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Personal hygiene is vital for our health and wellbeing so is a vital area to explore with children. However, it can be a challenge with how mucky they get. Below are some tips from a day nursery in London that highlight how to explore cleanliness and help toddlers develop good hygiene.
Talk About Germs
To explain why maintaining good personal hygiene is important, talk about germs and how they make us ill. Depending on your child’s age you may need to simplify your definition. Key points to explore are how they spread, that they aren’t visible to the human eye despite our hands etc appearing perfectly clean and how they can stop them being passed on.
Talk About Smells
Another thing to explore are smells - It's important to wash regularly to avoid unpleasant smells.
Using the Bathroom Independently
As your child nears nursery age you will need to phase them out of their nappies and get them using the toilet. They will need to be able to use it correctly, learn to clean up after themselves and wash their hands.
Look at Good and Bad Habits
Also to help them with their cleanliness, look at good and bad habits. For example, what to do when coughing or sneezing, washing hands before eating and after touching dirty surfaces etc.
Brushing Teeth
Oral hygiene is huge for our overall health and is important for keeping unpleasant smells at bay. Teeth must be brushed regularly to be kept healthy as forgetting to brush and consuming sugary foods can lead to decay. You can get your child used to brushing their teeth by getting them their very own child sized toothbrush and brushing together twice a day. The best dentist in Syracuse NY also recommends teaching them how to floss to prevent cavities in between their teeth.
Use Reminders
Regular reminders can help ensure that things like brushing their teeth and washing their hands become a habit.
Showering
Regular showers are probably the most important part of maintaining good personal hygiene. Showering regularly prevents and removes unpleasant smells and can help children feel much better within themselves.
As they grow up, they should slowly learn how to shower for themselves. You can begin to practise by getting them their own loofah or bath towel and letting them have a go. If you’re a parent who finds bath time tricky, perhaps opt for a warm relaxing bath where they can play with their toys.
At the age of around 3-5 years old it’s important that your child starts to do these things for themselves. You should gradually ease them into their routine and be present while they learn so that they fully grasp these new tasks.
