"Not to the shower!" or "I'll wash my hands later" It is something that many parents have to hear more often than we would like. Sometimes children become small beings with soap and water phobia and we have to make an extra effort to wash them.
Proper hygiene is essential for a healthy life and keep certain risks like infections away. Parents have to instill in our children certain rules of grooming, guidelines that we will set an example and that should not be neglected, although it is not always easy.
And it is that the establishment of hygiene standards begins at home, with the example that we give them, but also explaining to children, who often refuse everyday acts such as washing their hands or showering, so that they understand why those Measures are important.
Let's see certain preventive hygiene measures that we have to take as a family, remembering that hygiene not only covers the personal sphere but is a factor that transcends our environment and to some extent is a way of respecting others.
Hygiene in children
We try to maintain a good ventilation of the closed places, even in winter, opening the windows as necessary in order to avoid loaded environments.
Personal hygiene must be careful, sometimes with habits that occur several times a day (brushing teeth, hands ...) and others that will be every several days, such as bathing, depending on the needs.
The child's bath can become a pleasant and relaxed moment, but you have to take into account certain areas to be checked and cleaned especially: the diaper area, the neck, the folds (armpits, English ...).
Oral hygiene can prevent cavities, sores and other infections, so it is important that it is carried out since the first teeth appear. With a correct and frequent brushing technique, after meals and especially before bedtime, many problems are prevented.
To be protected from infections it is very important to have clean hands. They should be washed with soap and water frequently, affecting the spaces between the fingers and drying them carefully. You can also use soaps with alcohol and glycerin, with warm water, scrubbing your hands vigorously for 15-20 seconds, until foam comes out. You have to cover the entire surface of hands and fingers, reaching the wrists.
It is advisable to dry with disposable towels, but it is not usual for us to do it at home. Then, we must wash the cloth towels we use for this purpose frequently.
There are two moments when handwashing is paramount, for obvious reasons: before meals and after using the bathroom, even before going to the bathroom in case, when cleaning, the genitals are touched and some bacteria are transmitted.
Intimate hygiene after peeing and pooping is something we help our children for quite some time, but there comes a time when they will have to do it alone (when they go to school) and that is why it is important to practice before at home, helping them and With our supervision. Proper intimate hygiene in girls prevents infections such as vulvovaginitis and also in boys adequate hygiene is necessary.
Before a respiratory infection, we must ensure that the children cover their nose and mouth with a tissue when they cough or sneeze and throw the tissue afterwards. It is quite complicated to get it, especially with the little ones, but little by little they will get it, especially if they see us doing it (and it is important that we do so to prevent contagion).
If there is no handkerchief at that time, you can cover your mouth with your arm and if you do it with your hand, wash immediately afterwards. When there are colds you have to increase the number of times you wash your hands, as well as take care of the ventilation of the enclosed spaces, as we have indicated at the beginning.
If the children are sick and that is what the doctor considers, they should stay at home so as not to infect the school classmates.
Remember that sharing glasses, cutlery ... can transmit infections, so you have to be careful in this regard.
Bringing a healthy diet, drinking plenty of fluids and maintaining healthy habits of life, playing sports, playing ... will contribute to health globally.
We cannot pretend that younger children follow or understand all these habits and rules of grooming, but little by little, with our accompaniment, explanations and help, making hygiene something rewarding, we will see the results. I wish with these basic hygiene rules to prevent infections let's avoid more than one and save a visit to the doctor.
