How many times have you and your child washed your hands today?
You might not have given it much thought. It’s either part of your routine,
done frequently without thinking, or maybe you don’t do it much at all. But as
your pediatrician may have told you, hand washing may be the single most
important act you and your child have for disease
prevention.
Making It Habit
As early as possible, get your child into the habit of washing her hands
often and thoroughly. All day long, your child is exposed to bacteria and
viruses—when touching a playmate, sharing toys, or petting the cat. Once her
hands pick up these germs,
she can quickly infect herself by:
- Rubbing her eyes
- Touching her nose
- Placing her fingers in her mouth.
The whole process can happen in seconds, and cause an infection that can last
for days, weeks, or even longer.
When To Wash
Hand washing can stop the spread of infection. The key is to encourage your
child to wash her hands throughout the day. For example, help her or remind her
to wash her hands:
- Before eating (including snacks)
- After a trip to the bathroom
- Whenever she comes in from playing
outdoors
- After touching an animal like a family pet
- After sneezing or coughing
if she covers her mouth
- When someone in the household is ill
Studies on hand washing in public
restrooms show that most people don’t have very good hygiene habits. “Hand
washing” may mean just a quick splash of water and perhaps a squirt of soap, but
not nearly enough to get their hands clean.
Steps to Proper Hand Washing
So what does a thorough hand washing involve? The Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention (CDC) recommends the following steps:
- Wet your child’s hands.
- Apply clean bar soap or liquid soap to the hands, and then place the bar on
a rack where it can drain before the next hand washing.
- Rub the hands vigorously together. Scrub every surface
completely.
- Keep rubbing and scrubbing for 10 to 15 seconds to effectively remove the
germs.
- Rinse the hands completely, then dry them.
About Antibacterial Soaps
Drugstore shelves are full of trendy antibacterial soaps, but studies have
shown that these antibacterial products are no better at washing away dirt and
germs than regular soap. Some infectious disease experts have even suggested
that by using antibacterial soaps, you may actually kill off normal bacteria and
increase the chances that resistant bacteria may grow.
The best solution is to wash your child’s hands with warm water and ordinary
soap that does not contain antibacterial substances (eg, triclosan). Regular use
of soap and water is better than using waterless (and often alcohol-based)
soaps, gels, rinses, and hand rubs when your child’s hands are visibly dirty
(and with children, there usually is dirt on the hands!). However, when there is
no sink available (eg, the car), hand rubs can be a useful alternative.
How Long to Wash
Keep in mind that although 10 to 15 seconds of hand washing sounds like an
instant, it is much longer than you think. Time yourself the next time you wash
your hands. Watch your child while she’s washing her hands to make sure she’s
developing good hygiene behaviors. Pick a song that lasts for 15 seconds and
sing it while you wash. Encourage your child to wash her hands not only at home,
but also at school, at friends’ homes, and everywhere else. It’s an important
habit for her to get into, and hopefully one that’s hard to break
Thanks to the AAP and
www.healthychildren.org for this great article and reminder about washing hands! Good luck and hopefully spring is right around the corner!
