiser on them. To make it more fun for them to use it, get them a fun scent and a cute bottle holder that they can attach to their backpack.
We should instil in our children the importance of personal hygiene and teach them how to live a sanitary and healthy lifestyle. What do you think of these personal hygiene tips for kids? What other tips would you like to add? Let me know in the comments.
