Help Them Learn Healthy Habits!
Children rely on their parents to keep them clean and safe, but as kids get older, they learn
how to manage their own hygiene. Teaching kids about good personal hygiene helps set them
up with healthy habits throughout their lives.
Good hygiene helps with:
- Maintaining a more positive and healthy body image
- Boosting self-confidence
- Building independence
- Staying healthy by preventing infections and reducing the spread of germs
Some basic hygiene practices children should know are:
- Hand washing. Do a step-by-step demonstration to show your kids how to clean their hands thoroughly. After showing them what to do a few times, let your child try by themselves and help when needed.
- Brushing and flossing teeth. Parents should be brushing their child’s teeth until they’re about 4 or 5 years old. Without proper dental care, children can develop cavities, bad breath and other oral diseases.
- Bathing regularly. Encourage kids to take a bath or shower as part of their bedtime routine.
- Covering their mouths when they cough. You can’t always protect your child from illnesses, but you can help them stop the spread of infections by teaching them to cover their mouth and nose when they feel a cough or sneeze coming.
- Wearing clean clothes. While kids might have a favorite t-shirt or dress-up costume, wearing clean clothes is a key part of good hygiene. Wearing clean underwear is also important.