How to get kids to wash their hands.
Kids love to mess around—imagine a delicious mud pie, or making friends with snails and slugs. Getting them to wash their hands regularly can seem like a never-ending chore, but it’s something that will benefit the whole family.
The basic rule is to wash your hands before preparing or eating food, after coughing, sneezing, blowing your nose and after using the bathroom. Here are five simple ways to encourage your children to wash up!
STEP 1: Lead by example
When you wash your hands, instruct your child to follow and do the same. It may take some nagging at first, but soon it will become a routine. Make sure you do it right—remember to wash between your fingers, around and under any rings, under and around your nails, and even up your wrists.
Ducky says, "Wash your hands!"
STEP 2: Make it fun!
Use colorful soaps with fun shapes and scents made especially for kids.
STEP 3: Sing the germs away
Find a fun song, and encourage them to sing as they lather with soap under running water for 15-20 seconds. This is about as long as it takes to sing “Happy Birthday.” Reciting the alphabets also works.
STEP 4: Throw in the towel
Leave a white towel for them to dry their hands. If dirt shows up on the towel, they’re not washing their hands properly.
STEP 5: Wipe it down
If your kid is still reluctant to wash up, try disinfectant hand wipes or give him a small bottle of hand sanitizer. He’ll be fascinated at how the liquid “magically” disappears when he rubs his hands together! Making hand washing a habit would be your family’s first line of defense against the spread of many illnesses—from the common cold to more serious illnesses such as meningitis, bronchiolitis, influenza, hepatitis A, and most types of infectious diarrhea.
WHEN TO WASH UP?
• before eating or touching food
• after using the bathroom
• after blowing your nose or coughing
• after touching pets or other animals
• after playing outside
• before & after visiting a sick person
Strengthen the Immune System
A glass of Snow Brand SUPER KID-plus a day, keeps the germs away! SUPER KID-plus is formulated with the right amount of nutrients to give your child’s immune system the boost that it needs. It is fortified with ß-carotene, a provitamin A that activates immune functions, as well as Nucleotides that assist in the suppression of diarrhea and the development of a strong and healthy immune system.
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