Teach kids when they are young about handwashing.
Your hands touch things all day and those things can contain germs that can make you sick. So teaching kids at an early age about proper hand washing is a good thing. Kids may not like washing their hands but it is important to keep them and others around them healthy. The first step to hand washing is helping kids understand why. The reason for handwashing is to clean off the dirt and germs that can make us sick. I like to remind my kids about a time that they were sick and how icky they felt. I talk about how germs on their hands could have been to blame for making them sick. Then I teach by example of how to wash hands by washing my hands first. A good age to start teaching kids to wash hands is as early as a year. Yes, you will need to hold the child up to the sink but once they get taller, you can use a step stool by the sink to help them reach the water. You will also have to help with the soap when they are little. I like to use liquid soap for handwashing as it is easier to use for kids. I also prefer a
natural soap that is made from plant products. This type of soap is gentler on kid's delicate skin.
Green Goo Foaming soaps have no harsh chemicals in them that tend to dry out the skin and kill the good bacteria. They also come in four amazing delicious scents that make handwashing fun. Whether kids use
Fresh Citrus,
Ginger Grapefruit,
Lemongrass Zinger, or
Lavender, the rich, nourishing foam formula will leave their hands feeling soft, balanced, and renewed.
Sponsored post: I received a sample of soap to facilitate this post
When should kids wash their hands?
Before eating food
Before, during, and after preparing food
Before and after they touch a cut or wound
After using the toilet
After blowing their nose, coughing, or sneezing
After touching an animal, animal feed, or animal waste
After handling pet food or pet treats
After touching garbage
After playing outside
How should kids wash their hands?
Wet hands with clean, running water (warm or cold) and apply soap.
Lather the hands by rubbing them together with the soap. Be sure to show kids how to lather the backs of your hands, between fingers, and under the nails.
Scrub hands for at least 20 seconds. Need a timer? Hum the "Happy Birthday" song from beginning to end twice.
Rinse your hands well under clean, running water.
Dry your hands using a clean towel or air dry them.
Mom-tip
To see if my kids did a good job of washing off all the dirt, I have them touch a white plastic cup with their wet hands. If the hands are still dirty then the cup will have dirt on it.
Make washing hands fun!
Buy soap with natural scents that smell good so kids will wash longer.
Make up a silly song about hand washing.
My kids loved this song when they were little.
Wash wash wash your hands. Wash them all day long
Scrub them really well and make the germs go down the drain.
What about hand sanitizer?
Hand sanitizers are not as effective when hands are visibly dirty or greasy.
Washing hands with soap and water are the best way to reduce the number of germs on them in most situations. If soap and water are not available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol. Alcohol-based hand sanitizers can quickly reduce the number of germs on hands in some situations, but sanitizers do not eliminate all types of germs and might not remove harmful chemicals. Hand sanitizer can also be drying to the skin and it also kills the good bacteria on the hands. Kids also tend to not use sanitizer correctly and only rub it on the palm of their hands. Hand sanitizer is also harmful if swallowed.
Looking for a natural plant-based soap?
Green Goo Foaming hand soap is made with natural ingredients like Organic Coconut, Sunflower Seed, Castor Seed, and Safflower Oils. They get their awesome scents from essential oils and herbs like Rosemary. This soap is tough on germs, gentle on your hands, and do a great job of cleaning dirt and germs off kid's hands. I love companies that have the environment in mind. I was sent a bottle of their Green Goo Fresh Citrus foaming soap and I just love the way it smells! The soap smells like a glass of lemonade and my boys love the scent too. The enjoyable scent keeps my boys scrubbing longer. This soap has great lather too. Green Goo also makes other soap products like Castile Soaps and natural bar soaps.
So teach those kids about handwashing and keep the germs off their hands.
