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Kids are sponges when it comes to learning new things. They are adventurous and have little to worry about. And while their fear-free lifestyles are an inspiration, there are some important lessons that you can teach your children early on, to instill good habits and support them to live a longer, healthier life. 

 

Personal hygiene is important, not only for living healthier, but also now more than ever in the height of the pandemic. Personal hygiene is a series of activities that can help protect your children from illness and diseases, reduce the spread and maintain their body’s cleanliness. This is important because children’s immune systems do not fully develop until later, so will not fully fight against any bacteria or viruses they are exposed to. Personal hygiene activities can range from brushing your teeth, regular bathing, and more. 

 

Your children will likely come into contact with other children, dirt, and dust regularly. But without the knowledge, they do not know that some things they reach for, are not good for them. Teaching your children personal hygiene activities early on can help create sustainable, healthy habits that they can maintain throughout their lifetime. Here are some tips to help you get started. 

 

Take care of body hygiene 

Body hygiene includes teaching your children how to keep clean and protect their bodies. Skin is vulnerable to germs, especially if it is wounded (which is typical for children who like to play a lot!). However, the accumulation of unwanted germs and bacteria on the skin can cause infections, spots, and body odor. 

 

Some of the most common healthy habits for taking care of body hygiene are:

 

• Regular bathing (baths or showers) and learning how to properly clean different parts of their body 

• Appropriate soaps for bathing 

• Washing and combing their hair 

• Brushing their teeth regularly (and adding floss or mouthwash in their teens)

• How to keep wounds clean if they are injured 

• Changing their underwear, socks and clothes regularly

• Regularly washing their hands

 

Mouth Hygiene 

A part of the body that requires a little more attention is mouth hygiene. This is because children love to put things in their mouths, whether it is toys or their hands! When they are young and in their teething stages, this is usually acceptable. But as they grow older, it is important that they limit the objects they place in their mouths. It is also important to try and nib in the bud any bad habits they start to pick up, especially nail-biting! 

 

When your children grow up and are in their teenage phases, it can be easy for them to let their habits loosen up and get slack when sticking to them. Oral hygiene is one of the most commonly neglected practices amongst teens, but also one of the most important, as from the age of 13 upwards, they have all their permanent teeth. Keeping teeth and gums healthy is vital to prevent mouth diseases and infections. Children and teenagers should be brushing their teeth at least twice per day, for a full two minutes each time, with fluoride toothpaste. This helps to strengthen teeth, fight cavities, and gives them fresh breath (someone they are probably more conscious of as they get older!) It is also important to introduce flossing into the oral hygiene habits, to get to all the places their toothbrush can’t. If your teens have braces, they should still floss. It may be slightly harder, but there are many flossing with braces hacks that can help the process, keep their teeth clean, and avoid white spots when the braces come off. 

 

Hand hygiene 

Another element of body hygiene that requires in-depth attention. The simple practice of regularly washing their hands can significantly reduce the chances of your children catching a virus and getting sick. It is also one of the simplest habits that children tend to pick up if they can remember to do so. Make sure you are regularly washing your hands, acting as a positive role model for your children, and constantly reminding them until they start to do it on their own, especially if they have been playing outside, petting animals, or using the toilet. Many parents opt to teach their children a song, one that they can sing when washing their hands, to ensure they wash them for long enough. 

 

Food hygiene

There are many ways that children can become ill after eating, especially if they practice poor food hygiene. But this doesn’t just fall on the child, but the entire family. It is important that good food hygiene is practiced not only when eating food, but also when preparing and serving food. As your children get older, they may want to get involved with cooking or as a teenager, maybe considering a career in the food industry. 

 

Some of the most important habits to adopt around food are:

 

• Washing any surfaces before preparing and eating food 

• Washing your hands with soap before touching any food that is going to be consumed 

• Extra hand washes are necessary if you have been to the toilet, or are handling raw meat 

• Don’t leave food lying around unsealed 

• Never eat raw, uncooked foods (unless they are supposed to be eaten that way)

• Always clean fruits and vegetables before consuming 

Health hygiene 

Colds are dominant amongst children, as they are typically in large classrooms, run wild and free using their imagination, and often don’t care for personal space. While this is okay, sometimes it can become an issue when things like viruses, infections, or even head lice are ripe. Some important practices for you and your children to adopt to reduce the spread of germs and bacterial infections are:

 

• Regularly change clothes and put dirty clothes in the washing machine 

• Bathe often 

• Wash hands after activities, including playing outside and using the toilet 

• Clean up spillages 

• Covering your mouth with an elbow or cloth when sneezing or coughing

• Living in a clean space

• Keep your children at home if they are not very well 

 

Top tips for helping your children adopt new habits 

 

Start small

 

It is important to start with the basics and adopt easy practices that can be remembered. While children absorb information like sponges, too much information in one go may overwhelm them or lead them to forget. Start small, perhaps by introducing one to two habits at a time, for example, hand washing and bath times. Once they have adopted these new habits with ease, you can then move onto the next ones. If your children are young, try to make it fun by bringing songs and games into the mix. If you are teaching your teenage children, why not bring in reward systems or provide them with information, so they can understand the what and the way behind the activities. 

 

Use resources to aid in explaining and creating habits 

 

There are many resources, such as books, TV shows, and YouTube videos which are catered towards children and teenagers, that can help introduce the ideas of bacteria and germs, while they are important and what happens if personal hygiene is not maintained from an early age. These are usually produced in a way that does not overwhelm children or scare them into unhealthy, obsessive habits, but rather provides them with the essential information they need to learn in an easy-to-understand format. 

 

Make sure all necessary items are accessible 

It is also important that you have all the resources available in your home for your children to use to keep up with their hygiene practices, and that they know how to use them properly. These can be simple things, such as keeping clean clothes available, a place to put dirty clothes, storage for toys, soap in the dispenser, easy to flush toilets, etc. If supplies are kept somewhere they cannot see or reach, it will be much harder for them to adopt these new, healthy habits. 

 

Be a role model 

Children will always look up to their parent figures, and adults in general as they grow up, and mimic their behavior. The best way to inspire your children and get them practicing healthy hygiene habits, they need to see you practicing them regularly first. Let them witness you practicing the habits you are trying to teach them or perhaps do them together, like preparing food, washing your hands, or cleaning your teeth. 

Just telling your children will not always work, so it is vital to create new habits and behaviors that they understand and are easy to adopt. Children need to understand that hygiene is a way of life and keeps them healthy. Find new and fun ways to teach them, so they don’t get bored quickly!