Children should be taught to wash throughout the day says AAP
Handwashing – the most important lesson a child can learn – is of course a vitally important skill, especially when the current COVID-19 situation is uppermost in most people’s minds.
The “best thing you can teach your kid” at any times is of course proper handwashing habits, according to a recent report on the Health 24 website.
The article quotes advice from American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), which points out that all day, every day, youngsters are exposed to all sorts of unpleasant illnesses when playing or touching animals.
Which is precisely why “…children should be encouraged to wash their hands throughout the day” before eating, when coming in from outside play, after going to the toilet and so on.
Washing must be done properly – preferably with ordinary soap
The teaching of appropriate hand washing techniques are crucial says Health 24, quoting Centers for Disease Control and Prevention best practice guidelines – washing for 20 seconds vigorously with soap, rinsing and drying (preferably with a paper towel).
“It’s best to wash your child’s hands with warm water and ordinary soap that does not contain antibacterial substances, such as triclosan.”
In a separate article Why hand-washing beats hand sanitisers, Health 24 states,
“In hand-washing, it’s the length of time you spend scrubbing and rinsing off appropriately that are important.”
The scrubbing actions release dirt and germ particles from the hands, which then get bound up in the soap lather which is subsequently washed away.
And while sanitisers are sometimes seen as being “convenient” says the report, they can only be used by kids with adult support and should otherwise be locked away warns the report.
“…it’s important to remember that hand sanitisers do not replace proper hand-washing.”
Parents, arm your kids against Covid-19 with good handwashing habits »
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