Educating your kids as they grow is a rigorous, challenging, and engaging process. Good hygiene is one of the things your kids pick naturally. However, for some, it is a long and painstaking process trying to keep hygiene habits. It is a deliberate effort that takes a lot of patience to keep reminding them until those habits sink in their mind. But tallying up the health benefits resulting from good hygiene, it is worth it.
Additionally, it falls in the trend and forgets the good habits altogether. With parents deeply engrossed in their busy working schedules, children might lose track of what essential hygiene entails. It is worth instilling excellent hygiene habits in your kids.
Food Hygiene for Kids
Eating unhealthy food can lead to obesity, diabetes, and other risks, including diarrhea, stomach pains, and even vomiting. You need to pay attention to your hygiene while preparing, serving, or feeding your child. As you teach them about food hygiene, start with the necessary things. Tell them that bacteria and germs can cause diseases. Let the child know how the germs get to their body and how it affects them. Also, emphasize habits that will help them prevent diseases. Here is what you can teach them.
If you always cook, ensure you follow hygiene always. Tie your hair and wear an apron. Ensure you roll up your sleeves. Don’t sneeze into food, always sanitize your hand before touching the food again.
Oral Hygiene
It is vital to take care of your kid’s teeth and mouth. With proper care, your kid won’t get oral diseases, cavities, or bad breath. Although the teeth fall out, they are essential in chewing the food and enhances speech development. According to Serene Smiles, a dentist in Westerville OH, there are a variety of habits to keep in mind:
- Teach you kid to brush the teeth at least twice a day
- Buy them child’s brush as they are soft for developing gums
- For the first 12 months, only wipe the child with a soft clean cloth
- Avoid giving sweet foods frequently.
Hand Hygiene
Ensure you wash your hands frequently to reduce the chances of contamination. The best practice of hand hygiene is teaching your kids to wash the hands regularly and thoroughly. Show you kid the step by step process of cleaning their hands until they get it right. Hygiene for kids’ entails keeping their hands clean as much as possible, especially before and after eating.
Here is the procedure:
- Wet your hands with water
- Have soap applied on your hands rubbing gently to form a lather
- Ensure you show the kid how to clean the finger and nails
- Ensure to use soap and clean running water
Sleeping Hygiene for Kids
Sleep is vital for everyone. It is time to rejuvenate, form new cells, and record memories. Therefore, sleep hygiene entails everything that will help your kid get a sound sleep. It involves having a good sleep at night so that they can be active during the day. You can teach your kids the benefits of sleep. The following are ways to teach good sleeping habits in your kid.
Healthy sleeping habits
- Let them not sleep at odd hours during the daytime so that they sleep at night.
- Keep a comfortable temperature in their room
- Have the same sleeping hours every day.
Vocal Hygiene
Now, this may be a new one in your household but it consists of a set of methods you can use on your child to help modulate voice and reduce noise and bothersome behaviors. You might find your child shouting a lot. They need to be given some attention. When stressed, the vocal cords can get damaged. In order to treat this like a hygiene issue, address it as follows:
- Keep your child hydrated by taking water every day.
- Encourage your kid to speak in one tone when conversing
- Tell them to avoid shouting or whispering so much as it causes stress on the vocal cords.
Final Thoughts
The benefits of good hygiene are numerous from preventing the spread of disease-causing organisms to maintaining a good personal appearance. Respect for shared spaces and excellent hygiene brings the difference in the lives of people irrespective of their age. That is why it is a noble idea to instill strong hygiene habits with your kids at an early age. They may not say thank you now, but eventually, they will. Essential healthy hygiene will ensure your kids can afford a smile since they will be healthy.
