Like it or not, we’re in the dead of winter and with the record amounts of snow some areas of the country have seen already, there doesn’t seem to be an end in sight. Since it will be months before April showers and May flowers, we’re just trying to trudge through the season with as few illnesses as possible. Winter comes with all sorts of nasty bugs and viruses and the best way to help our kids avoid them is by teaching good hand-washing skills.
This year’s flu season is underway and even with the vaccination, kids can still be susceptible to flu symptoms. According to Google’s cool flu trends tracker, which you can find
here, states such as California, Wyoming, New Mexico, Virginia and New York currently are experiencing moderate flu activity, with the rest of the country still being on the mild activity front. But that can change quickly and we need to make sure that our kids are protected as much as possible. In addition to getting enough rest and eating healthfully, hand-washing is an important way to prevent the spread of germs.
Health experts claim that proper involves washing with warm water and soap for 20 seconds. That seems like an eternity for kids, especially when they just want to get back to whatever it is they were playing with. But how about incorporating a little play time into hand-washing?
There are a number of soaps geared for kids on the market and kids will get excited if you purchase one and emphasize that it’s special soap for their use only. Here are several that we’ve used in our house:
Squid Soap: Made by Airborne, this soap claims to leave an ‘ink’ spot on your child’s hand when the pump is pressed. After 15-20 seconds of thorough hand-washing, the ink spot disappears and hands are clean. (Personal note: we didn’t find the ‘ink’ to show clearly on this product, but my son still liked the funny squid that sits atop the container.)
Clearly Fun Soap: This is made and sold by Bath & Body Works. As the glycerin soap wears down, the reward is the toy animal inside.
And finally, while all the merry hand-washing is occurring, why not accompany the soap and suds with a tune or two? Here are a couple songs that are very easy to teach your kids and if your kids are washing during the time it takes to sing one of these songs, they should be all clean and good to go!
Wash Your Hands song (sung to the tune of “Row, Row, Row Your Boat”)
Wash, wash, wash, your hands
Play our handy game
Rub and scrub, scrub and rub germs go down the drain HEY!
Wash, Wash, Wash your hands
Play our handy game
Rub and scrub, scrub and rub dirt goes down the drain HEY!
Twinkle, Twinkle Clean Hands song
Twinkle, twinkle little star,
Look how clean my two hands are,
Soap and water, wash and scrub,
Get those germs off rub-a-dub,
Twinkle, twinkle little star,
Look how clean my two hands are.
Hand-Washing song (sung to the tune of "Twinkle, Twinkle, LIttle Star")
I can wash my hands you see,
Wash them clean as clean can be.
Inside, outside, my fingers, too
Around my thumbs and then I'm through,
Now rinse away the dirt and stains,
Send those germs down the drain!
Here's to a healthy winter!
Click HERE to view Parenting Examiner Angele Sionna’s recent article on alternative cold remedies for kids.
Comments
love the song ideas! thanks for the tips.
When I worked in a hospital pharmacy we were instructed to sing two full verses of Yankee Doodle as we washed our hands! So this is a great idea even for adults. By the way, I sell these great colorful mini stop signs ($5) for parents to attach to baby strollers and car seats that say "Please wash your hands before touching mine". They come in three colors and also a Spanish version. You can find them at www.bittybabyshop.com I think they are a great reminder without offending anyone. Thanks for giving us this great reminder. ~Tracye
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